WATCH: THIS Rajasthan Royals Teammate Of Sanju Samson Smashes 11 Sixes In Caribbean Premier League (CPL) T20 2024 Match
The 7th match in the ongoing Caribbean Premier League (CPL) T20 2024 witnessed a sixes all around the ground at Warner Park in Basseterre, St Kitts as defending champions Guyana Amazon Warriors downed St Kitts & Nevis Patriots in a high-scoring encounter by 40 runs. A total of 42 sixes were smashed by the batters from both teams as the Warriors posted 266 for 7 after batting first while the Patriots replied with 226 all out in 18 overs.
Patriots skipper Andre Fletcher smashed a 18-ball fifty in his knock of 81 off 33 balls with 9 sixes but couldn’t trump the effort of Rajasthan Royals batter Shimron Hetmyer – who only dealt in sixes, scoring 91 off 39 balls with 11 sixes. Hetmyer, teammate of Sanju Samson at the Royals, missed out on a well-deserved century – dismissed in the penultimate over by Patriots all-rounder Odean Smith.
WATCH Shimron Hetmyer’s rain sixes at the CPL T20 2024 match HERE…
Shimron Hetmyer is today’s Dream11 MVP. pic.twitter.com/dKFLBJoAmp
— CPL T20 (@CPL) September 5, 2024
Electing to bat first in rainy conditions could have been seen as a risk but Imran Tahir-led Warriors had no such qualms as they set about posting a sizeable score of 266 for 7 off their 20 overs. A rope had been dragged around the wet outfield before play began but the showery conditions failed to dampen the Warrior’s run rate.
In fact, Hetmyer took the ground conditions out of the equation all together by blitzing eleven sixes to all parts of the stadium to rack up 91 runs off just 39 balls. An incredible display of hitting in an innings that didn’t include a single four. It proved to be a decisive knock from Hetmyer who was later awarded Player of the Match.
“It was an innings of two halves, we (along with Rahmanullah Gurbaz) were going good. I just had to pull back after the wickets (of Gurbaz and Azam Khan), there was a bit of tiredness later. I was just trying to play the ball on its merit,” Hetmyer said during the post-match presentation.
“I didn’t try to do anything different. There have been a lot of runs scored here before, we just had to be as clear as possible. On this ground, we just need to execute our plans. The bowlers had to be slightly wide outside off… I am hungry this year, just trying hard in the nets. That’s mainly how I go about it. It was difficult to cut the ball for six,” he added.
Hetmyer had a forgettable time at IPL 2024 even though the Royals managed to reach the Playoffs stage. The West Indies southpaw only managed to score 113 runs in 12 matches with a top-score of 27 not out in IPL 2024. In the 2023 season, Hetmyer had managed to score 300 runs in 14 matches with a strike-rate of 152.28.
The Warriors’ total was the second highest in CPL history, just one run behind the score made by the Trinbago Knight Riders against the Jamaica Tallawahs in 2019. The match also had a record for sixes in a CPL match, with 42 Maximums flying out of Warner Park.
In reply, Patriots captain Andre Fletcher led by example at the top of the order by compiling 81 off 33 balls but when he was well caught by Dwaine Pretorious off the skiddy spin of Gudakesh Motie in the thirteenth over the Patriots chase lost its impetus and wickets fell steadily throughout.
A late delay for another rain shower couldn’t save Fletcher’s side, after a short break Pretorious served up the coup de grace by bouncing out Mikyle Louis to seal the win with twelve balls to spare. and condemn the Patriots to their third straight defeat.
Spin proved to be a decisive factor in the high scoring match, with Warriors captain Tahir bowling a pivotal double wicket maiden in the tenth over, outfoxing both Josh Clarkson and Odean Smith in a matter of balls. He ended with three wickets as did Motie with his cunning slow left arm.