Unbeaten Warriors face defending champs tonight

Sep 30, 2019 Sports

By Sean Devers

Guyana Amazon Warriors will look to continue their
dominance this season against TKR tonight. (CPL)

The most constant team in the seven-year history of the Hero CPL T20 cricket, the Guyana Amazon Warriors face-off with the most successful side, Trinbago Knight Riders in their backyard tonight from 19:00hrs at the Queen’s Park Oval.
The Warriors will be keen to extend their seven-match unbeaten run in this year’s tournament which is a record. Tallawahs’ seven consecutive wins came from the last four games of 2013 season and three at the start of 2014.
The Warriors also sits on top of the points table with 14 points with TKR (9 points) on third with a washed out game and losses to Tridents and Patriots (super over) in their seven games.
Patriots are second on 10 points from 10 matches and have qualified for Play-offs.
TKR are the two times defending champions winning three Finals (2015 v B’dos), (2017 v Patriots) & (2018 v Warriors).
Tallawahs, failing to make the Play-offs for the first time in CPL, beat Warriors in 2013 & 2016 for their two titles, while the Tridents got the better of Warriors in the 2014 final.
The Warriors have been to four finals and two semi-finals but they have always been the Bridesmaid but never the Bride.
The last time these teams met, TKR won by eight wickets in last year’s final; successfully chasing down the Warriors’ 147-9 and tonight the Warriors will play their 74thCPL match.
Warriors are in search of their 46th win to remain the only unbeaten team this season and keep their losses to 27 with one tie which they won in the ‘super over’ when Narine bowled a maiden to Pooran at Providence.
TKR has played 76 matches, won 46, lost 26 and tied two (lost to Warriors & Patriots in super over) while two of their games have ended in no results.
Having already qualified for the Play-offs, the Warriors, could test their bench strength and could give Shimron Hetymer a game off and replace him with Kegan Simmons in his home conditions, while Odean Smith could also make way for Kemo Paul or Clinton Pestano.
Brandon King, with three half centuries in his 275 runs, and Chanderpaul Hemraj have posted four opening partnerships in excess of 50, while Skipper Shoib Malik brings a wealth of experience to the youngest team that Warriors have ever assembled.
Apart from Malik, Imran Tahir and Ben Laughlin, everyone else in the squad, which includes eight Guyanese, are in their twenties or under.
Nicolas Pooran, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Chris Green and Paul are competent with the bat, while the Warriors could back on spin in Trinidad with the 40-year-old Tahir, Green, Qais Ahmad and Malik all capable of getting wickets.
TKR will bank on their leading run scorer Lendl Simmons (272 runs 3 fifties) and Colin Munroe, one of seven batsmen with CPL centuries, to stable the batting. Munroe has already made his presence felt with an unbeaten 96 in his 147 runs from three innings this season.
Recently named West Indies Skipper Kiron Pollard, the only other member of TKR with a CPL ton, has 173 runs from six innings, while Denesh Ramdin is the other TKR batsman with a hundred runs (115).
TKR will hope that Daren Bravo returns to form, while Sunil Narine could play a cameo at the top of the order.
The bowling could center around off spinner Narine, left arm spinner Khary Pierre and leg spinner Seekkuge Prasanna, while Bajan born England pacer Chris Jordon has been added to their squad and will hope for pace support from American Ali Khan, Jimmy Neesham and Pollard.
Although today is the start of the work week, a large crowd is anticipated once Guyana and Trinidad face-off with each other. A win tonight will seal TKR’s Play off place.

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