CPL 2025: Holder’s all-round show ends losing streak for Patriots

Jason Holder was bang in the middle of all good things St Kitts and Nevis Patriots did as they ended a three-match losing streak in CPL 2025 to beat Barbados Royals by 12 runs in Basseterre on Thursday night.

Holder first hit a 21-ball 38 to lift an up-and-down Patriots innings that needed a bit of impetus, and then picked up four wickets, including three key strikes at the death when the match got a bit tense.

Batting first after Royals opted to field, Patriots were three down quickly, losing Evin Lewis, Rilee Rossouw and Mohammad Rizwan inside the powerplay with just 45 runs on the board. Ramon Simmonds, the left-arm quick did most of the damage, removing Lewis and Rossouw, while Rizwan, in his first match for the franchise, fell to Jomel Warrican.

Andre Fletcher had been holding one end up, but he didn’t last too long after the powerplay, falling to Daniel Sams for a 16-ball 25 in the ninth over.

It was then that Kyle Mayers and Holder got together and put up a 49-run stand to bring Patriots back in the game. The two contributed more or less equally to the 30-ball partnership, with Mayers contributing 26 in 16 and Holder 22 in 14. Mayers and Holder fell in the 14th and 16th overs respectively, but quick runs from the Pakistan duo of Abbas Afridi (16 in ten) and Naseem Shah (19 not out in 11) took Patriots to a strong total.

It might not have proved enough on another night, though. But Royals, who have now lost both their games this season so far, just couldn’t get a chase going, even though they ended up getting close enough to the target.

Unlike Patriots, they got runs from their top order, but the speed of progress wasn’t good enough. Brandon King scored 22 in 17. Quinton de Kock 15 in ten. Kadeem Alleyne, the highest scorer of the innings, hit 42 in 28. Sherfane Rutherford and Kofi James had poor outings, but Rovman Powell, batting at No. 6, chipped in with a 15-ball 21.

But there just wasn’t the one big effort that would have made the match close. Wickets fell at regular intervals, Naseem and Navin Bidaisee, the legspinner, picking up two wickets apiece to complement Holder, whose four wickets in 3.2 overs cost him just 14 runs. All of that combined to finish the Royals innings off with ten balls left – enough time to score 12 runs, you’d think, except that they had lost too many wickets too quickly to get to that position.

The win, their second in five games, took Patriots to second place on the table behind Antigua and Barbuda Falcons, while Royals are right at the bottom. (ESPNcricinfo)