Clash of contrasts: Amazon Warriors, St Lucia Zouks lock horns today

By Brandon Corlette

Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) are table leaders of the 2019 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) while St Lucia Zouks are at the bottom of the table.

A clash of contrasts awaits these teams at the Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St Lucia today, Wednesday, September 25 from 18:00h.
The GAW became the first team to qualify for the play-offs this season and this match may be fitting for them to test their bench strength. After their latest win, which came against Barbados Tridents, Head Coach Johan Botha made it evident that the GAW would be maintaining their same aim of winning all the matches.
Coming up against the energetic Zouks, GAW had last visited the Darren Sammy Stadium in 2018 and lost by six wickets. In that fixture, GAW scored 140-9 in their 20 overs, batting first and Zouks replied with 141-4.
Andre Fletcher, who had a quiet 2019 season, was the player of the match the last time GAW visited St Lucia. However, GAW enjoy a 4-1 advantage over the Zouks in their last five outings in CPL.

GAW star-studded batsmen
This time around, the GAW batsmen have been in sublime form and the Zouks bowlers will have to be wary. Brandon King leads the batting charts for GAW after six matches with 194 runs to his name. The Jamaican dasher at the top of the order has two fifties and three 40-plus scores thus far.
With Chandrapaul Hemraj, who has 158 runs, returning to his 2018 CPL franchise, he will be aiming to continue his fair season with the bat. The middle order for the GAW is rock solid and filled with flair. Shimron Hetmyer, who has not been at his dominant best, will be seeking to add more to his 150 runs this season.
The calmness of Shoaib Malik, who has 150 runs this season, brings that stability while the lower middle-order in Nicholas Pooran, Sherfane Rutherford and Chris Green has not been getting much opportunity with the bat, but they have shown their capable credentials in the past.

Zouks still in search of star
For the St Lucia Zouks, they have not had a star player who stood out on a consistent basis. Rahkeem Cornwall has 165 runs, but only one score above 50 in six outings. The latest addition to the team, Colin Ingram may fill that void with the bat, as he showed signs with a brilliant 52 on his return to the CPL.
Obed McCoy, who has had his fair bit of injuries in the past, has been somewhat a stand-out bowler for the Zouks with nine wickets this season. Fawad Ahmed, who has six wickets in five matches, has not delivered to his potential for the Zouks. The Zouks have some big names in Sammy, Colin De Grandhomme, Fletcher and Kesrick Williams, who will be looking to step up to the plate.

Spinners leading the way for GAW
An important reason for the GAW success this season is the brilliance of the spinners. Chris Green, who had a Player-of-the-Match performance against the Zouks earlier this season in the 13-run win, has 10 wickets this season.
Imran Tahir has been at his best with six wickets in three matches while Qais Ahmed (5) and Malik have been brilliant and economical with the ball. With spin being the trend in the CPL, Zouks batsmen will have to be cautious in the face of the GAW spin arsenal.
Rain has been playing a role in St Lucia, as with the first match in St Lucia this season, which saw Tridents defeating the Zouks, the surface looked an all-or-nothing pitch. With good weather, batsmen will enjoy playing their strokes as the fast bowlers will have something to work with.