by Eulana Weekes
St. Kitts and Nevis (WINN): On Thursday night, August 14, the St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots team won its first match on home soil since winning the Caribbean Premier League in 2021.
Following a six-wicket win over the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons in the first match of the 2025 CPL Season, St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots’ skipper Jason Holder recounted his team’s performance.
Holder stated, “I think, you know, when we look at the way we bowl up front, we got wickets and we got wickets through the innings. Credit must go to Waqar. I thought Waqar was outstanding. You know, he gave us four wickets, which is always crucial in any T20 game. So happy the way we started, you know, just to build from here.”
The skipper added, “We’ve got a quality bowling unit in my opinion. It’s only one game in, you know, as I said to the boys, it’s important not to get too high or to get too low in this competition. Just remain level, and I think if we do that and we be consistent, you know, we’ll go deep in this competition.”
St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots won the toss and selected the Falcons to bat first. The Falcons had a shaky start, losing three crucial wickets inside the power play. Karima Gore tried to keep things solid at the crease for his team but fell on 61 runs from 34 balls. The lack of partnerships was consequential for the Falcons, as they failed to accelerate through to the final overs. Gore was the only player on his team who surpassed 12 runs.
The disciplined bowling from the Patriots, led by Waqar Salamkheil (4 for 22), restricted the Falcons to 121 in 17.1 overs.
In response, the Patriots managed to chase down the target, scoring 125-4 in 15 overs. Crucial for the team was Alick Athanze, who anchored the innings with a composed 37 runs not out, while Holder’s 18 not out proved vital in the final stretch.
The opening batsmen Evin Lewis and Andre Fletcher made their contributions to the final score with their 25 and 19 runs respectively.
Rakheem Cornwall collected 2 wickets for 19 runs.
Jason Holder, the former Barbados Royals all-rounder, said the move to captain the St. Kitts- Nevis Patriots is a new challenge he must embrace, not dwelling on the past but building on the team’s success.
“Look, man, the past is history, you know, it’s important for us not to dwell on the past. We’ve got to create our own legacy going forward, you know, as a new group, new leader. You know, new management, and it’s just a case for us just to, you know, build on this, you know, make something special of it; and it’s in our hands to determine how we go forward.”
Holder, 33, is a two-time CPL champion, winning titles with Barbados in 2014 and 2019.
