Amazon Warriors into play-offs after 6th successive win

A career best bowling effort of 4-14 from Chris Green and another brilliant unbeaten innings of 51 from Brandon King ensured Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) secure their sixth win in a row in the 2019 Hero Caribbean Premier League.

GAW won the match by 12 runs (DLS method) after ending victorious on 81-2 in 11 overs, chasing a revised target of 97 for victory when rain ended play at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown Barbados.

Tridents furious start
After a short delay due to some heavy wind blowing across the ground, the match finally got off with GAW winning the toss and bowling. On a pitch that looked good for batting, Tridents openers showed intensity from the inception. Keemo Paul, bowling on the shorter side, leaked 17 runs in the opening over, but removed Johnson Charles (11) with his fifth delivery.
Tridents continued to motor along, scoring their joint highest power-play score in CPL history by adding 63 in six overs. The elegant Justin Greaves got off the mark with a beautiful square drive, but his promising innings of 11 came to an end when the dancing Romario Shepherd got in his way.

Alex Hales, who returned from England just a few hours before this match, looked in sublime form, but his 15-ball innings of 24 was cut short by the impressive Imran Tahir. Hales, who smashed one six and two fours, found the safe hands of Shimron Hetmyer in the deep.
At 63-3, in 6.1 overs, it was time for GAW to stop the fast flow of runs.

Green, Malik, Tahir halt scoring rate

The Tridents failed to gather rhythm after their power-play exploits. Malik chopped and changed his bowlers incessantly during the middle overs. Tahir continued to cover the real estate when he celebrates a wicket. He spun webs around Jonathan Carter and trapped him in front for a four-ball duck.
Tridents were 85-5 at the end of the 10th over, after they lost Captain Jason Holder for two. Holder was set up nicely by his opposite number Malik, who was economical in his approach.

JP Duminy, who was getting into his stride, watched wickets tumble from the other end. He lost a partner in Leniko Boucher with the score on 97-6. The pace of Odean Smith led to the demise of the new-boy Boucher, who struggled in his brief innings of eight.
Ashley Nurse was stumped by the sharp Nicholas Pooran, as Green, who bowled one over early into the innings, came to add the finishing touches at the end.
Green, who got extra bounce at Kensington, was on his way to his best figures in T20 cricket. At 124-8 in 17.3 overs, Green sent back the anchor, Duminy, for a top-score of 38 from 32 balls. In successive balls, the Australian removed Raymon Reifer (11) and took a good high catch off his own bowling to end Sandeep Lamichhane and the Tridents innings on 138 all out.

Green ended with 4-14 in 3.2 magnificent overs, while Tahir grabbed 2-22 and Malik was tidy with 1-10 in four overs, as the GAW spinners again reigned supreme.

King, Hemraj off to stylish start

Realizing the extra bounce in the surface, the GAW openers had a cautious start, but scored runs well. At the end of the power play, GAW openers had posted 52 runs, their third 50-plus total this season. King was the aggressor, while Hemraj timed the ball sweetly in the 61-run opening partnership.
Hemraj gifted his wicket to wonder kid Lamichhane for a 23-ball 20, during which he struck two fours and one six.

Shimron Hetmyer came and went quickly, playingd an unnecessary shot that went high into the night sky and gave Duminy a catch off his own bowling.
With the score on 66-2 in 8.3 overs, the reliable Malik partnered King. After King was dropped by Nurse, he capitalized on this good fortune by searching for yet another fifty.

Rain enters Kensington
At the halfway stage, the heavens opened up at 20:39h with the GAW on 77-2 in 10 overs. King was standing tall on 49 from 30, while Malik was unbeaten on two.
At that stage the GAW were way ahead with the Duckworth Lewis Stern (DLS) par score being 61-2. However, the covers came off and play resumed at 21:55h with the GAW requiring 20 more runs from four overs, as the revised target was set at 97 in 14 overs.
After six balls in a Duminy over, which saw King reaching his third CPL fifty, the rain descended on the Oval again and ended play with the GAW on 81-2.
Tridents will play their next home match today, Monday September 23, against the Trinbago Knight Riders from 18:00h.