There is an old saying that “there is a first time for everything.” This is certainly true as the St. Lucia Zouks prepare for their first ever playoff clash in the history of the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL). Their opponents, the reigning champions Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) and the venue is Warner Park in Basseterre St. Kitts and Nevis for play off 2 from 19:00h.
Prior to this edition, of the CPL the Zouks has never managed to progress to the second stage of the tournament. They finished last in the inaugural version and fifth in the next two, however, this year has seen a change in that trend as they ended the first stage in third place and thus booked their place in the playoffs.
Since the commencement of CPL the Zouks has always fielded strong teams but has failed to deliver due to poor execution and
Johnson CharlesColin MunroBrendon McCullum
inconsistency. However, this time around Darren Sammy and his troops have gotten it right.
They have silenced the critics with some outstanding display of competitive and strategic plays which have contributed to their progression to the playoffs. In their unit is West Indies 50 over and T20 opening batsman, Johnson Charles, who is still developing as a player but is currently the leading run scorer in this year’s tournament.
To date Charles has been severe on most of the opposition bowlers exhibiting an array of shots to provide the Zouks with the starts they need. His aggressive approach has enabled him 410 runs inclusive of four fifties. Charles along with Andre Fletcher and Shane Watson, who are both tied on the runs chart in sixth position with 283 runs have also done a remarkable job with the bat, especially at the top of the innings. They have provided important starts for the innings to flourish at the back end which is no problem for Michael Hussey and Darren Sammy as well as David Miller, Grant Elliot and Kyle Mayers to some extent. The team possesses a very strong batting department which settled until their fifth game of the season but has since earned five wins in their last six matches.
Their bowlers have also found rhythm and have complemented their batsmen in all of the team’s victories. Retired Test bowler, Jerome Taylor, has led the way since replacing Miguel Cummings in the lineup and he has received invaluable support from the rest of the bowlers especially left arm seamer Delorn Johnson.
The Zouks collective performance has been outstanding but they must overcome any threats by TKR, who has beaten them in four out of
Shane Watson
six encounters, including the last time they met.
TKR is a strong unit, one of the tournament’s top and most consistent team and they would not be any easy opponents to get past. They have big game temperament and know how to win when it matters. They also possess a strong batting line up comprising, Hashim Amla, Colin Munro, Brendo McCullum, Dwayne Bravo, Denesh Ramdin and Umar Akmal. Amal and Munro are TKR’s leading batsmen this season but it was Akmal’s spectacular which dismantled Zouks’ bowlers in the last clash between the two sides. McCullums is known for his explosive batting but has not been reliable in this tournament. If he performs in tonight’s game then it would be a surplus to his team’s batting.
Once again Sunil Narine will lead a bowling department which includes Kevon Cooper, Ronsford Beaton, Anton Devcich, Nikita Miller/ Sulieman Benn and Bravo. These bowlers bowled well in their team’s final playoff match against the St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots and will have to do the same or even better if they should win against the Zouks.
At Warner Park both teams have managed two wins from five matches and would be aiming to improve those statistics, however, there can only be one winner, the team that makes fewer or no mistakes during the match.
It is common for an individual or a group to get tense when doing something for the first time or in a new place, environment or other. However, this is sport and that exciting feeling must be overcome by the Zouks as early as they enter the field or TKR would use their experience to demolish them.
Trinbago Knight Riders squad reads; Dwayne Bravo (captain), Brendon McCullum, Sunil Narine, Hashim Amla, Umar Akmal, Kevon Copper, Sulieman Benn, Colin Munro, Anton Devcich, Ronsford Beaton, Nikita Miller, Dinesh Ramdin, Yannic Cariah, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Hamza Tariq.
St. Lucia Zouks squad reads; Darren Sammy (captain), Shane Watson, David Miller, Michael Hussey, Johnson Charles, Andre Fletcher, Morne Morkel, Derone Davis, Grant Elliott, Shane Shillingford, Delorn Johnson, Kyle Mayers, Keddy Lesporis, Nitish Kumar and Gidron Pope, Jerome Taylor.
