BASSETERRE, St Kitts (CMC) — Tabraiz Shamsi’s brilliant four-wicket haul crippled Barbados Tridents, and Marlon Samuels compounded their misery with a fluent, unbeaten half-century as St Kitts and Nevis Patriots pulled off a convincing eight-wicket victory to move into the top three of the Caribbean Premier League here Monday night.

Opting to bat first, Tridents found themselves pinned down by left-arm spinner Shamsi, who snatched four for 10 from four excellent overs, and stumbled to an inadequate 135 for eight off their 20 overs at Warner Park.

Captain Kieron Pollard top-scored with 49 from 33 balls and opener Dwayne Smith got 20 from 23 deliveries, but they were the only ones to pass 20 and just two of four in double figures.

Leg-spinner Shahid Afridi chipped in with three for 34 as Tridents crumbled from 70 for two in the 12th over, managing just 65 runs from the last eight overs while losing six wickets.

In reply, Patriots were carried by their talisman Samuels, who carved out 71 from 54 balls, with six fours and three sixes, to ensure there would be no surprises.

The hosts lost left-hander Evin Lewis cheaply for 10 with the score on 26 for one in the third over, but Samuels put on 85 for the second wicket with New Zealand opener Martin Guptill, who made 45, to make safe the result.

Guptill faced 35 balls and counted two fours and three sixes, before he was run out in the 15th over with victory all but assured.

Patriots now lie third in the standings on six points, one behind second-placed St Lucia Zouks and two behind leaders Tridents whom they have now beaten twice, following their victory in Barbados two weeks ago.

Not for the first time in the tournament, Smith and Dilshan Munaweera (18) gave Tridents a slow start, putting on 47 off 38 balls.

This was further compounded by their departures in successive overs – Munaweera playing on to Afridi and Smith bowled missing a sweep at Shamsi – leaving the reigning champions on 49 for two in the eighth over.

Shai Hope (5), promoted to three, and Jason Holder (17), pushed up to four, put on a pedantic 21 off 29 for the third wicket as Tridents crawled to 70 for two at the end of the 12th over.

Holder had faced 19 balls and struck a four and a six when he tried to accelerate the scoring but only managed to pick out Sheldon Cottrell in the deep off Shamsi, who then removed Hope and Jonathan Carter (0) in the 14th over, to put Patriots on top.

Tottering at 76 for five in the 14th over, Pollard then proved the difference between embarrassment and respectability for the Tridents.

He smashed five sixes and shepherded the innings, adding 25 with Robin Peterson (7) before being eighth out off the penultimate ball of the innings, holing out to Carlos Brathwaite at long-off off Afridi.