Amazon Warriors send Knight Riders packing

Sep 25, 2022 Sports

2022 Hero Caribbean Premier League…

– storms into second place

It was a bottom-of-the-table clash last night between old rivals Guyana Amazon Warriors and Trinbago Knight Riders, in a match that TKR had to win to avoid being knocked out of 10^th edition of the Hero Caribbean Premier League.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s performance earns him another spot on our back page. (Getty Images)

The capacity fans in the stands at Providence created an atmosphere befitting of a final, and when the dust had settled it was the Warriors who had won its 11^th match in 24 games against TKR, with a 37-run margin to move to nine points from nine matches.

The Warriors reached 173-6 in 20 overs as 20-year-old Afghan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, hit six sixes in the 43 balls he faced to bring up his second fifty in as many innings while Shakib al Hasan made 35 from 25 balls as they added 60 runs for the third wicket.

Gurbaz also dominated a 50-run second wicket-stand with Shai Hope, who struck two fours in his short innings of 14.

Skipper, Shimron Hetmyer, scored 23 with five fours before he was run out off the last ball and along with Odean Smith, who smashed three sixes in an unbeaten 22 from seven balls, put together 41 in the last 18 balls.

Shimron Hetmyer and Odean Smith took the Warriors to 174 when the overs expired. (Getty Images)

Sunil Narine picked up two wickets for Trinbago Knight Riders. (Getty Images)

The Amazon Warriors have now moved on to nine points with their latest win over TKR. (Getty Images)

Sunil Narine had 2-23 for TKR, who were bowled out for 136 in their attempt to stay in the tournament. Only Colin Munro (30) and Samit Patel (34) reached 30 as Shakib led with 3-20 while Junior Sinclair (2-26) and Imran Tahir (2-31) helped bowl their team to their third consecutive win on home soil.

When TKR began their chase, they lost Tim Seifert (13) as Shakib struck at 32-1 before Colin Munro took the score to 68 after posting 47-1 in the power play.

But after hitting two sixes off Chanderpaul Hemraj, Munro was dismissed by Tahir while Nicolas Pooran (1) was run out six runs later, much to the delight of the crowd which included President Dr Irfaan Ali, sitting in the Red stand once again.

Kieron Pollard, who hit Tahir for six off his first ball, joined Patel, who was looking set on 34 with three fours and a six, before he fell to Smith at 91-4 in the 14^th over.

Patel’s demise brought the ‘old boys’, Andre Russell and Pollard together for a last hoorah. But that was not to be as Gudakesh Motie, unlucky not to be in the West Indies World Cup squad, had Pollard (13) stumped at 100-5 as the crowd went wild.

Narine thumped Smith for six but when Russell (12) tried to hit Shakib onto the East Bank Public Road, he dispatched a high catch to the keeper with 55 needed from 19 balls. However, Narine (19) was then bowled by Shakib, Akeal Hosein (1) was bowled by Tahir while Ravi Rampaul (1) was bowled by Junior Sinclair.

The final wicket to fall was Shaaron Lewis (1) who was caught by Hetmyer off a Sinclair delivery on the final ball of the innings. Shakib was adjudged man of the match for his performance that was capped off with 3 – 20 while Sinclair (2 – 26) and Tahir (2 – 31) supported well along with Smith (1-21) and Motie (1-16).

Today, Jamaica Tallawahs face the Patriots from 10:00am before the Warriors battle the Royals in their final preliminary game from 7:00pm.