Sherfane Rutherford, a batter from the West Indies, has pulled out of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2024, claiming personal concerns. The St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots, who are currently languishing at the bottom of the league table, are worse off now that he is not there.
Midway through the Patriots’ final home game of the season against the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons, the announcement was made. Rutherford’s departure was confirmed by the CPL organisers in a statement, which also indicated that a replacement will be revealed shortly.
The Patriots are currently at the bottom of the CPL 2024 points standings, having only managed one victory in six games. The squad has lost 11 straight games that they have finished at Basseterre after winning the CPL 2021 at home.
We still need to go outside and play hard cricket: André Fletcher
Only four games this season had the 26-year-old played for the Patriots. In his few games, he managed to score 35 runs at a strike average of 184.44. Andre Fletcher, the captain of the Patriots, apologised to the home audience for the team’s subpar performance and conveyed his unhappiness.
The Patriots are up against more than just Sherfane Rutherford departure.
“I must express my gratitude, but we let the St. Kitts and Nevis crowd down.” It’s difficult, and as the team captain, I also want to apologise for not allowing them to win on home ground. However, there is still hope since we have four games remaining. After the game, Fletcher stated, “We still have to go out there and play cricket and play hard. We’ll try to win the next four.”
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The club has struggled all season with injuries and the absence of important players. Kyle Mayers left the field during a recent game, therefore he is considered doubtful for an injury. Prior to this, the team had to deal with the injury of Zimbabwean all-rounder Sikandar Raza and the absence of Wanindu Hasaranga and Tabraiz Shamsi at various stages of the competition.
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