(CPL) Guyana Amazon Warriors, defending champions of the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL), put in a swaggering performance to claim three wins in three games to sit at the head of the standings after ten games of this year’s tournament.
Their opponents, Saint Lucia Kings, suffered their first loss of the 2024 tournament on what for them was a chastening night at the Darren Sammy Cricket Ground in Gros Islet. A thumping six-wicket win with 10 overs to spare was a real statement of intent from the Warriors.
Imran Tahir won the toss and elected to insert the Kings. The defending champions put in another impressive performance with the ball, Tahir claiming 3/29 and Player of the Match Gudakesh Motie taking 3/13 as the Kings failed to recover from a PowerPlay that saw them reduced to 43/4.
Some lower-order striking from Matthew Forde managed to haul the Kings to three figures exactly but the Warriors made extremely short work of the target.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz lit up the Saint Lucia sky with sixes as he struck 47 runs off just 19 balls that included not a single four but saw seven sixes clear the ropes.
Gurbaz eventually fell with just nine more runs needed for victory, pinned lbw by Noor Ahmad attempting a reverse sweep that would have brought him a rapid fifty. Noor also bowled Tim Robinson but not before the Warrior’s debutant opener had got the chase off to a breezy start with 33 off 20 deliveries – including a deliciously driven lofted six down the ground.
A fired-up Alzarri Joseph had Azam Khan caught at short third and was thrilled with the wicket. Joseph then greeted Shimron Hetmyer with a stare and another short delivery but Hetmyer launched the next ball high and long over mid-on for six and then scampered the winning runs off the next over to have the decisive final say.
It was a day to forget for the Kings but one to savour for the Warriors, Barbados Royals are the only other side that remains unbeaten in this year’s competition.
