The batsmen failed to deliver for St.Lucia Zouks in their eighth match of the 2020 Hero Caribbean Premier League, as Guyana Amazon Warriors picked up a convincing seven wicket victory at the Brian Lara Cricket Stadium in Tarouba. Despite the defeat though, St.Lucia Zouks qualified for the semi finals thanks to fifth placed Barbados Tridents losing earlier in the day.
Being asked to bat first, Rahkeem Cornwall got the Zouks going with a six off the very first over. Fellow opener Andre Fletcher though couldn’t get going on the night, falling in Kevin Sinclair’s first over after adding just a solitary run to the team total. New man Leniko Boucher also was dismissed after adding just a run to the scoreboard, as his miscued pull shot fell graciously to opposition captain Chris Green at mid-on.
With Roston Chase missing out due to a niggle, Kavem Hodge got his CPL 2020 debut, coming in to bat at number four. The debutant however struggled to find his rhythm on a damp surface, needing seven balls to get off the mark. On the other end, Cornwall continued his power hitting, getting a four and a six before being surprised by the extra pace of Romario Shepherd, to end up being caught at short covers, leaving the score at 27/3 after the powerplay.
New man Najibullah Zadran and Hodge began to slowly resurrect the Zouks partnership, not losing a wicket for the next five overs of the game, while adding 28 runs to the scorecard which included a monstrous six on the leg side by the Afghani cricketer. Imran Tahir though sparked the next breakthrough, getting a faint edge off the underside of Zadran’s bat to be caught behind.
Keemo Paul compounded the Zouks misery further, as he dismissed both Kavem Hodge and captain Daren Sammy in his very first over to leave the batting side reeling at 59/6 after 13. Crisis man Mohammad Nabi tried to get his side back in the contest, with a couple of well timed boundaries on the off-side.
The 35-year-old too however could not consolidate his good start, falling victim to countryman Naveen-ul-Haq in the 17th over. Javelle Glenn ensured that the Zouks finished with a flurry, getting three boundaries in the third man region to push the team score to 109/7 after 20 overs, giving them a fighting chance in the contest.
Second Innings
Guyana Amazon Warriors openers Chandrapaul Hemraj and Brandon King started off brightly, counter attacking the spin of Nabi with a four and a six. King tried to keep the attack going against the pace of Scott Kuggeleijn as well, attempting a paddle scoop but instead had his leg stump uprooted by the Kiwi pacer.
Shimron Hetmyer joined Hemraj in the middle, and the two southpaws played out the rest of the powerplay shrewdly, getting the odd boundary without taking too many risks to push the score to 38/1 after six overs. The duo continued to power through even after the field restrictions were lifted, with Hetmyer getting a six over deep mid-wicket off Cornwall’s second over to put his side in a formidable position.
There was however a glimmer of hope for the Zouks, as Hemraj dragged one back off his pads onto the stumps off Nabi’s third over. Hetmyer however calmed the nerves immediately for the Warriors, getting 24 runs off Chemar Holder’s first over to put his team within reach of the finish line. Nicholas Pooran too joined the party with a majestic straight boundary shortly after the drinks break.
Pooran tried to take on Javelle Glenn as well next up, attempting a reverse sweep slog, but had to walk back to the pavilion after being caught in the deep. The Warriors though needed just 13 to win at that stage, and new man Ross Taylor and Hetmyer ensured there weren’t any further hiccups, reaching the total with singles and doubles, getting over the line with six plus overs to spare.
The win ensured that Guyana Amazon Warriors too qualified for the semifinals. St.Lucia Zouks play their next game against the Trinbago Knight Riders on Saturday, September 5.
Brief Scorecard
St.Lucia Zouks: 109/7, 20 overs (Rahkeem Cornwall 21, Naveen-ul-Haq 2/24)
Beat
Guyana Amazon Warriors: 110/3, 13.5 overs( Shimron Hetmyer 56, Javelle Glenn 1/9)
