Tridents & Zouks in uphill battle

ꟷ teams evenly matched

The Caribbean Premier League 2019 Tournament may seem to have been ongoing for a long time, and while some teams have played a lot more matches than others, the Barbados Tridents, which have so far played just three matches, have a busy couple of weeks ahead of them.

They are going to be taking on the St. Lucia Zouks as both sides try to move up the points table. The fight for the third spot looks likely to be close, as both contending teams are right in the thick of things. St. Lucia Zouks vs the Barbados Tridents in CPL 2019 is going to be played at the Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St. Lucia today, September 20, and it is therefore apposite to examine both teams.

St Lucia Zouks
A very poor batting performance in their most recent match let the St. Lucia Zouks down. Batting first, the Zouks could manage only 138 against a decent St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots side. Considering the scores that have been registered in CPL 2019, a mere 138 was never going to be enough, and the Zouks ended up conceding that total in less than 15 overs.
After that match, the Zouks will hope for a resurgence in their fortunes playing at home. They will be looking to Rahkeem Cornwall and Andre Fletcher to provide them with the blistering start to which they have become accustomed, and both these batsmen play high-risk cricket, which is very exciting to watch. They are either going to score at a phenomenal rate or they are going to get out in the first few overs of the game.
The Barbados Tridents have some exciting spinners in their ranks, and it would not be surprising to see one of them take up the new ball; but the St. Lucia Zouks have some good all-rounders in their middle order, although their overall batting appears to be a bit thin.
Colin de Grandhomme, Thisara Perera and Darren Sammy provide depth to the lineup, but it would be disappointing to see them come in to bat early. The role of Kavem Hodge and Roland Cato in the top order is therefore crucial. The St. Lucia Zouks’ bowling lineup is quite good. Fawad Ahmed has so far been brilliant in CPL 2019, and he is going to be the biggest threat to the Barbados Tridents. Obed McCoy, Kesrick Williams, Hardus Viljoen, and Rakheem Cornwall give the Zouks plenty of good bowling options from which to choose.

Barbados Tridents
The Barbados Tridents are likely to be without Englishman Alex Hales for this match, as he returns to Nottinghamshire to participate in the T20 Blast Finals Day. Which team Hales is going to be playing for is unclear, but he is very unlikely to remain for the CPL 2019.
The loss of their best batsman is going to hit the Tridents hard, but they still have Johnson Charles, JP Duminy and the impressive Leniko Boucher to call upon, although replacing Hales is not easy. Jason Holder and Jonathan Carter will each probably have to play a larger role in the batting.
The depth of the Tridents’ batting lineup is also considered shallow, and a lot will depend on how JP Duminy fares. Ashley Nurse was the highest scorer for the Barbados Tridents in the previous match, and he actually helped them achieve a somewhat respectable total, but that is not a situation the Tridents would want to have repeated.
Jason Holder, Sandeep Lamichhane, and Hayden Walsh were the best bowlers for the Barbados Tridents in the previous match, and seeing Lamichhane against some of the St. Lucia big-hitters is an interesting prospect, as his four overs could be crucial to the outcome of the match.
The Barbados Tridents are considered to be looking a bit thin on talent and a bit too dependent on Duminy. Not having Hales could severely diminish the prospects of the team, and make it difficult for them to compete.

Pitch and conditions
In this highly anticipated match-up, there is a 20% chance of rain intervening on match day, but getting a full match is highly likely. The pitch at this Darren Sammy Stadium has been quite lively of recent. There is a good amount of pace in the wicket, and that should translate to plenty of runs being scored. The spinners are probably going to have to work harder here for their wickets than at any other venue in the CPL.
It is expected that the team that wins the toss is going to want to bat first and take advantage of the batting conditions.