The Trinbago Knight Riders and the St Lucia Zouks had to settle for a share of the points after rain forced the abandonment of their Hero Caribbean Professional League match at the Daren Sammy National Stadium in Gros Islet, St Lucia, on Saturday.
With a tropical depression hovering in the region over the next 48 hours, the rains associated with the weather system came just before 9 pm and unfortunately did not relent, forcing the umpires to abandon the match. At the time, the home side was 99 for four in the 13th over with Colin Ingram on 52 not out 0ff 34 balls and including five fours and two sixes.
Both teams had to settle for a point each, which helped TKR move to nine points and cement their second-placed position behind the Guyana Amazon Warriors (10 pts) on the six-team table. The St Kitts Nevis Patriots fell to third with eight points. The Zouks, who desperately needed a win after a 71-run loss the night before to the Barbados Tridents, moved to three points but stayed fifth, one point behind the Bajan franchise. The Jamaica Tallawahs remain anchored at the bottom of the table with just two points.
The Tridents host the Warriors Sunday in a match which will have more significance given Saturday’s washout, the first in this year's tournament.
Earlier Saturday, TKR skipper Kieron Pollard had won the toss and asked Zouks Daren Sammy’s side to take first strike, noting that rain was in the air.
And after Zouks opener Andre Fletcher blasted TKR spinner Akeal Hosein for two fours in the first over, pacer Ali Khan broke through off the very first ball of the next. Fletcher (9) was too early on his attempted flick shot off a ball lined down the leg side and skied it high into the air where Khary Pierre easily pouched it at deep square leg.
After Khan and Hosein kept Colin Ingram and John Campbell relatively quiet for the next two overs, skipper Kieron Pollard brought on medium pacer Jimmy Neesham.
Neesham, who many fans blamed for the TKR’s last loss to the Patriots, immediately rewarded his skipper with the wicket of John Campbell (6) from a brilliant piece of fielding. The Kiwi all-rounder delivered a ball which sat up on the wicket and Campbell hit a blistering off-drive. It should have been four runs but Neesham instinctively thrust out his right hand and the ball stuck to reduce the Zouks to 34-2.
This brought Colin de Grandhomme to the crease and he and Ingram began a consolidation of sorts for the home side with a 51-run partnership. However, just when they were about to up the ante, Pollard struck just ahead of the water break. De Grandhomme (17) went after a delivery pitched outside the off-stump, had no control over it and gave Neesham an easy catch at extra cover.
With the score now 85-3, however, the Zouks fans would have been more comfortable that they would not see another collapse like the night before against the Tridents. And as the destructive Rakheem Cornwall strode to the crease, having been held back after consecutive failures opening, they were certainly hoping for some fireworks from him.
It was not to be on this night though, as the experiment failed after Cornwall, lucky to have not been run out the over before, went after Pierre outside the off-stump in the 13th over, got a thick edge and looped his shot to Khan at third man to be out for just eight runs and the Zouks now 99-4.
But then the heavens opened up and the teams never got the chance to take the field again.
SUMMARISED SCORES
ST LUCIA ZOUKS 99-4 (12.2) (Colin Ingram 52*, Colin de Grandhomme 17, Jimmy Neesham 1/10, Khary Pierre 1/18, Ali Khan 1/18) v TRINBAGO KNIGHT RIDERS
Result: Match abandoned due to rain