Guyana Amazon Warriors took advantage of Trinbago Knight Riders’ dramatic super-over defeat by St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots to gain two points in Jamaica Tallawah’s 2019 victory in the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
Contributions throughout the assignment – led by Skipper Shoaib Malik’s undefeated 67 – brought the Warriors out of their 20 overs to a 218/6 franchise record, beating their previous record of 212, which they had already set in 2014.
The Warriors’ spin-heavy attack then unleashed the Tallawahs, and although the returning Andre Russell briefly threatened to do something extraordinary again when he shot 40 in 19 balls, the Table Toppers dropped to their fifth straight win.
Imran Tahir scored an important double strike in Power Play and eliminated Chris Gayle and Chadwick Walton. Chris Green removed Javelle Glen and Qais Ahmad gave George Worker a full-throw.
With eight overs, four wickets and only 51 on the board, the game looked up. But when Dre Russ goes in the middle, all things are possible. After two balls, he was 10, and after his first two overs at Crease, the score had risen from 51/4 to 89/4, with Russell hitting 29 of just nine balls. Three of these nine had been sent across the border and two more there.
Glenn Phillips, who had seen the rest of the supreme order wiped out, was a willing ally, bringing the 50 partnerships – and Tallawah’s 100 – with cover for six, as Keemo Paul fought his radar and forefoot and sent down a pair no-balls, to offer two hitmen who hardly needed encouragement, free hit opportunities.
The partnership had reached 60 in 30 balls when Odean Smith came and finished Russell’s fun and calmed the warrior’s nerves. In truth, the delivery was not very special, but Russell failed to reach the desired height with a flat club, and Malik held a stinging hook in his hand.
After Russell disappeared, the game disappeared quickly. Paul, who had turned 33 in his first two overs, took three doors in his third. First, he had left Phillips 40 minutes to put an end to the Tallawah’s realistic hopes before Dwayne Smith scored a low point and Ramaal Lewis, surprised by an additional rebound, gave Nicholas Pooran another shot behind the stumps.
Then Zahir Khan ran away in vain, before running wild and occasionally wiping Jade Dernbach and Oshane Thomas with success, bringing the score to 137 before finishing Qais.
While the Warriors bowling was impressive, this was a win won with the bat. The Warriors always had an attacker at the crease when they passed 200 in a well-constructed inning built on solid partnerships for the second, third, and fourth wickets.
After Chandrapaul Hemraj was dismissed in the second game by Dernbach’s first ball of the night, Shimron attacked Hetmyer initially, while Brandon King took over the supporting role.
Hetmyer struck the fourth ball he saw over Midwicket for Hero Maximum and then overthrew four fours from Dernbach’s second. Thomas’s second over has also been targeted, two more fours and a great 6-goal in-to-out on additional coverage.
When Hetmyer fell six half a century ago and was bunked by a Dwayne Smith trimmer, King took command.
After King had lost 9 of 15 balls at once, he drove in just 18 more deliveries in half his century. Zahir Khan and Dwayne Smith were both beaten for two consecutive Hero Maximums, with King scoring four fours and six-six, before settling for 59 on the long-on Lewis’ first game.
Leave King and go to Shoaib. Warrior Captain Malik, like King before, was ready to play the second fiddle while a teammate flew. Shoaib had just 12 of 11 balls when King was dismissed, but he shelled Thomas in the next game for six before laying Lewis on the roof.
Now, however, the Warriors had two players who had broken free. Pooran hit perhaps the most attractive six of the night with a one-legged Thomas and a superb straight-ahead from Dernbach.
Russell picked him up for 20 of 11 and prevailed with a short ball against Glenn Phillips, but Malik continued to find the line and was assisted by Sherfane Rutherford, who scored for Dernbach for two-six, before taking one to the square leg Enter the bowler a certain amount of revenge.
Malik, however, prevailed from 31 balls to 50, headed the Warriors to their highest score so far and consolidated the top spot in the Hero CPL table.
