Jason Holder’s all-round efficacy brings Patriots back to winning ways

Originally posted on Guerilla Cricket | By Aryan Surana | Last updated Aug 23, 2025 12:15 AM ET

Jason Holder was right in the thick of the action as St Kitts and Nevis Patriots ended a three-match losing streak in CPL 2025 by defeating Barbados Royals by 12 runs in Basseterre. The all-rounder first stroked a 21-ball 38 to lift an up-and-down Patriots innings and then picked up four wickets, including three key blows at the death when the match seemed to be getting a bit tense.

Rizwan endures a forgettable first game for Patriots

Inserted, Patriots were put under the cosh as Evin Lewis, Rilee Rossouw and Mohammad Rizwan perished inside the powerplay with just 45 runs on the board. Ramon Simmonds, the left-arm pacer, did the bulk of the damage, removing Lewis and Rossouw, while Rizwan, in his first outing for the franchise, fell to Jomel Warrican.

Andre Fletcher had been holding fort all this while, but he didn’t last too long after the powerplay, succumbing to Daniel Sams for a 16-ball 25 near the halfway mark. Kyle Mayers and Holder then joined forces to forge a 49-run stand which brought Patriots back in the contest. They departed in the 14th and 16th overs respectively, but cameos from the Pakistan duo of Abbas Afridi and Naseem Shah took Patriots to a decent total.

Royals flounder in pursuit of the 175-run target

Royals got off to a less-than-ideal start in reply. Unlike Patriots, they did not suffer a collapse upfront but their scoring rate was not up to the mark. There was not a single substantial knock that could hold the innings together as wickets fell at regular intervals, with Naseem and Navin Bidaisee bagging two wickets apiece to complement an economical and mighty effective Holder.

The victory, their second in five games, ushered Patriots to second place on the table behind Antigua and Barbuda Falcons, while Royals are languishing at the bottom.

St Kitts and Nevis Patriots 174 for 8 (Mayers 42, Holder 38, Simmonds 3-26, Sams 2-24) beat Barbados Royals 162 (Alleyne 42, Holder 4-14, Naseem 2-32, Bidaisee 2-33) by 12 runs

This article first appeared on Guerilla Cricket and was syndicated with permission.

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