Guyana Amazon Warriors go up against Antigua Hawksbills in the Caribbean Premier League at the St Kitts' Warner Park Cricket stadium in Basseterre on Friday.
The Warriors would be hoping to forget the last ball loss against Jamaica Tallawahs in the previous match and get back to winning ways. Andre Russell's heroics with both bat and ball in that game denied the boys from Guyana a much-desired victory. It looked as if the Warriors looked might emerge as the winner when Jamaica needed 10 runs of the last two balls. Russell though had other plans as his last ball six broke Guyana hearts.
Denesh Ramdin-led Warriors would, however, go into this tie against the Hawksbills as favourites. Antigua are yet to register their first win after seven games and have fallen away completely. Marlon Samuels' side's inability to find a win means they cannot qualify for the play-offs now. The batting has let them down the most. In the rain-affected game against the Tallawahs, they huffed and puffed their way to 89 for the loss of eight wickets. This was the second time that the Hawksbills failed to go beyond 100 against Chris Gayle's Tallawahs in this edition of the Caribbean Premier League.
In the game against St Lucia Zouks, Antigua's batting failed yet again as they could get to only 103 in 16 overs in another rain-affected encounter. Their problems start at the top as the openers have not been able to get going. Thereafter, it becomes hard for the middle order which has also floundered. Samuels is one of the few batsman who have been somewhat consistent but he too failed in the last two games.
The bowling has been slightly better as they managed to put up a fight against the Zouks, even though they were defending a measly score of 103. They have shown signs of improvement after not being able to defend big scores early on in the tournament. The Hawksbills have to somehow get their act right tonight and find the win that has been eluding them.
Guyana, on the other hand, have ended up on the winning side in last over encounters, except against the Tallawahs. The bowling depends a lot on the likes of Krishmar Santokie and Ronsford Beaton. The latter held his nerve to bowl a brilliant last over against Barbado Tridents and win the game.
Mohammad Hafeez, the Pakistani veteran, will play important roles with both bat and ball. He was miserly in the last game against a strong batting line-up like the Tallawahs. In the batting department, a lot will rest on Lendl Simmons' shoulders. Him apart, Hafeez and Ramdin will look to contribute heavily, while Kiwi Jimmy Neesham can clout a few as well.
Currently in third place, Guyana would dearly love to get back some of their momentum with a triumph tonight, while for Antigua a win would be a relief.
Where to Watch Live
The game will start at 4 pm local time (1:30 am IST) with coverage on Sony Six in India. The match is available live online HERE. US viewers can catch the action on ESPN3, with the option to live stream HERE.
