KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Man-of-the-Match Chadwick Walton and New Zealander Luke Ronchi slammed scintillating half-centuries as a rampant Guyana Amazon Warriors crushed Jamaica Tallawahs by nine wickets to virtually secure a spot in the playoffs of the Caribbean Premier League.
Chasing 150 for victory at Sabina Park on Friday night, the visitors stormed to their target off a mere 63 deliveries, with Walton ending unbeaten on 84 off 40 deliveries and Ronchi, 55 not out off 29 balls.
The pair were utterly dominant, posting 135 for the second wicket – the highest partnership for any wicket in this year’s competition – after Sohail Tanvir perished for a first-ball ‘duck’ off the sixth ball of the innings.
Walton smashed eight fours and six sixes en route his half-century off 26 deliveries while Ronchi’s landmark took one delivery longer, as he counted four fours and three sixes.
Opting to bat first earlier, Tallawahs rallied to 149 for seven off their 20 overs with Andre McCarthy top-scoring with 44 and Captain Kumar Sangakkara getting 38.
Pakistan left-arm seamer Sohail Tanvir (2-27) and pacer Rayad Emrit (2-29) both finished with two wickets apiece.
The victory was the fourth on the trot for Amazon Warriors and put them in pole position to claim the last playoff spot up for grabs. They lie fourth on 10 points, four points clear of nearest challenger Barbados Tridents in fifth.
Amazon Warriors also possess a superior net run rate meaning that Tridents will have to win their final two matches – over Trinbago Knight Riders and St Kitts and Nevis Patriots – by significant margins in order to sneak into the top four.
The visitors were slumping at 26 for two in the fifth over after Glenn Phillips (10) missed a pull and was bowled by left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul and Lendl Simmons (15) clipped Emrit to Gajanand Singh at mid-wicket.
McCarthy and Sri Lankan Sangakkara then came together in a 79-run, third wicket stand and push the total past the 100-run mark.
While McCarthy faced 35 balls and struck four boundaries and three sixes, Sangakkara counted two fours and a six in a 31-ball knock.
However, they both fell in the space of 15 balls for the addition of 15 runs and Tallawahs were left to scramble for runs at the end to reach a competitive total. In reply, Tallawahs were in the hunt early when Tanvir gloved a lifter from pacer Oshane Thomas through to wicketkeeper Sangakkara but their hopes were completely erased as Walton and Ronchi then decimated their bowling attack.
