CPL 2024, Qualifier 1 Review: Saint Lucia Kings book spot in final after win over Guyana in rain-curtailed match

Saint Lucia Kings booked their place in the 2024 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Final with a 15-run victory over reigning champions Guyana Amazon Warriors in a weather-curtailed match at the Guyana National Stadium in Providence. 

The Warriors will now take on Barbados Royals on Friday with the winner of that match contesting the final with Kings on Sunday. Winning the toss and batting first proved a wise decision given the forecast and Faf du Plessis led from the front once more for his side. An opening stand of 124 runs between himself and Johnson Charles ensured the Kings posted a challenging total of 198/5 off their twenty overs. 

Charles was starting to eye up a three-figure score when he was well caught on the long boundary by Keemo Paul off the bowling of Moeen Ali for 79 off 45 deliveries. Du Plessis then fell for a well-made half-century of his own, the Kings captain forced to depart after Rahmanullah Gurbaz held on to an exceptional catch from a firmly hit shot down the ground off Shamar Joseph. 

The Warriors bowlers did well to keep the score down to a manageable target with Moeen Ali once again being the standout performer with the ball, figures of 2/24 off his four overs showcasing all his experience. 

In response, the Warriors had reached 106/4 at the end of the 13^th over before the persistent drizzle turned into heavier rain and the players were taken off the field by the umpires. Unfortunately for the 2023 CPL champions, it then did not relent meaning that they were behind the required run rate on DLS calculations when the match was called off over an hour later. 

Still requiring 92 runs off the remaining 42 deliveries when the weather intervened the Warriors would have still fancied their chances of hauling down the total with a well-set Shimron Hetmyer looking dangerous with 37 off 18 balls and with Moeen Ali having just joined him. 

Hetmyer had just opened his shoulders to hit four sixes in quick succession off Noor Ahmad and Roston Chase, despite this injection of runs the Warriors were comfortably behind the required DLS score of 121 when the rain decisively intervened. 

The Warriors will have a chance of setting up a re-match with a victory over Barbados Royals in the final eliminator match on Friday evening. Saint Lucia Kings will await either side in Sunday’s final with an inaugural CPL title in their sights.