Amazon Warriors successfully defend lowest total in CPL history

The Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW), displaying grit, determination and strong self-belief, pulled off a historic 14-run win against the Jamaica Tallawahs in match 8 of the 2020 Hero Caribbean Premier League tournament played at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, Republic of Trinidad & Tobago.
In this, “the mother of all CPL matches”, in which 80 dot balls were bowled, the Warriors’ bowlers proved too hot to handle, as they restricted the Jamaican franchise to 104-7 in 20 overs, thereby defending the lowest total ever scored in a CPL match: 119.

Batting first, the Warriors were dismissed for 118 in 19.1 overs, with only Chandrapaul Hemraj and Ross Taylor managing 21 runs each.
The Tallawahs’ Mujeeb-ur-Rahman and Sandeep Lamichhane ran riot over the 2019 finalists, But the Warriors roared back with the ball to take bursts of 3/4 and 4/25, leaving the Tallawahs needing 60 from the last 4 overs. And not even Andre Russell, even at his most devastating, could help the Tallawahs.
After Tallawahs captain Rovman Powell elected to bowl, Fidel Edwards generated significant swing, but Thomas was wayward and Brandon King punished him mercilessly. The fact that one of his Hero Maximums was off a no-ball because too many fielders were behind square on the leg-side added insult to injury, and Thomas was not seen again with the ball.

Chandrapaul Hemraj was quick to pounce on anything short from either Mujeeb or Russell, and with King continuing to time the ball sweetly, the Amazon Warriors raced to 56/0.
All seemed to be going like a walk in the park for the Warriors when Mujeeb sparked a remarkable turnaround. First, a ball skidded past King’s sweep; then the in-form Shimron Hetmyer was done in by a quicker off-spinner in the next delivery. When Hemraj steered the first ball after the Powerplay to the fielder at point, the Amazon Warriors had slumped from 56/0 to 57/3 inside four balls. That precarious position then became 67/4 when Nicholas Pooran tried to cut Mujeeb and edged behind.
Sensing an opportunity, Powell went on the attack. He introduced Lamichhane and kept a slip in. The Warriors were so disconcerted that Sherfane Rutherford came out with two left side gloves. But Lamichhane did not disappoint. His first over was tight, and in his second, his googly spun big to leave Rutherford being able only to give Mujeeb a second catch at point. Ross Taylor found himself fighting a lone hand, and the Amazon Warriors found themselves in a deep hole at 85/5 after 12 overs.

It seemed like a dragline was digging that hole, as Paul skied to Phillips in trying to pull Carlos Brathwaite’s third ball, Warriors’ skipper Chris Green lost his leg-stump to Lamichhane, and eventually Taylor clipped Brathwaite straight to deep midwicket to leave the Amazon Warriors on 99/8 after 16 overs.
Naveen-ul-Haq showed a deft touch, but debutant Ashmead Nedd couldn’t stay with him, as he was farcically run out. Naveen tried to hit out, but gave mid-off a simple catch to award Brathwaite with a third wicket and put the final nail in the Warriors’ coffin – or so it seemed.
At the start of the chase, Green sparked panic among the Tallawahs when he removed Chadwick Walton with the first ball of the innings and ended Nkrumah Bonner’s first Hero CPL game since 2016 by way of LBW shortly after.
Imran Tahir got a rare outing in the Powerplay, and threatened immediately with a maiden.

Nedd’s debut may not have gone well with the bat, but the first ball of his T20 career removed Phillips. Asif Ali joined captain Powell in the 4th over with the score on 4/3, and although he was beaten by the first two deliveries he faced, he got off the mark with a commanding cut shot.
The Amazon Warriors bowled, fielded and appealed as though their lives depended on it, and the intensity didn’t let up after the Powerplay. Naveen let rip some wholehearted LBW appeals, Nedd got bounce and sharp turn, and Paul hit Powell on the helmet with his first ball.
While Asif was dropped by Nedd at long leg, he would not get a second life. Hetmyer held his nerve at long-on and sent the Tallawahs to the drinks break reeling. Naveen kept the pressure on, and Nedd was unplayable at times.
At 41/4 after 12 overs, the Tallawahs had to confront the possibility of snatching defeat from the proverbial jaws of victory, and that became even more evident when Brathwaite was bowled by Paul.

Nedd finished a remarkable debut with four dot balls to Russell, and the Tallawahs now needed 69 from the last six overs, before Powell clubbed Naveen down Green’s throat to leave Russell still to get off the mark and batting with the tail.
Russell finally hit his first Hero Maximum of the tournament; and while Tahir returned to trap Lamichhane LBW for a duck, when Russell took 11 runs off the 17th over, 17 runs off the 18th, and 10 runs off the first two balls of the 19th, it looked like he was going to win yet another game single-handedly.
But Naveen responded with four dot balls in a row, and crucially kept Russell off strike for the last over.
Paul’s execution was perfect, and though Russell battered a Hero Maximum onto the roof to bring up his 50, the proverbial Fat Lady was already holding the microphone.
Both sides will be wondering what happened after 39.1 overs of logic-defying cricket. Warriors will play the Tridents today: Sunday, August 23 at 14:15h.