Chris Green's All-Round Effort Falls Short

Despite Chris Green's impressive all-round performance (48 & 4-22), St Lucia Kings secured their fourth win of the season, defeating Antigua and Barbuda Falcons by 26 runs. After setting a target of 152 for 8, thanks to David Wiese’s unbeaten 43 off 26 balls, the Kings successfully limited the Falcons to 126 for 8 at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium.

Johnson Charles and Faf du Plessis gave the Kings a solid start with a 40-run partnership during the Powerplay. However, Green quickly turned the momentum, picking up two wickets and reducing the hosts to 42 for 3. Tim Seifert and Akeem Auguste briefly steadied the innings in the middle overs, but their quick dismissals, alongside Bhanuka Rajapaksa, saw the top six back in the pavilion before the death overs.

Shamar Springer struck twice in the 19th over, leaving the Kings in a precarious position. However, Wiese unleashed an aggressive assault in the final over off Kelvin Pitman, propelling his team to a competitive total. He smashed three sixes in the final over—one over backward square leg, another down the ground, and a final swipe through mid-wicket.

Wiese’s start with the ball, however, didn’t mirror his heroics with the bat, as Kofi James attacked him in the first over of the Falcons' chase. But Khary Pierre quickly swung the game back in the Kings’ favor, dismissing Falcons opener James, and then removing Sam Billings and Jahamar Hamilton in back-to-back deliveries. Pierre's devastating spell in the Powerplay left the Falcons struggling at 28 for 5.

Captain Chris Green was forced to step up with the bat, anchoring the chase alongside Springer in a much-needed 60-run partnership. Although they tried to rebuild, the required run rate kept rising. Just when it seemed they had found some momentum, Springer was run out due to a miscommunication with Green.

Green continued the fight, accelerating the scoring and bringing the target down to 48 from the final three overs. However, despite a few big hits from Roshon Primus, the Falcons couldn’t sustain the attack, falling well short of the target and recording their fourth loss in six games.

Brief Scores:  

St Lucia Kings: 152/8 in 20 overs (David Wiese 43, Ackeem Auguste 35; Chris Green 4-22, Shamar Springer 3-19)  

Antigua & Barbuda Falcons: 126/8 in 20 overs (Chris Green 48, Shamar Springer 24; Khary Pierre 3-24, Noor Ahmad 2-13).