Guyana Amazon Warriors extended St Kitts and Nevis Patriots’s misery, thrashing them by 98 runs here Saturday to keep them winless in the CPL2023.
After recovering from a perilous position of 54 for 4 to reach a healthy 186 for six from their 20 overs, Amazon Warriors then ruthlessly dismantled Patriots for 88 all out in the 18th over, leaving the franchise’s campaign in crisis.
Patriots have now lost five of their seven games to sit rock bottom of the six-team table on two points, needing a miracle to qualify for the play-offs.
Unbeaten Amazon Warriors, meanwhile, moved to the top of the league on seven points following their third win in four games, with their home leg yet to be played.
Sent in at Kensington Oval, Amazon Warriors suffered a top-order collapse despite opener Saim Ayub’s 13-ball 21, and needed a late order revival in order to reach their eventual total.
It was led by in form Keemo Paul who belted an unbeaten 41 from 31 balls with a four and three sixes, and Shimron Hetmyer who struck 36 from 22 deliveries, also with a four and three sixes.
The pair put on 57 for the fifth wicket, and when the left-handed Hetmyer skied a return catch to left-arm seamer Dominic Drakes in the 14th over, Paul put on a further 48 for the sixth wicket with Dwaine Pretorius who blasted a 20-ball 27 with two fours and a six.
However, it was all-rounder Romario Shepherd who provided the finishing touches to the innings, his seven-ball unbeaten 26 — with a four and two sixes — inspiring a 27-run, unbroken, seventh-wicket partnership with Paul.
In reply, Patriots collapsed to 25 for four in the fourth over and never recovered, Corbin Bosch the only player to pass 15 with a run-a-ball 27.
Man of the Match Pretorius returned with the ball to destroy the innings with a new-ball spell of three for 17 while left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie claimed two for 15.
Pretorious struck with his first delivery in the second over, getting Andre Fletcher (11) to hole out to long before returning to knock over both Will Smeed (2) and Sherfane Rutherford (2) in the fourth over, after pacer Shepherd had removed captain and opener Evin Lewis for seven to a catch at the wicket in the previous over.
After the match, Imran Tahir thanked the supporters who came to the field.
“I wanna thank everyone who came out and support us, I want to thank the Guyana crowd, that’s how you want to play cricket. It is very satisfying, Dwaine and Shefie gave us a very good start, that’s a captain’s dream.” he said
” I am very happy the way we have been bowling. I think we need to be little aware, we have been losing wickets upfront every game. I want our top order to step up and get some runs. It’s a pleasure. Captaincy is a new role for me, I am lucky to get a good team. We enjoy each other’s success and that’s the most satisfying thing for me.” he added