It was an exciting pairing for the first game of the season. Fireworks flew to entertain empty stands and fans at home, as the Trinbago Knight Riders got the better of the Guyana Amazon Warriors to pick up their first two points of the 2020 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) season.
The Guyana Amazon Warriors celebrate a wicket (CPL vis Getty Images)
Having been made to wait for months before T20 cricket could restart, owing to the coronavirus pandemic, fans were quite alarmed when the most unwelcome showers visited the Brian Lara Stadium at Tarouba in Trinidad and Tobago. But following an hour and a half of rain delay, the highly anticipated action was finally able to get underway with overs reduced to 17.
The Warriors got off to a rocky start, losing both opening batsmen within the first two overs of play — a drastic difference from their solid innings at the top in 2019. While King and Hemraj walked back to the dugout with naught and 3 runs respectively, the Berbician Shimron Hetmyer struck up a meaningful partnership with Ross Taylor, and they put 50 runs on the board.
Het-fire!
Having been away from cricket for so long, some might have expected a lacklustre performance from these players, as even a tin soldier has to lubricate his joints. But the 23-year-old Hetmyer defied those expectations as he exhibited the authority and control that made him look like a completely different player.
Shimron Hetmyer was classy with his shot selection, as he scored 63 (CPL vis Getty Images)
In an obvious case of talent rediscovered, the Guyanese batsman paid keen attention to his shot selection, and exhibited amazing patience. In his newfound maturity, he often varied his shots over cover and mid-wicket, making it hard to predict his selection.
And he took every opportunity to run between the wickets, keeping the scorecard ticking at all times. The proof was in the pudding for the left- hand batsman, as the majority of his score of 63 comprised singles and doubles between the stumps; having only dispatched 2 fours and 2 sixes.
Hetmyer got on with ease as Ross Taylor played the up-tempo role at the other end. Also hitting 2 fours and 2 sixes, Taylor reached 33 in 21 balls, before he was clean bowled by Sunil Narine.
Sunil Narine was the superstar for the Knight Riders (CPL vis Getty Images)
The Warriors had nothing to fear with a talent like Nicholas Pooran walking in and Hetmyer set at the other end. A brief explosion by Nicholas Pooran (18 from 16) got them past the 100 mark before he was ousted by debutant Jayden Seales’ bowling.
Hetmyer, however, persevered as he showcased exceptional shot selection and rotated the strike with Keemo Paul, after Sherfane Rutherford had fallen for a duck. Paul’s role in the innings was commendable, as he sought to connect with every delivery for at least a single. Thus the Guyanese pair held firm to get the Warriors to 144-5.
Spin it to win it?
Cricket commentators, journalists, and enthusiasts alike, looking at the set-up of CPL 2020, agreed on one fact: that spin would play a major role in almost every game. The first encounter of the season reinforced this conviction as the Trinbago Knight Riders opted for three spinners in their victory.
Rain delayed the first game for more than an hour (CPL vis Getty Images)
Sikandar Raza, Sunil Narine and Fawad Ahmed all maintained a healthy economy, and were the least ‘attacked’ group of the bowlers. Narine was, of course, the pick of the bowlers with 2-19 off his four overs.
The Warriors, conversely, opted for two spinners in skipper Chris Green and Imran Tahir. Tahir picked up two wickets in his four overs. While there was no conclusive evidence that pace of spin was the superior option during the first game, the arsenal of an extra spinner did the trick for the Knight Riders.
Super Narine
As had obtained in the Warriors innings, the Knight Riders struggled to find their rhythm in the initial overs of their chase.
All players, officials and staff took a knee prior to the beginning of the game (CPL vis Getty Images)
Lendl Simmons stayed true to his form, going after the bowling at the earliest possible time; however, he was dismissed for 17, leaving Sunil Narine to anchor the innings.
This task proved to be no trouble for the opener, who first unleashed his batting talents at the top of the order for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL.
At a strike rate of 178.57, Narine was Mr. 360 for the time, hitting 4 sixes and 2 fours around the ground.
Alongside Bravo, after Colin Munro was sent back to the dugout by Romario Shepherd, Narine let loose on the Warriors bowlers to propel the home team and contribute to the majority of the partnership before being given two chances to stay at the crease.
The turn of the game came when Brandon King spilled a Sunil Narine wicket in Tahir’s second over, but all was not lost for the Warriors, as Keemo Paul held on to a catch two balls later to end Narine’s innings of 50 off 28.
King, however, redeemed himself in the next Tahir over, scooping up a catch to dismiss Pollard.
Coupled with his exceptional bowling performance, with an economy of 4.75, Narine was later adjudged the man of the match for a superb all-round performance.
On his performance Narine stated, “Getting Taylor’s wicket was key while bowling. Batting got easier as the day went. They bowled well, but I just continued trying to stay as still as possible. It’s a good win, although it got close.”
Thriller
Following Pollard’s exit, it all boiled down to a last over thriller, with the Knight Riders requiring 5 to win. CPL debutant Naveen Ul-Haq who the shining star among the Warriors attack, bowling quality for his money in the final over to restrict the Bravo brothers to singles in the first few balls.
The Warriors saw a glimmer of hope when Hetmyer took a diving catch to dismiss Darren, but it didn’t shake the spirits of the Champion DJ, who dispatched a boundary to bag his team’s first win.
The Guyana Amazon Warriors take on the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots at 5.30pm at the same venue. However, the Jamaica Tallawahs and the St Lucia Zouks will battle at 9.00am.
Without a doubt, it was a disappointment for new captain Chris Green, but he remained positive about the rest of the season, stating, “It was going to be tough beating 11 wins in a row from last year. Was a tough game, and first game in a long time. So, given the start, losing two early wickets, I think Taylor and Hetmyer batted really well. We thought 140 would be a good score. We spoke about holding that length, and when we went away from that, we got hurt. Plenty of room for improvement.”
On the other hand, Pollard shared, “Any competition, you want to start well. A little scratchy and scrappy, but good to get over the line. We needed to play a good game of cricket, and it was a good game of cricket. Points on the board at the start.”
