Last Updated on August 15, 2025, 12:08 PM AST by Anthony Morris
An action packed opener for the highly anticipated Cricket Tournament also considered as the “Cricket Fest of the Caribbean”, the Caribbean Premier League 2025 has given the fans what they expected. The first match was played at the Warner Park Cricket Stadium at Basseterre between the SKN (St. Kitts and Nevis) Patriots and the AB (Antigua & Barbuda) Falcons.
The match got a great start from the loud cheers from the stands to the sizzling chicken served to the fans. SKN Patriots got back into the winners circle after a long awaited gap of 3 years, giving them great enthusiasm for the season claiming a six-wicket-victory and that too in the openers.
The Patriots locked their victory in the sixteenth over of the second inning the main highlight of the event became the winning four scored by Alick Athanaze on the last ball of the over. The match stretched out to be thrilling and nervous for both the teams.
The SKN Patriots decided after winning the toss, their Captain Jason Holder decided to bowl first so that using the conditions of the pitch which was described as a “slow surface” Patriots bowling spell effectively used the conditions giving them a dominant side in the match.
The Falcons middle order faced an early collapse, but recovering from that early collapse Karima Gore took the initiative to give a defendable score, giving a class performance with 61 runs off 34 balls.
The main highlight of the 1st innings was the unbeatable left arm wrist spin of Waqar Salamkheil. Waqar’s scorecard came out to be very impactful with his spell he claimed 4 wickets and gave a score of just 22 runs in four overs.
After the fall of the wickets the Falcons team folded on 121, all-out in 17.1 overs. Giving a short but defendable target to the Patriots.
The run chase in the 2nd innings began for the Patriots while they were calm because of the short target but still under pressure because of the 3 year drought for their win. The Player of the match was Waqar Salamkheil for his incredible bowling performance.
Chase began with authority as Evin Lewis blitzed a score of 25 in 13 balls, but as the wickets had been felled steadily, Alick Athanaze unbeaten 37* and Holder’s 18* led the Patriots towards securing their target with 125 off 4 wickets in just 15 overs on the board.
Imad Wasim, who was the captain for the Falcons, spoke up after the match, “We didn’t build partnerships that were meant and played some bad shots at crucial times.”
Jason Holder, on the other hand applauded his bowlers, “We got wickets throughout the innings.. The energy in the dressing room was great.”
With a commanding performance and a great opener the Patriots on their home ground setting their tone for their CPL 2025 campaign. The fans of the CPL are looking forward to and expecting more fun and amazing matches in the upcoming fixtures.
Anthony Morris covers stories related to politics and regional developments. His in-depth reporting about governance and reforms makes him stand out in regional journalism, with a deep analysis of political trends and their impact on Caribbean communities.
