Jamaica Tallawahs’ skipper Chris Gayle is confident of smashing Guyana Amazon Warriors’ star spinner Sunil Narine for a quartet of sixes come tomorrow when the two teams square off in what is termed as the grudge match in this year’s Limacol Caribbean Premier League (LCPL) T20 tournament.
“It would be nice to get four sixes off Sunil Narine and I know Guyana will be supporting the Tallawahs as well,” Gayle said. “The Guyana people will always say they want Jamaica to lose but it is not so; they want Jamaica to win and they will come out and support us. They want entertainment and they want good cricket.”
Gayle, along with Coach Mickey Arthur, at a press conference yesterday held at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, pointed out that the team was indeed in high spirits coming off two consecutive wins in the tournament thus far. “It’s been good. We started really well and I’m happy with that as a captain,” he said. “Everybody in the team has played a part to put us where we are today, so I’m really happy with the overall performance from a bowling and batting point of view. In the field the guys have been making good efforts and we need to continue.”
Speaking about today’s match, Gayle said, “…It’s an important game. We played them in the finals last year. They were also the only team to beat us twice last year. It’s an important game for us to go three up. We are looking to win… [It] will be a key game for us playing against a top team.”
The dangerous Warriors have not yet clicked with the bat but have flexed their muscles in the bowling and fielding departments and the burly left-hander said that he will not be taking his opponents lightly. “I think they have one of the better attacks and line up in the CPL but we will stay with our team plans that we discussed at our meetings and once we do that there is no doubt that we can beat them,” he confidently added.
Meanwhile, Tallawahs’ Coach Mickey Arthur duly stated that he was happy to be a part of the team and equally happy with the team’s performance in the tournament so far. He lauded the players for their teamwork and camaraderie while adding that the team was injury free and fit.
Guyana, like Jamaica, will be seeking to maintain their winnings ways, as well as to step up their batting which has let them down.
The Tallawahs will look to Gayle who has recorded the first century in the tournament along with his batters who have been firing on all cylinders.
Both teams have been exceptional with the ball. The match is scheduled to begin at 16:00 hrs.
