The Guyana Amazon Warriors will be seeking their fourth successive win when they take on St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots at Warner Park tonight in the HERO Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
The Warriors are top-of-the table with six points but the Patriots have been showing grit in recent matches although they have just two points from one win after four tries.
The Warriors can take heart from the fact that most of their players have contributed in at least one match so far.
The left-handed opening batsman, Chandrapaul Hemraj leads the way with 116 runs from three innings, showing his progression with a fine 63 in the his last innings.
Brandon King, however, has failed to reach double figures in two of his three innings but should feel more “comfortable” in St. Kitts after being with the Patriots last season.
The middle order of Shimron Hetmyer and skipper, Shoaib Malik, will be expected to provide stability in the batting department.
For their part, the Patriots will need to find a solution for the aforementioned two who took the game away from them in Guyana with Hetmyer unbeaten on 70 in an unbroken 64-run stand with Malik.
The Patriots will also need to counteract the explosive lower order that features Nicholas Pooran and Sherfane Rutherford, both of whom are striking over 200 as well as Chris Green and Keemo Paul.
Paul will no doubt lead the seam attack along with Romario Shepherd, who has taken seven wickets so far with a best of 4-13 against Barbados Tridents in his last match.
The experienced Ben Laughlin is also in contention for a spot and it would be interesting to see if Warriors go with him or developmental player, Odean Smith.
The spin department is also solid and sees Green leading the charge especially in the powerplay along with Malik although he has just bowled one over so far.
The Warriors have shown they are willing to try new things, even opening with part time left-arm spinner, Hemraj.
The South American side will be forced to make at least one change with Shadab Khan having left for international duties. However, in his absence, electrifying Imran Tahir has joined the Warriors.
The 40-year-old leg spinner from South Africa had been the leading wicket taker for the Warriors last season and may be a certain pick in the playing XI. Also joining the squad since their first three matches at home is Afghanistan’s Qais Ahmad.
On the other hand, the Patriots have shown their ability with the bat, chasing down 242 against Jamaica Tallawahs, the highest run chase in the history of CPL.
Devon Thomas has been consistent with the bat with two half centuries already while Laurie Evans has already made an impact since joining the team for the last two matches. The Englishman has scored 64 and 41 at a strike rate of 172.
Evin Lewis, who is one six short of becoming the second batsman in CPL to 100 sixes, has not yet got going with decent starts and a half century to go with his 159 strike rate but even if the top order has struggled, Fabien Allen has blasted his team in the death overs in the past. With a strike rate of 200, Allen poses a threat to any team.
All eyes, however, will be on struggling skipper, Carlos Brathwaite, who has scored just a single run in three matches and taken one wicket. He will need to do something spectacular in his 50th appearance in the CPL.
The bowling department is laden with talent in seamers, Alzarri Joseph, Rayad Emrit and Sheldon Cottrell along with left-arm spinner, Allen.
Their overseas players have not come to the party. Usama Mir has travelled with an economy rate of 10 to go with his one wicket and scored 26 runs in four innings. Mohammad Hafeez had also struggled in his two matches, scoring 16 and 14 runs.
