At 15 overs into their innings, when in pursuit of 139, the St Lucia Kings were struggling at 73-4, with the required run-rate mounting to 13.20 runs needed per over.
The pair of Roston Chase and Aaron Jones were at the crease when they received a message from Kings’ head coach Daren Sammy that they should start hitting out.
Kevin Sinclair believes the Warriors lost it in the back end of their bowling
It was at that moment that the duo turned the tide of the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (RBLCPL) 2024 final, dispatching Moeen Ali and later Dwaine Pretorius to all parts of the ground to shave off 47 of the required 66 runs in just two overs.
Following the game, the disappointment for the then defending champions Guyana Amazon Warriors lingered like a miasma in the air, affecting not only Guyana’s most prized and respected cricketers, but deflating their horde of adoring fans who would gladly have given an arm and a leg to change the results of that encounter.
According to GAW all-rounder Kevin Sinclair, the GAW total of 138 was still a fighting one. Sinclair said about the GAW’s intentions with the bat and subsequent total, “…not really! Just to bat and put up a good score. I think that total that we put up there was a fighting total, and you could’ve seen that we actually (came) out and (got) ourselves back into the game in terms of picking up early wickets and putting pressure back on them. Just the over there, where they got their momentum, and they just went off…”
According to the all- rounder who hails from Berbice, motivation was not lacking as the Amazon Warriors went out to defend the total.
The Guyana Amazon Warriors unfortunately came up short in this year’s CPL final
“Imran Tahir always on us in terms of being on top of the game all the time! He told us rather (to) put the ball in the right areas, back up, and keep bowling ball after ball like it’s your last ball. I think he motivated us going into the second half, and it’s just that we lose it in the end there, man,” the all-rounder reflected.
In dissecting the final five overs served up by the Warriors, Sinclair noted that they strayed from the plan for a bit.
“I think, for me, we didn’t hit the straps! We had a good bowling meeting, we did fairly well; (but) coming down to the back end, we lose it a bit. So, I think we strayed away from the plan a bit; and you know Roston Chase and Aaron Jones, they came and play well! Kudos to them! Just that we lose it a bit,” Sinclair explained.
As the Guyanese franchise fight to keep their spirits lifted, Sinclair has sent an endearing message to the thousands of fans who had supported the Warriors this season when he said: “We, as a team, we want to tell them (fans) thanks for their support. Over the years, they come out, despite the result they still come out and support us. For me, I want to say thanks to them in terms of their support; it was really good for the team.”
Expanding on his message, he said, “They really uplift us in terms of where we were in the tournament and how we come back and still put up a fight. It’s just a disappointing feeling for all of us. And for the fans, I should say, ‘Don’t be too disappointed; we came out, we (played) our hearts out, and we didn’t cross the line’.”
