Andre Fletcher: ‘We were poor, much below poor, as a fielding side

After his team’s CPL 2024 campaign ended in a tenth straight loss against Trinbago Knight Riders in Tarouba, captain Andre Fletcher of the St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots didn’t hold back.

The TKR batsman aced a chase of 194 with an undefeated 93 off 43 balls after they at least four times dropped Pooran on Sunday alone.

They had lost a handful of games because they had dropped at least 23 catches throughout the competition, according to Fletcher.

“The bowlers played well, making five catches in a big game, especially Pooran, who is a top performer in the globe. We had 28 catches in the tournament, which I know about but not many people know about,” Fletcher remarked. It’s awful, much below awful, as a fielding team. In actuality, we lost a lot of games because of that.”

Despite the Patriots’ rollercoaster ride of one loss to the next following a tight victory in their season opener, Fletcher gave his teammates credit for supporting one another throughout the competition. The Patriots have only managed two victories in 20 games over the past two seasons.

“Knowing that it was a bit hard and tough for us losing, but tried to keep the team together as much as possible,” Fletcher explained. “Our team-building exercises were numerous. Yes, even though it wasn’t evident on the pitch, teams sometimes have a lot of disagreements after they lose, but that was never the case with us. It’s unfortunate that the outcome wasn’t what we had hoped for because we stayed united and bonded as a team. We do, however, remain a family, I must add.

Want to just say I’m sorry to the supporters of St. Kitts and Nevis. You guys hurt, and I know it too. Sadly, we didn’t do it very well this year. Hopefully, we’ll do better next year.”

Fletcher, by himself, had a successful tournament at the bat, amassing 318 runs in 10 innings at a strike rate of little under 150 and an average of 31.80. Fletcher emerged as the CPL’s all-time leading scorer along the road, but Johnson Charles, whose side advanced to the playoffs, has a chance to overtake him.

“With my batting, I’m really happy, to be honest,” Fletcher remarked. “The last action you took is usually remembered by others. I was eager to demonstrate my value by coming out here.

Also Read: CPL 2024, Match 25 Review: Pooran. Roy crushes Patriots to bring home the Knight Riders

While I’m proud of the squad for their excellent total, we were just short of crossing the finish line. But sometimes that’s just the way with cricket.