The winning streak unfortunately came to an end for the Saint Lucia Kings on Wednesday evening as they suffered a 17-run loss against the Guyana Amazon Warriors. Nevertheless, the Kings showed great spirit in that game and Faf Du Plessis and co. would be hoping to arrest the slide quickly now as they gear up for their next evening game, this time against the Jamaica Tallawahs.
The Tallawahs beat the Kings in their opening game of the season, but since then the two sides have endured contrasting campaigns thus far in the 2021 HERO Caribbean Premier League. The latter of the two have won four of their seven game so far in the competition, and will be looking to avenge that opening day defeat come Thursday.
Head-to-head record
Jamaica Tallawahs | Saint Lucia Kings |
10 wins | 6 wins |
The Tallawahs have the better head-to-head record when compared with the Saint Lucia Kings, and emerged victorious in the previous encounter this season as well. The Kings however have won three of their last four games in the CPL, and look extremely settled and well-oiled heading into the second half of the group stage games.
With a stable bowling attack and the batting prowess of Roston Chase, Tim David and Faf Du Plessis, the Kings would pose a stern challenge to the Tallawahs this time around, who have just two wins so far in the competition.
Watch out for:
Roston Chase is currently the leading run getter of the CPL, with 281 runs in seven games. The 29-year-old almost won another game for his side on Wednesday evening, but for a spirited comeback from the Warriors bowlers. Nevertheless, the lethal form of Chase makes him a marked man for any opposition teams. The all-rounder already has three fifties to his name, and one wouldn’t be surprised if he adds another to that list come Thursday.
Jeavor Royal delivered a match-winning performance on Sunday against the Patriots, picking 3/20 to break the back of their top-order. He followed that up with another memorable outing against the Warriors on Wednesday evening. The left-arm spinner’s ability to bowl effectively in the powerplay with the new ball makes him a big threat to opposition batsmen. Royal also boasts of an economy rate of under six so far in the competition, and if he can keep that streak going, the Kings should be on course to get another win under their kitty.
Opponent Corner:
Opener Kennar Lewis has been the leading run getter for the Tallawahs this year, and has given his team starts more often than not in CPL 2021. Apart from Lewis, the team from Jamaica also have experienced campaigners like Chadwick Walton, Carlos Braithwaite and Andre Russell in their roster, the latter of them scoring a 14 ball fifty when he came up against the Kings in the previous game.
On the bowling front, South African Migael Pretorious has been the talisman for the Tallawahs, picking up 12 wickets so far. Apart from Pretorious, the experience of Fidel Edwards and Imad Wasim could pose a threat to any batting line-up on their day.
Probable XI: Andre Fletcher (wk), Faf Du Plessis (c), Mark Deyal, Roston Chase, Tim David, Samit Patel, Keron Cottoy, Jeavor Royal, Alzarri Joseph, Kesrick Williams, Wahab Riaz
Despite the loss, the Kings wouldn’t want to make too many changes to their settled line-up. The only change one can anticipate is Mark Deyal coming in instead of Keemo Paul. The southpaw can bolster the batting line-up, and given the slowish nature of the pitches, his off-spin could also come in handy.
Also, Alzarri Joseph could get back in ahead of Obed McCoy if he passes the fitness test ahead of the game.
NOTE: The aforementioned line-up is an educated guess at best, and the final decision rests with the captain and the team management depending on various external factors.
