History Created! Warriors clinch perfect performance with 10th win Unbroken 85-run stand between Pooran & Malik sink TKR to 4th spot

Oct 05, 2019 News, Sports

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Since 2013, when the Hero CPL was inaugurated, no team has won all 10 preliminary games and last night, backed by a noisy sold out crowd at Providence, Guyana Amazon Warriors continued their dominant performance when they defeated three-times champions TKR by seven wickets.
Playing in their own backyard the Warriors could not ask for better support as a sea of Yellow Warriors flags were joyously waved as the fans in the stands had a rollicking time as they danced to pulsating music from sound system and the sweet rhythms of the Tassa drummers.
They condemned TKR to fourth position after losing their last four matches while the Warriors will face-off with second placed Barbados Tridents in second play-off from 15:30hrs tomorrow after the defending champions oppose St Kitts & Nevis Patriots at 11:00hrs, also tomorrow.
The Warriors’ victory was orchestrated by an outstanding bowling performance from part-time left arm spinner Chanderpaul Hemraj (3-15 from 4 overs) and frugal spells from the other bowlers as they restricted TKR to 143-5 despite 43 from 40 balls with two fours and two sixes from Colin Munroe.
Skipper Kiron Pollard, who made 36 from 27 balls with four furs and a six, added 39 with Munroe for the fifth wicket while Lendl Simmons made 30 from 24 balls with three fours and a six at the top of the order.
The 37-year-old Shoib Malik again showed his class with cultured unbeaten 28 from 29 balls with two fours and along with man-of-the-match Nicholas Pooran, who hit five fours and three sixes in 54 not out, added 85 in an unbroken fourth wicket partnership.
Brandon King also made 33 from 23 balls with seven fours to help lift the Warriors to 144-3 in 18.4 overs. Warriors asked TKR to bat on a slow track and fast outfield and Simmons got going with two boundaries off Hemraj who opened the bowling before he capitalised on

a free hit from Imran Tahir and deposited over mid-wicket for six.
Jevon Searles (1) missed a big swipe and was bowled while Denish Ramdin played back to one that kept low and was also bowled for duck as Hemraj struck twice in his second over as TKR slipped to 18-2.
Simmons dumped a full toss from Chris Green for six before he was bowled to a ball that skidded through and kept low from Hemraj and had his stumps rattled at 41-3 in the seventh over.
Dwayne Bravo joined Monroe who dumped Malik for six to post 50 in the seventh over. Bravo (9) punched Green past cover for four but never suggested promanence and hit Malik ‘miles’ into the

night sky for Shimron Hetymer to take the swirling catch at deep mid-on as TKR slipped to 63-4 from 10.5 overs.
Pollard was intent on coming forward to the spinners and the left-handed Munroe who was dropped on 21 off Oden Smith. Munroe capitalised on his

luck and lofted Tahir for six before swatting Smith like a bullet past mid-off for four while an edged boundary from Munroe off Ben Laughlin brought up the 100 in the 17th over before he was taken at long-on in the same over at 102-5.
Pollard then ended the over which cost 14 with boundary while Jimmy Neesham on-drove a full toss from Laughlin in the penultimate over. Pollard backed away and smashed Smith over extra cover for consecutive sixes in the final over.
Brandon King began the Warriors’ reply with a gorgeous cover driven boundary off the first ball before another King boundary finished off the over from left arm spinner Akeal Hossain which cost 10 runs.
Hemraj hit Chris Jordon, on his birthday, for six before King give himself room and played a majestic back foot punch for another four to pass 300 runs in the 2019 CPL and repeated the shot for the same result as the Warriors started confidently.

Hemraj (12) pulled one that ‘got big on him’ from Ali Khan to deep mid-wicket at 35-1 before King ended the power-play with back-to-back boundaries to push the score to 43-1. Shimron Hetmyer got going with a boundary and the capacity crowd roared before King brought up the fifty with another four.
But when well set for his fifth half-century of the tournament, King was LBW off an inside edge for 33 at 53-2 to bring Skipper Shoib Malik to the crease. Hetmyer (9) well taken at short cover by Simmons off Khary Pierre at 59-3 in 9.5 overs before rain stopped play.
When play resumed at 23:15hrs with no overs lost, Malik continued his clinical exhibition great shot selection, rotation of strike and finding gaps.

Pooran pulled Akeal Hossain for six before Malik, on the back of an unbeaten 73 on Thursday, elegantly cut Pollard for four as the partnership progressed nicely. Pooran brought up the 50 stand with a straight six off a Neesham free-hit and followed it up a sumptuous cover driven boundary.
Malik stroked Jordon gloriously for four while Pooran deposited Jordon for six and smashed Ali Khan for four to post his 5th fifty and closed off the game with another four as the Warriors won with ease; their fans left the Stadium with smiles as broad as the Essequibo River.

 

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