Latest update December 4th, 2024 2:40 AM
CPL T20 Warriors battle Tallawahs, Patriots take on Zouks today
– Double header on Sunday
By Zaheer Mohamed
Glenn Phillips attacks during his half century, Trinbago Knight Riders v Jamaica Tallawahs, CPL 2020, Trinidad, August 20, 2020 © Randy Brooks – CPL T20 / Getty
Asif Ali clubs one away on CPL debut, Jamaica Tallawahs v St Lucia Zouks, Trinidad, CPL 2020, August 19, 2020 © Randy Brooks – CPL T20 / Getty
The stage is set for an exciting weekend as the Guyana Amazon Warriors will take on Jamaica Tallawahs in what is expected to be a keenly contested affair, while St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots will play St. Lucia Zouks when the Caribbean Premier League continues today. Both matches are set for the Brian Lara Stadium with the first encounter commencing at 10:00hrs, while the Warriors will play the Tallawahs at 14:15hrs.
Another double header is set for tomorrow with Knight Riders playing Barbados Tridents at 10:00hrs and Warriors taking on Zouks at 14:15 hrs.
The format of this year’s tournament will see the top four teams contesting the semi finals so the fourth place finisher at the end of the preliminary stage can still claim the coveted trophy.
However, the teams will want to ensure that their places in the final four are secured soonest and they do not have to scramble for points at the last minute for berths in the semis.Having lost their opening game to the Trinbago Knight Riders by four wickets, the Warriors rebounded to beat St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots by three wickets in their second game at the Brian Lara Stadium. Shimron Hetmyer has started off the tournament in fine fashion with consecutive half-centuries, while Paul produced an economical spell, picking up 4-19 to earn the man-of-the-match award. Hetmyer and Paul were the Captain and Vice Captain respectively of the 2016 West Indies U19 World Cup wining team and will know that consistency is one of the key attributes of a successful team.
Kemo Paul (sitting) Shimron Hetmyer (left) and Nicolas Pooran cenebrate a wicket. (CPL)
After seemingly set for an easy win in their previous encounter, the Warriors suffered some nervous moments, losing a few quick wickets in the latter stages of the chase before Romario Shepherd prevented further hiccups with a boundary to seal the win, but skipper Chris Green said they want to be peaking at the back end of the tournament. “There is no point peaking in game one or game two, we want to be peaking at the back end of the tournament, that’s what our aim is, and doing something we haven’t done yet,” he said following their win.
“Doing something we haven’t done yet”, implies winning the tournament, so it is vital for the players to be in their best form, more so in the second half of the competition so they can cross that final hurdle. The Warriors have reached the final on five occasions and the players are aware that team work and executing well on the day are also important ingredients of successful teams.
Getting off to solid starts are essential and the Warriors will be hoping that Brandon King and Chandrapaul Hemraj captialise on the power-play so the middle order can marshal the middle overs well on a pitch that is expected to deteriorate. Having an in-form Hetmyer is a major boost to the batting line up, but the others must contribute consistently to give the bowlers decent totals to defend. Paul and Shepherd can hit the ball cleanly down the order so the fire power is there to accelerate. The Warriors bowling have shown tremendous improvement in the last game and will have to continue in this vein, especially against the likes of Andre Russell, Glenn Phillips, Asif Ali and Carlos Brathwaite.
Spinner Sandeep Lamichhane can be difficult to read in these conditions, while Fidel Edwards and Oshane Thomas can prove more than a handful with the new ball.
Teams; Guyana Amazon Warriors – Anthony Bramble, Ashmead Nedd, Brandon King, Chris Green, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Imran Tahir, Jasdeep Singh, Kevin Sinclair, Keemo Paul, Ross Taylor, Nicholas Pooran, Naveen-ul-Haq, Odean Smith, Qais Ahmad, Romario Shepherd, Sherfane Rutherford and Shimron Hetmyer.
Tallawahs – Rovman Powell (c), Asif Ali, Jermaine Blackwood, Nkrumah Bonner, Carlos Brathwaite, Fidel Edwards, Nicholas Kirton, Sandeep Lamichhane, Ramaal Lewis, Preston McSween, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Veerasammy Permaul, Ryan Persaud, Glenn Phillips, Andre Russell, Oshane Thomas and Chadwick Walton.
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