Flawless Amazon Warriors aiming to extend dominance against Tridents

By Brandon Corlette

Having achieved the rare feat of winning five matches in a row, the Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) will be seeking to extend this unbeaten streak when they clash with the Barbados Tridents tomorrow (Sunday September 22) at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados from 18:00 hours local time.

The GAW have been led by the courageous captain Shoaib Malik, who has 146 runs in three matches, while Shimron Hetmyer, who had a breakthrough year in the 2018 Hero Caribbean Premier League, has 148 runs — the most for the GAW.
The GAW and the Tridents have battled in 12 contests in the history of CPL, with the GAW winning eight of those matches to the Tridents’ four –which importantly includes a win over Guyana in the final of the 2014 CPL.
This season, the GAW have looked hungrier for the title, and have displayed dominance. Tridents have felt the wrath of the Warriors earlier in the season, when GAW inflicted a 47-run defeat on the Tridents at Providence.

A huge positive for the GAW this season has been their young local players stepping to the forefront to register meaningful performances.
Chandrapaul Hemraj, who has 132 runs, and Romario Shepherd has led from the front in the first few matches. The trio: Shimron Hetmyer, Keemo Paul and Sherfane Rutherford, have simply continued from where the left off in CPL 2018. The trio enjoyed success at the Indian Premier League, and have played integral roles in the GAW’s five wins thus far.

Shepherd has seven wickets in four matches. He displayed the art of death bowling with the use of accurate Yorkers. Paul has been coming into his own, picking up wickets with ease; he has seven wickets in five matches thus far. Rutherford, who is usually tasked with the job of finishing off the innings with the bat for GAW, has been perfecting his role when given his opportunity. In his three innings, he has a stellar strike rate of 211, with a high score of 32 not out.
Meanwhile, the overseas and regional boys have been contributing significantly to the GAW cause. Malik has led the way as captain, while Brandon King and Nicholas Pooran have shown their worth with the bat. King has 143 runs, while Pooran is one run shy of a century in his four innings. Spin trio Imran Tahir, Qais Ahmed and Chris Green are simply the best spinners in the tournament, turning matches in GAW’s favour.
Opposing team Tridents looked a formidable unit on paper, but have failed to make a big impact in their few matches. Starting their home leg, the Tridents will be looking to turn things around when they meet the GAW at Kensington Oval.
GAW enjoy a 3-1 win in CPL matches played at this venue. The Jason Holder-led team includes top guns in Alex Hales, JP Duminy, and world class young leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane, among other local stars.
In their three matches thus far, Duminy has scored 94 runs, while the rookie Leniko Boucher has 93 runs. Holder has led with the ball, with his five wickets in as many matches. Hales will be aiming to make a significant score at the Oval, where he scored an ODI century for England against the West Indies.