Amazon Warriors battle Red Steel tonight in T&T

Aug 09, 2013 Sports

By Sean Devers
Second placed Guyana Amazon Warriors battle Trinidad and Tobago’s Red Steel at the Queens Park Oval in Trinidad tonight from 20:00hrs and despite the home team’s bottom placed standings, a large crowd is likely.

Ramnaresh Sarwan

The Red Steel have come under fire from their home fans for their poor showing in the tournament so far, especially after losing to Jamaica Tallawahs in the opening match in Trinidad.
While only unbeaten Barbados Tridents (6) are ahead of Guyana (4) and Jamaica (4) on the points table from three matches, the Red Steel have lost all of their three games and are the only team in the tournament without a point.
Adrian Bharat and Ross Taylor put together 62 for the second wicket for the Red Steel chasing Jamaica’s 147 while Dwayne Bravo and 17-year-old Nicholas Pooran with an unbeaten 20 lifted T&T’s hopes before they fell short by five runs.
Despite their loss to St Lucia in their last match in Guyana, the Ramnaresh Sarwan led side will start as favorites tonight against a team that has apparently not ‘gelled’ as a unit. Pooran, who blasted 54 in his team’s opening loss to Guyana at Providence, is the only consistent performer with the bat.
Kevin O’Brian and Darren Bravo have struggled in the three matches and both average in single digits while Davey Jacobs, Dwayne Bravo, Taylor and Justin Guillen have all failed to fire with the bat.
Guyana’s batting too have been shaky with only Lendl Simmons, one of just three batsmen with over 100 runs. The others are Shoaib Malik and Andre Fletcher. Sarwan has been the only other Guyana batsman averaging 50 while Chris Barnwell, James Franklyn, Mohammed Hafeez and Martin Guptill have chipped in with crucial runs. But they have been inconsistent.
Narsingh Deonarine, who has managed just a single for his three games, has just not fired and could be replaced tonight by off-spinning All-Rounder Steven Jacobs. The bowlers, with the exceptions of left-arm pacer Franklyn and Hafeez have been spot on with Krishmar Santokie being very economical with the new ball.

Dwayne Bravo

Only Shakib Al Hassan has more wickets than Guyana’s Left-arm Spinner Veerasammy Permaul’s six while Sunil Narine who took 2-29 from his four overs when the sides clashed at Providence, has also bowled well.
Red Steel will hope that the lively Fidel Edwards who produced a devastating six- wicket spell against Barbados reproduce that form, but on a track with not as much pace as the one in Barbados, Edwards might not have things his own way.
Miguel Cummings, Delorn Johnson and Kevin Cooper will spearhead the Red Steel pace attack with support from Dwayne Bravo while leg spinner Samuel Badree (who could open the bowling) and left arm spinner Suleiman Benn should enjoy the Queens Park surface.