Andre Fletcher blames poor fielding in Disappointing CPL 2024 Campaign

The St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots' 2024 Caribbean Premier League campaign was a complete bust. In their ten games this season, the team has only won one. The team's lone victory of the season came against the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons in their season opener; they have now dropped their last nine games. 

They suffered a seven-wicket loss against the Trinbago Knight Riders in their most recent setback. Batting first, St. Kitts had set a reasonable goal of 194 runs, but their bowlers failed to pick wickets at a consistent rate. Furious after the crushing, captain Andre Fletcher said that the team was cohesive despite a run of defeats and blamed the defeat on careless fielding.

Andre Fletcher drops truth bombs:

ESPNcricinfo cited Fletcher saying, "The bowlers performed admirably, making five catches in a pivotal game, particularly Pooran, a player of elite calibre. I am aware, but not many people are; during the competition, we gave up 28 catches. It's terrible, much below terrible, as a fielding team. We actually lost a lot of games because of it."

"Knowing that our loss was difficult for us, but we made every effort to keep the team cohesive. We engaged in numerous team-building exercises. Indeed, even though it wasn't evident on the field, teams occasionally argue a lot after a loss, but that wasn't the case with us. It's unfortunate that the outcome didn't match up, but we stayed together and grew closer as a team. However, I have to admit that we remain a family," he continued. 

Andre also addressed the fans saying, "I would like to apologize to the supporters of St. Kitts and Nevis. I am aware of your pain, just as you are. Regretfully, we didn't do it very well this year; maybe, we'll do better the following year."

Fletcher, who bats right-handed, had an outstanding tournament, scoring 318 runs in 10 innings at a strike rate of slightly under 150 and an average of 31.80. He is also now the highest-run aggregator in the history of CPL. The 36-year-old promised the fans that he would make a strong return the following season.

Watch this space for more CPL 2024 news.