Fletcher gets a moment in the sun

TAROUBA, Trinidad (CMC):

ANDRE FLETCHER’S run as the Caribbean Premier League’s (CPL) highest-ever run scorer lasted just two days, with Johnson Charles retaking the position yesterday.

On Sunday, the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots’ nightmare of a 2024 season had a silver lining when he became the highest run-scorer in the tournament’s 11-year history.

In the Patriots’ last game of the season – which they lost to the Trinbago Knight Riders by seven wickets – Fletcher scored 93 to overtake Charles as the CPL’s all-time leading scorer.

However, yesterday, Charles retook the lead after a sublime 89 for the St Lucia Kings in their 80-run win over the Trinbago Knight Riders.

Earlier, there was reason for Fletcher to smile as the disappointing campaign for the Patriots, still saw him score 318 runs, the second most, behind only Quinton de Kock of the Barbados Royals, who has so far scored 391.

The 36-year-old Fletcher, who has been playing in the tournament since its inception in 2013, now has 3,135 runs.

That was 15 more than Charles, who had 3,120, until Monday. Charles has now accumulated 3,209 runs.

In 115 CPL innings, Fletcher has scored 19 half-centuries and averages 29.85, with a strike rate of 121.93. His highest score is 93 not out.

The Knight Riders’ Kieron Pollard is third on the all-time run-scoring list with 2,731 runs, Evin Lewis’ 2,679 is good enough for fourth, while Lendl Simmons with 2,629 rounds off the top five.