Rain has not been falling in the Beausejour area of St. Lucia for the past three months, and while the farmers were calling for it,they definitely did not want it yesterday becauseit came to stop their cricket party.
They chanted: "We want cricket, we want cricket,"from the stands, but the rain which arrived after six stumps were put into the turf did not relent and the first game between the T&T Red Steel and the St. Lucia Zouks ended as an abandoned affair.
Set a daunting 180 runs for victory off 20 overs, the T&T Red Steel reached 10 without loss after five balls when the rain drove the players off the field and they never returned. The Zouks were on fire and the only thing that could have kept them in control was the rain.
Excellent batting by Andre Fletcher 59 and Kevin Pietersen 42 took them to 179 for six a position from which they could have forced their first ever victory over the Red Steel but the elements would have none of it. At the end of a watery night, Dwayne Bravo's men took away a point, as did Darren Sammy's squad.
Earlier, the Zouks ran out and started beating ball which left the Red Steel men in disarray. They were just collecting balls from boundaries amidst deafening noise from the locals. Andre Fletcher and Johnson Charles attacked anything they could reach and Bravo decided to switch his attack in an effort to stop the mayhem.
He found the right man in South African Jacques Kallis, who after being struck for two fours by Charles, got the opener caught by Johan Botha for 16 off nine balls with two fours and a six.
Kevin Pietersen joined Fletcher to tremendous applause and they continued to plunder the attack, as the Red Steel bowlers were all over the place.
At the end of the power play, Zouks had a healthy 53 for one and they did not look back. Pietersen but his English troubles behind him to thrill the fans with some meaty blows.
Fletcher on the other end was doing as he pleased and entertained with some 'cute' improvised shots. The century soon came up in the 12th over and it was the perfect foundation for an explosion during the final stretch. Fletcher then brought up his 50 off 40 balls with five fours and two sixes, to add to the party atmosphere.
However his partnership with Pietersen would end at 70 runs off 8.5 overs when the Englishman made the fatal error to hitting against the wind on the Eastern side of the ground and fell to Samuel Badree for 42 off 26 balls with three fours and three sixes.
Before he could have ripped off his pads he was joined by Fletcher, who gave Kallis his second wicket - finally going for 57 off 49 balls with five fours and two sixes. King Sammy then came in thumped two sixes and left for 15 but he has done the job in adding a frenetic 32 of just 17 balls with South African Henry Davids, who crashed a 16-ball 27.
SCOREBOARD
Red Steel vs Zouks
Zouks inns
A Fletcher c Botha b Kallis*57
J Charles c Botha b Kallis*16
K Pietersen c Delport b Badree*42
H Davids run out*27
D Sammy c DM Bravo b Cooper*15
K Mayers run out*19
K Lesporis not out*0
Extras 1b, 2w*3
Total 6 wkts 20 ovs*179
Fall of wkts: 45, 115, 118, 150, 179, 180.
Bowling: D Bravo 4-0-39-0, S Badree 4-0-27-1, J Kallis 4-0-31-2, K Cooper 4-0-42-1, S Benn 2-0-17-0, J Botha 2-0-23-0.
T&T Red Steel inns
J Kallis not out*10
C Delport not out*0
Extras*0
Total without loss 0.5ovs*10
Bowling: S Gabriel 0.5-0-10-0.
Result: Match Abandoned
Points: T&T Red Steel one, St. Lucia Zouks one.