Rahkeem Cornwall Smashes 45-Ball Hundred To Help Barbados Royals Seal 3rd Highest Run-Chase in CPL

Rahkeem Cornwall smashed his maiden CPL hundred to power Barbados Royals past St Kitts and Nevis Patriots by 8 wickets in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2023 at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados on Sunday (September 3) night.

Cornwall scored 102 off 48 balls, reaching hundred in 45 balls with his knock including 12 sixes and 4 fours as his carnage saw Barbados Royals pull off one of the record chases in CPL history. This was in fact the third highest run chase.

Chasing a mammoth 221, Cornwall, who opened the batting for Royals, shared stands with Kyle Mayers (22 off 13), Laurie Evans (24 off 14) and Rovman Powell (49 not out off 26 balls) before being retired out. His 12 maximums included two of the distance of 110m and 111m.

Cornwall, who was named the player of the match for his monster innings, dedicated the knock to his son for his birthday and thanked the Barbados crowd for the support.

"Today is my Son's birthday, I dedicate this knock to him. My two sons always back me. Pitch was really good and I backed myself. My first hundred. I back kmyself to get my team to a good start," Cornwall said after the match.

"They (crowd) keep me going, so I want to give them something to cheer about. I haven't gone past the powerplay, once I go past that I could go big. Thanks to my family for supporting me."

Highest Successful Run Chases in CPL

Score	Team	Versus	Year
242/6	St Kitts and Nevis Patriots	Jamaica Tallawahs	2019
225/6	Jamaica Tallawahs	Trinbago Knight Riders	2018
223/2	Barbados Royals	St Kitts and Nevis Patriots	2023
218/5	Trinbago Knight Riders	Saint Lucia Stars	2018
200/4	Barbados Royals	St Kitts and Nevis Patriots	2023

Earlier, opting to bat, St Kitts and Nevis Patriots rode on fifties from Andre Fletcher (56), Will Smeed (63) and Shefrane Rutherford (65 not out) to set a huge total of 220/4 in 20 overs. But that knock from Cornwall made a mockery of the target.

With that win, Barbados Royals moved to fourth, level on 7 points with Guyana Amazon Warriors and Trinbago Knight Riders, who both possess a better net run rate to occupy second and third spots respectively. Royals have also played more games compared to the two.

St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, on the other hand, remained rooted at the foot of the table with just two points from 8 matches. They will next be in action on Saturday (September 9) against Saint Lucia Kings, while Royals will take on Knight Riders on Wednesday (September 6).