Amazon Warriors vow to shine in front of home fans
…Guyanese fans always provide the oomph!!
The Guyana Amazon Warriors have certainly not had the start to their 2017 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) campaign, with three losses from as many matches. But based on T-20 contests in general and right her in the Hero CPL all is not lost Guyana can still qualify for the playoffs and even go on to win the tournament.
The experienced players such as captain Martin Guptil and Rayad Emrit will need to work together (CPL T20 via Getty Images)
Warriors’ fans should remember that Trinbago Knight Riders, formerly Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel, emerged champions in 2015 after recovering from winning one out of their first four games. And more recently, in the 2016 edition, the Stars, previously the St. Lucia Zouks, on the back of a remarkable revival midway through the tournament, recovered from three down out of four matches to close the first phase with six wins out of 10 matches and qualify for the playoffs.
While it is the worst start by the Warriors who are the most consistent team in the League overall, being three-time finalist in the five-year existence of the League, this is the first time they have opened away from Guyana so late in the season. Their vociferous home fans have always been an important factor in their wins as the proverbial “twelfth man” with their energy pushing the team to greater heights.
Speaking to several members of the team via telephone, they expressed confidence in their abilities and expect as a unit to improve as the tournament progresses. It is men who make their history, and if history has its way, then they could be one of the four teams qualifying for the playoffs.
At the end of the Warriors’ clash with Trinbago Knight Riders, which was a tough loss based on a questionable decision and too many dropped catches, they were placed fifth on the six-team points table, ahead of St. Lucia Stars.
Judging from their performances in the first three matches, the Warriors have not been dominated, but have been subdued by their counterparts at some key moments in all of their clashes, and have failed to recover afterwards. The coaching staff led by Roger Harper, have a big role to play especially in such circumstances. They must concoct the right chemistry in the team to get past this hurdle, in order to get on the positive side and gain momentum for the remainder of the League. They cannot allow the team to get too tense because of the unfortunate start.
At the moment, they must focus on getting to the winning path and maintain that course while they pay keen attention to results involving teams in the top four, as negative outcome for those teams could assist with their qualification eventually. As suggested home advantage would be pivotal in the upcoming matches, since four of them would be played at the Providence Stadium – stomping ground of the Warriors, and the place where they have won 70% of all matches played against opponents.
