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CPL 2019: St Lucia Zouks Boost Playoff Hopes as Jamaica Tallawahs Eliminated

Daren Sammy held his nerve to keep St Lucia Zouks’ 2019 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) playoff hopes very much alive with a four-wicket win over Jamaica Tallawahs on Friday.

Two sixes in the penultimate over of a nervy run-chase effectively settled the contest, bringing the scores level and allowing Krishmar Santokie to smash the winning runs at the start of the final over.

Victory for the Zouks lifted them back above Barbados Tridents into fourth place while also ending the Tallawahs’ own lingering hopes of a top-four finish. It’s the first time in CPL history the Tallawahs miss out on the playoffs.




The Zouks now head to Barbados on Sunday for a hugely significant clash with the Tridents as the league phase hits the home straight.

Chasing 166 for victory, Rahkeem Cornwall got the Zouks off to the perfect start with a 24-ball half-century with four fours and five sixes.

He showed his intent from the very first over, pulling Zahir Khan for four and then launching a Hero Maximum over long-on.

The real carnage came in the third over of the innings as Jerome Taylor was taken for 25. Cornwall hit back-to-back sixes to start the over before Andre Fletcher finished it off with 10 runs in two balls.

Fletcher was caught at slip by Chris Gayle off Zahir Khan, but Cornwall raced on to his half-century. He was gone just after reaching his half-century when another attempt to clear the rope was held just inside it by Chadwick Walton.

When Colin de Grandhomme holed out off Imran Khan to the first ball of the next over for a golden duck, the Zouks were in danger of losing their way. But with the required rate well in hand, Colin Ingram and Hardus Viljoen had the luxury of taking a few overs just to steady the ship.

They did so, Viljoen then getting the chase really back up and running with a pair of huge sixes over long-on off Khan. The final ball of that over was pulled to the square-leg fence and the Zouks were firmly back in control.

However, Ingram was run out by a superb direct hit from Khan at mid-off before Viljoen top-edged a Dwayne Smith short ball to Shamar Springer at long-leg.

When Chris Barnwell picked out Smith at long-on to give Imran Khan a second wicket, the Tallawahs suddenly sensed a chance with the equation 19 from 12 and Daren Sammy left with only the Zouks bowlers for company.

Two huge sixes later, the matter was all but settled with Santokie gleefully crashing the first ball of the final over to the cover boundary to seal a hugely important win.

Earlier, Dwayne Smith had returned to form in fine style for the Tallawahs. Having failed to reach double-figures in four previous innings, Smith looked back to his very best in plundering 58 in 38 balls with six fours and three sixes.

But after he and debutant Liton Das (21 from 21) were dismissed in successive balls by the impressive Kesrick Williams, the Tallawahs innings fell away.

From 138/2 after 16 overs with two set batsmen at the crease, only 27 more were added at a cost of five wickets in the face of some superb Zouks death bowling

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