Barbados Royals and Jamaica Tallawahs will be taking on each other in the final of the CPL 2022 in Guyana National Stadium, Providence tonight.
The Royals defeated Guyana Amazon Warriors in Qualifier 1 and marched into the final of the tournament.
The Jamaica Tallawahs first clinched a win against Saint Lucia Kings in the Eliminator match and then defeated Guyana in Qualifier 2 to march ahead.
Barbados Royals are placed at the top spot in the Men’s Caribbean Premier League 2022 points table with 8 wins and 2 losses from their 10 matches of the league. The team has 16 points.
Jason Holder has been the best bowler for Barbados Royals and has picked up 16 wickets while bowling at an average of 15 and an economy rate of 7.06.
Kyle Mayers is the top run-scorer for Barbados Royals with 337 runs at a strike rate of 133. He has struck 21 sixes and 34 fours.
He Attends the pre-match media conference Before the Big Match and he said,
“I look forward to big games, like tomorrow’s. I am always one of those players who want to do well for the team, especially when it comes to championships time,”
“I always believe I am one of those players who can win a game for my team so I am looking forward.”
“Since I came to Guyana, I haven’t been getting the scores I like but I look forward to tomorrow. It’s a different challenge, a different mindset. A trophy is on the line and I am happy to be able to contribute tomorrow if given the opportunity.”
On the Other Hand, Brandon King is the top run-scorer for Jamaica Tallawahs with 339 runs at a strike rate of 129. He has struck 16 sixes and 32 fours. Rovman Powell has also made 267 runs at a strike rate of 124.
Mohammad Amir has been the best bowler for Jamaica Tallawahs and has picked up 16 wickets while bowling at an average of 15 and an economy rate of 6.44.
Winning it would be really special, Powell said.
“It would mean the world to me. The past two seasons that I have captained the team, it hasn’t gone well for the franchise, so now for us to be in the final, for me to captain the team to the final and. maybe, a CPL championship would go well for me personally and go well for the franchise,” Powell said at the pre-final media conference.
“The Tallawahs hasn’t tasted victory for a few years,” he said of the franchise that last won the title in 2016. “We have sat down and said we are a better franchise than that; so hopefully, given the opportunity tomorrow (today) we will do our best to change that.”
Powell said the team is upbeat but taking it relatively easy on the eve of the final in preparation for the big game tonight.
“The guys are feeling really upbeat. Barbados are a very strong team, possibly the best team in the CPL so far, so the guys are upbeat about facing the challenge,” Powell said.
“The guys are looking forward to the championships. Today (yesterday) is a day when we just take it easy in a sense.
“We just came back down off the high of the game last night, put in a little bit of preparation, get in a little bit of rest and hopefully things go well tomorrow (today).”
Team news
Royals will likely field an unchanged XI in the final although they have South African seam-bowling allrounder, Corbin Bosch on the bench.
Barbados Royals (probable): 1 Kyle Mayers (capt), 2 Rahkeem Cornwall, 3 Harry Tector, 4 Azam Khan, 5 Najibullah Zadran, 6 Devon Thomas (wk), 7 Jason Holder, 8 Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 9 Obed McCoy, 10 Hayden Walsh Jr, 11 Ramon Simmonds
Amir suffered a groin injury during the second qualifier and bowled only 11 balls. If he doesn’t recover in time, Tallawahs might consider bringing in South African quick Migael Pretorius.
Jamaica Tallawahs (probable): 1 Brandon King, 2 Kennar Lewis (wk), 3 Shamarh Brooks, 4 Rovman Powell (capt), 5 Imad Wasim, 6 Fabian Allen, 7 Raymon Reifer, 8 Mohammad Nabi, 9 Chris Green, 10 Nicholson Gordon, 11 Mohammad Amir/Migael Pretorius
SQUADS:
Jamaica Tallawahs: Brandon King, Kennar Lewis(w), Shamarh Brooks, Rovman Powell(c), Raymon Reifer, Fabian Allen, Mohammad Nabi, Imad Wasim, Chris Green, Nicholson Gordon, Mohammad Amir, Migael Pretorius, Sandeep Lamichhane, Shamar Springer, Amir Jangoo, Joshua James, Kirk McKenzie, Jamie Merchant
Barbados Royals: Rahkeem Cornwall, Kyle Mayers(c), Harry Tector, Azam Khan, Najibullah Zadran, Jason Holder, Devon Thomas(w), Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Obed McCoy, Hayden Walsh, Ramon Simmonds, Teddy Bishop, Joshua Bishop, Nyeem Young, Oshane Thomas, Corbin Bosch, Justin Greaves