Guyana Amazon Warriors 177/4 (Hope 54*, Smith 44; Deyal 1/21, Hinds 1/26) beat Trinbago Knight Riders 176/8 (Carty 83, Deyal 37; Tahir 3/12, Paul 1/11) by 6 wickets
A SERIES of drop catches by the Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) in the field handed Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) another victor at the National Stadium in Providence in Guyana on Saturday night.
It was a similar display by TKR just like the last time the two teams met at the Queen’s Park Oval on September 5.
Odean Smith was a major benefit of the sloppy fielding having been dropped at least three times on his way to 44 before he was finally caught by Akeal Hosein off the bowling of Terrance Hinds.
Warriors made one change Junior Sinclair for Matthew Nandu while TKR had six – no Sunil Narine, Andre Russell, Nicholas Pooran or Lorcan Tucker who returned to international duty.
The victory for the Warriors meant they top the Group Stage of the 2023 edition of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL). They play TKR again in the Qualifier on Wednesday.
The Amazon Warriors won the toss and opted to field first and TKR posted a competitive 176/8.
Warriors timed their chase perfectly in reply, Shai Hope carried on his good form with an unbeaten 54 to ensure the game was won with ten balls to spare.
Earlier, TKR got off to a bad start when Martin Guptil was run out for one but Mark Deyal’s quick-fire 37 from 20 balls ensured TKR were able to post a healthy 49/2 by the end of the PowerPlay.
Chadwick Walton and Keacy Carty put on a 59 run partnership before Imran Tahir cleaned up Walton for 25.
However, that merely signalled the moment for Carty to press the accelerator. He took an extreme liking to Smith, taking him for 26 runs in the 15th over to bring up his half century.
Carty was to go on to make a brilliantly constructed 83 before he was eventually stumped. That wicket was one of three in the 19th over as Imran Tahir halted TKR momentum.
TKR made 176, a total that gave their bowlers something to work with.
Guptill didn’t take the field with a thigh strain and this allowed Pooran to come on the field to wicketkeep.
In reply, the Amazon Warriors got off to the best possible start in the PowerPlay. Smith partnered Saim Ayub and the pair reached 56/0 at the end of six overs but Ayub was to fall immediately after the fielding restrictions were lifted, skying a delivery from Hosein.
Smith was to go on to make his best score of the 2023 CPL. When Smith left, the Warriors needed 60 from 44 balls with eight wickets remaining.
It was an equation the Amazon Warriors negotiated with ease as they romped to victory with two overs remaining.
