PM Terrance Drew and Minister Duggins visit Antigua to support SKN Patriots for CPL opener

Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis, Dr Terrance Drew, and Minister of Sports, Samal Duggins, jet to Antigua for the opening match of the Caribbean Premier League 2024. The first game of the tournament was held between St Kitts and Nevis Patriots and Antigua and Barbuda Falcons.

The tournament started with the victory of the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, who won the game by one wicket on 29 August 2024 at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. SKNP won the toss and decided to bowl. The Falcons made a steady start, with 57 runs on the board and the loss of one wicket.

The Falcons were going strong, but the Patriots managed to restrict them to 163 runs, receiving a target of 164 to win the first game of CPL 2024. The debutant Jewel Andrew became the highest scorer for Antigua and Barbuda Falcons, hitting 7 fours and 1 six.

The second-highest run-scorer for the team was Fakhar Zaman, who got short of 7 runs for scoring a half-century after being caught by Evin Lewis off a delivery from Tabraiz Shamsi.

Following the first inning of the game, the opening batsman of St Kitts and Nevis Patriots stepped on the field. The openers, Evin Lewis and Andre Fletcher made a decent start to the game but failed to take the game forward and got out in just 29 and 25 runs, respectively.

Kyle Mayers became the highest run-scorer for the team, scoring 39 runs in just 24 balls, with 3 sixes and 2 fours. It was a nail-biting victory for the Patriots as they lost two wickets in the final over. However, the team needed 5 runs to win in last three balls, the partnership between the captain Anrich Nortje and Tabraiz Shamsi held steady as they successfully chased down the target by taking 1, 2 and 1 in the last three deliveries of the game.

After the match, the Prime Minister of St Kitts and Nevis, Dr Terrance Drew and Minister Samal Duggins greeted the players and congratulated them. They both were wearing St Kitts Nevis Patriots jersey in order to support the team and wish them luck for their upcoming games.

The wife of the Prime Minister, Diani James accompanied her husband to the game that was held at Antigua. The Prime Minister and Minister Duggins exchanged healthy dialogues with the players and boosted their spirit and confidence for the Caribbean Premier League 2024 tournament.

While sharing the glimpses of their visit to Antigua, the Minister of Sports, Samal Duggins stated that some experiences are just better in person. He called the first night of CPL 2024 “absolute electrifying” which could not get more better with this nail-biting game. He further added that this is just the beginning of what promises to be an incredible season for cricket in St. Kitts and Nevis.

“Congratulations to the team on a hard-fought victory,” noted Minister Samal Duggins.