Saim Ayub delivered a masterful century to lead the Jamaica Kingsmen to an 11-run victory over the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in Basseterre on Thursday. The win moves the Kingsmen to fourth place in the standings, while the Patriots remain at the bottom of the table with only one victory from five matches.
The Kingsmen initially struggled after being sent in to bat, losing their openers early. Wanindu Hasaranga played a pivotal role in the middle overs, dismissing Kirk McKenzie to break a 31-run partnership and later taking a sharp catch to remove Usman Khan, leaving the Kingsmen in a precarious position at 63 for 4.
Ayub shifted the momentum in the 14th over, taking 21 runs off Waqar Salamkheil. His aggressive approach sparked a late-innings surge, with the team collecting 42 runs in the final three overs. Ayub reached his maiden T20 century in the 19th over before falling on the next ball. The Kingsmen concluded their innings at 182 for 7, supported by Hasaranga’s economical spell of 2 for 18.
The Patriots’ chase was hampered by a rain delay and early pressure, as they reached 64 for 4 by the 11th over. Andre Fletcher provided some resistance, reaching his fifty in the 14th over, but he was eventually dismissed by Ayub. The Patriots required 64 runs from the final three overs, and while Jason Holder and Dasun Shanaka combined for a 24-run over, the Kingsmen regained control when Hunain Shah bowled Holder in a decisive 19th over.
Needing 31 runs off the final over, Shanaka struck three sixes to keep the Patriots’ hopes alive, but Odean Smith maintained his composure to restrict the hosts to 171 for 6. Brief Scores: Jamaica Kingsmen 182/7 in 20 overs (Saim Ayub 102; Wanindu Hasaranga 2-18) beat St Kitts and Nevis Patriots 171/6 in 20 overs (Andre Fletcher 55, Dasun Shanaka 35*; Hunain Shah 2-23) by 11 runs. The report also notes that just as they were attempting to rebuild, Wanindu Hasaranga ended a 31-run stand between Ayub and Kirk McKenzie by dismissing the latter just after the Powerplay. The report also notes that caught brilliantly by Hasaranga, the Kingsmen found themselves in a spot of bother at 63 for 4, when Usman Khan fell two overs later. The report also notes that with the next two overs yielding 11 and 12 runs respectively, that opened the floodgates. The report also notes that after opting to bowl first, Naseem Shah removed both the Kingsmen openers cheaply. The report also notes that he brought up his fifty with a six over deep mid-wicket before hitting two more later in the over. The report also notes that but Ayub carried on, bringing up his maiden T20 century with a six in the 19th over, hasaranga returned to break the 71-run stand by dismissing Powell in the 17th over. The report also notes that a sharp shower delayed the start of the chase.
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