Guyana Amazon Warriors will face St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the second match of the 2019 HERO Caribbean Premier League (CPL) for both teams tonight.
The venue is the National Stadium, Providence and the match comes two nights after the Warriors defeated St. Lucia Zouks by 13 runs. Patriots, however, lost their first encounter to Trinbago Knight Riders in the opening match.’
In head-to-head matches, Guyana has taken the upper hand in nine of the 11 matches between the two but with experienced benches on both sides anything can happen.
For the Warriors, a four-time finalist, their top order was blown away despite the youthful and explosive package they present.
The likes of Chandrapaul Hemraj and former Patriot, Brandon King will want to make amends of their decent but short start and capitalize on the powerplay to lay the foundation for their side.
‘Batting director,’ Shimron Hetmyer has been short of runs in the last few months but with Providence being the venue for his lone T20 ton, it is the opportune location for a welcome big score especially since uncertainty rests on the availability of their captain, Shoaib Malik.
Malik was struck on the forearm in the 11th over when he was at the non-striker’s end as Hetmyer flat-batted a Christopher Barnwell delivery back to him. He did not take to the field when Zouks batted.
According to CPL officials, Malik has been scanned and no fracture was detected but it is unclear if the captain will be rested.
Nicholas Pooran will also want to make a statement in his 50th match of the CPL and with a strike rate of 151, the capable 23-year-old can play a bigger role in the absence of Malik. He will become the 21st player to reach this milestone.
Like Pooran, Sherfane Rutherford will also want to cash in and get a big score as the last two times Patriots played at Providence they scored 193 and 146.
Chris Green and Keemo Paul both showed their all-round skills, contributing significantly with the bat and following up tightly with the ball, something that could work in their favour once again.
Green stated that there was nothing seriously wrong with Malik and reckoned that he should be available for tonight’s contest.
Patriots will be no stranger to the South American stadium as they feature three former Warriors in the form of Rayad Emrit, Jason Mohammed and Mohammad Hafeez, all of whom have been crucial to Warriors’ success in the past.
Emrit, is the third highest wicket taker in the CPL with 76 scalps in 65 matches while Hafeez has featured in 263 T20 matches with 5544 runs including two centuries and 30 fifties to go with a strike rate of 121 and 164 wickets.
At the press briefing yesterday, Emrit emphasized the advantage of having players who know the conditions well but took credit in the way the team had performed in Trinidad and Tobago.
The Patriots’ captain, Carlos Brathwaite will also be under the gun after slipping under the radar since his quartet of sixes to win the World T20 final years ago. But with him set to make his 150th appearance in the format, coupled with a strike rate of 149 in CPL and 37 wickets, he will back himself to do well.
The experience will also fall on the shoulders of Laurie Evans who has played 131 matches with 2870 runs at a strike rate of 130.
With him at the top of the order along with Evin Lewis, another batsman with a strike rate over 130, the Patriots can expect a solid start for their explosive lower order.
Their bowling also looks solid with the likes of Sheldon Cottrell in the mix. The left-arm seamer has so far picked up 60 wickets from 43 matches. He will be joined by Alzarri Joseph who has made waves in the Indian Premier League recently for his record breaking spell.
The first ball bowls off at 20.00hrs.Guyana Amazon Warriors squad: Shadab Khan, Nicholas Pooran, Shoaib Malik, Shimron Hetmyer, Ben Laughlin, Chris Green, Keemo Paul, Sherfane Rutherford, Brandon King, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith, Keagan Simmons, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Veerasammy, Permaul, Anthony Bramble and Clinton Pestano
St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots squad: Carlos Brathwaite, Akeem Jordan, Shamarh Brooks, Keron Cottoy, Aaron Jones, Sheldon Cottrell, Dominic Drakes. Rayad Emrit, Laurie Evans, Alzarri Joseph, Evin Lewis, Jeremiah Louis, Mohammad Hafeez, Jason Mohammed, Kjorn Ottley, Devon Thomas, Usama Mir, Fabian Allen
