Saim Ayub scored his first T20 century and added a key catch as Jamaica Kingsmen beat St Kitts & Nevis Patriots by 11 runs in the Caribbean Premier League.
Ayub rebuilds the innings
Ayub’s 102 off 58 balls took the Kingsmen to 182/7 and made him the second batter in as many nights to score a hundred in the tournament. He came in at No. 3 after Naseem Shah had taken two wickets in his first two overs, leaving Jamaica under pressure in the Powerplay.
Wanindu Hasaranga took two wickets in the middle overs and held a one-handed diving catch to remove Usman Khan, a contender for catch of the tournament. Ayub, though, built carefully and then accelerated, as Jamaica scored 91 in the last seven overs. Rovman Powell and Keemo Paul added 46 between them. Ayub reached three figures with a six off Obed McCoy and was out next ball.
A tense chase
The Patriots lost three wickets in the Powerplay, scoring 42, with Jediah Blades and Keemo Paul making early breakthroughs. After 13 overs the sides were level, with the Patriots on 91/4.
Andre Fletcher began to find the boundary and looked dangerous, but Ayub caught him off his own bowling. Dasun Shanaka and Jason Holder kept the chase alive by taking 24 runs off Blades’ 18th over. Shanaka hit three sixes in the final over to cut the target to 31, but Odean Smith held his nerve to secure the win.
The result leaves the Patriots bottom of the CPL table, while Jamaica Kingsmen stay fourth.
