Jamaica Kingsmen 182 for 7 (Ayub 102, Hasaranga 2-18, Naseem 2-35, McCoy 2-43) beat St Kitts and Nevis Patriots 171 for 6 (Fletcher 55, Shanaka 35, Holder 34, Hunain 2-23, Blades 2-50) by 11 runs

Patriots, the bottom-placed team in the competition, were three down inside the powerplay with just 42 on the board. That should have meant a stroll to the finish line for Kingsmen, but Fletcher had picked up speed by then and though Mikyle Louis became the fourth to fall by the 11th over, with the total at 64, things started looking healthier for Patriots soon.

Fletcher added 48 in 29 balls with Holder, and after Fletcher fell for 55 in 38 balls to Ayub, now doing his stuff with the ball, Holder and Shanaka associated for 38 more in just 21 balls. It was perhaps a losing battle once Holder was dismissed, with 33 still to get from eight balls, but Shanaka wasn’t leaving without making a statement. He did, smashing 19 more in seven balls in the time left to finish with 35 not out in 18, but it was nowhere near enough for Patriots to get their second win.

The slow progress earlier in the chase – between them, Johnson Charles, Kevin Wickham and Louis had criminally used up 34 balls for 24 runs – came back to haunt Patriots in a game they could well have won.

Instead, it was Kingsmen taking back the two points, and it was almost entirely down to Ayub.

Powell and Ayub, though, smashed their way to a 72-run stand in just 43 balls, Powell going at 123.52 for his 17-ball 21 but Ayub, by then, playing at another level, hitting 51 in 26 balls in the partnership.