It was a storm in Basseterre, St. Kitts and Nevis, but not the usual one that the people are aware of. Rather, it was a storm of sixes brought on by the batters of Jamaica Tallawahs in their season opener clash against Saint Lucia Kings in the Caribbean Premier League 2021. The Tallawahs scored 255/5, which is the second-highest total and only 12 runs less than the Trinbago Knight Riders score of 267, incidentally against the Tallawahs themselves in 2019.
Andre Russell was the man of the moment for the team from Jamaica as he registered the fastest CPL fifty in history. He got to the special landmark in just 14 balls and broke JP Duminy’s record of scoring a fifty in 15 balls which he had achieved in 2019 against the Trinbago Knight Riders.
Russell hit three fours and six sixes, three each in the 19th and two in the 20th over of the innings. It is amazing how he only arrived at the crease with just 16 legal deliveries remaining and was still able to get to the fifty. With this fifty, he equalled his record for a 14 ball fifty that he had achieved playing for Colombo Kings in the Lankan Premier League in 2020. He is the only batter to have scored two 14 ball fifties.
In total, the Tallwahs hit 17 sixes which also equalled the record for most sixes in an innings achieved by the Knight Riders in the very match in which they achieved the record for the highest total. Apart from Russell, Kennar Lewis, Chadwick Walton and Haider Ali got into the high 40s, but couldn’t get to a 50.
Obed McCoy was the most successful of the Kings’ bowlers, finishing with figures of 3/52 in his four overs.