Match 29, Guyana, September 28, 2024, 07:30 PM
Guyana Amazon Warriors
207/7(20.0ov)
Saint Lucia Kings
172/7(20.0ov)
Guyana Amazon Warriors beat Saint Lucia Kings by 35 runs
Right then, that is it from the penultimate game of the group stage and in the dress rehearsal for Qualifier 1, it is Guyana Amazon Warriors who have come out on top against Saint Lucia Kings. The last game of the group stage will be played on 30 September between Guyana and Trinbago Knight Riders at 4.30 am IST (11 pm GMT, the previous day) but you can join us a lot sooner for the build-up. Cheers!
Imran Tahir, the skipper of Guyana Amazon Warriors starts by thanking the crowd for their incredible support. Mentions the surface has been different this season but they have the luxury of three, four spinners with different abilities and it just makes his job easier. Shares every game is important and won’t take it for granted, they’ll go for the win for the next game.
Darren Sammy, the head coach of Saint Lucia Kings says that Faf du Plessis is just struggling with a bit of cramps and hopefully, it won't affect the future games. Reckons that they were a bit flat in the field and dropped a few catches and took a lot of time to adjust to the surface as well. Mentions that they tried to get as close as possible to the total and tried to stay positive and it was that 7-15 phase that proved vital and Guyana were better in that phase. Ends by saying that they would have taken number 2 on the points table at the start of the season and just need to be more mentally prepared.
Shimron Hetmyer wins the Player of the Match award. He says the mindset has made a lot of difference and mentions he is just trying to enjoy his game. Adds it is more so about the match-ups while scoring runs. Shares it’s always nice to have familiar conditions and play at home.
The Presentation ceremony...
Earlier in the game, Guyana Amazon Warriors won the toss and opted to bat first on what looked like a pristine batting surface. The openers got the ball rolling with a couple of 20s but it was the duo of Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer who really turned the heat on with the bat. Both got half-centuries and then Romario Shepherd made a quickfire 24 to propel his side over the line. With the ball, Saint Lucia Kings were a bit wasteful but the spinners kept things tight. David Wiese finished with 3 wickets but was expensive as well.
Guyana Amazon Warriors were upbeat after that batting display and Gudakesh Motie got them an early wicket as well. However, the pacers took some beating in the Powerplay but Moeen Ali got rid of Ackeem Auguste in the final over of the Powerplay which opened the floodgates a bit. After that, it was the Imran Tahir show as the skipper picked up a couple of wickets and snared a couple of top catches to get his side on top of proceedings. They failed to do much damage towards the end but the job was already done in the middle overs.
Needing 208 big runs for the win, Saint Lucia Kings started off well but soon enough, Johnson Charles was dismissed. Faf du Plessis struggled in the first couple of overs but chanced his arm and went into overdrive mode for a bit. Wickets though started tumbling after the Powerplay and the Kings had not much of an answer for the opposition spinners. Faf carried on till the end and finished things off in style, remaining unbeaten on 92 off just 59 balls.
Not as much of a comprehensive win for Guyana Amazon Warriors in front of their home crowd but in truth, they have made light work of the table-toppers and are now in a great position to end the group stage in pole position.
In over# 20
6
6
1
6
1
1wd
6
Junior Sinclair 31/1(2)
19.6
6
SIX! That is it. Full and on off. Faf du Plessis smashes it over long off for a bigge. An effort in vain. Guyana Amazon Warriors win by 35 runs.
19.5
6
SIX! Slightly short and on middle and leg, Faf du Plessis on one leg almost goes back and hoicks it over mid-wicket for a six.
19.4
1
Flat and outside kff. Joseph works it to long off for a single.
19.3
6
SIX! Second in the over. A bit too full and outside off, straight enough for Joseph to thump it over long off.
19.2
1
Tossed up on off and spins in. Faf du Plessis slaps it to covers for a single.
19.2
1wd
Wide! Bowls it full and way outside off. Faf du Plessis leaves.
Oh, dear! Faf du Plessis seemed to be in agonizing pain after hitting that six and the physio has rushed out to the middle. Faf is soon back on his feet and he will continue.
19.1
6
SIX! That is some shot from Faf. Full and down leg. Faf du Plessis makes room and slogs it over long on for a biggie. Hits the shot and falls flat on the ground. Surely can't continue anymore. Will he?
In over# 19
1
0
4
0
1
6
Dwaine Pretorius 38/0(4)
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