CPL 2024: St Kitts and Nevis Patriots' Sherfane Rutherford withdraws citing personal reasons

West Indies batter, Sherfane Rutherford, has withdrawn from the ongoing Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2024, citing personal reasons. His absence has added to the woes of St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, who are currently struggling at the bottom of the league table.

The announcement came midway through the Patriots' last home game of the season against the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons. The CPL organizers released a statement confirming Rutherford's departure and mentioned that a replacement would be announced soon.

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The Patriots have managed only one win in six matches and are currently at the bottom of the CPL 2024 points table. Since their victory in CPL 2021 at home, the team has suffered 11 consecutive losses in completed games at Basseterre.

We still have to go out there play cricket and play hard: Andre Fletcher

The 26-year-old had only participated in four games for the Patriots this season. Despite his limited appearances, he scored 35 runs at a strike rate of 194.44. The Patriots' captain, Andre Fletcher, expressed his disappointment and apologized to the home crowd for the team's poor performance. 

“I must say thanks, but we disappointed them [the St Kitts and Nevis crowd]. It's hard, and I would like to apologize as the leader as well, saying sorry for not giving them a win on home soil. But all is not lost, we still have four more games left. We still have to go out there play the cricket and play hard, and we will try to win the next four," Fletcher said after the game.

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Rutherford's withdrawal is not the only challenge facing the Patriots. Injuries and unavailability of key players throughout the season have plagued the team. Kyle Mayers is currently an injury doubt after leaving the field during a recent match. Earlier, the team lost Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza to injury and faced the unavailability of Wanindu Hasaranga and Tabraiz Shamsi at different points in the tournament.