MENTION T20 cricket around the Caribbean, and such names as Christopher Gayle, Sunil Narine, Krishmar Santokie and even our very own Ramnaresh Sarwan, Christopher Barnwell and Narsingh Deonarine would be called, even if it is being done argumentatively.

Beaming from their impressive 19-run victory over Trinidad and Tobago Red Steel in their first game of the inaugural Limacol Caribbean Premier League (LCPL) T20 championships at the Guyana National Stadium last Wednesday night, Guyana Amazon Warriors will be looking for their second win when they face Jamaica Tallawahs at the same venue tonight.
The abovementioned names, along with Pakistan’s T20 skipper Mohammed Hafeez and his teammate Ahmad Shehzad, James Franklyn and Martin Guptil of New Zealand, Lendl Simmons, Denesh Ramdin and William Perkins of Trinidad and Tobago, along with Jacques Rudolph, Danza Hyatt and Nikita Miller are expected to be on show for tonight’s game.
But what can cricket-loving fans in this Land of Many Waters expect tonight?
Probably fireworks from the very first ball, where it is expected that Santokie will be charging in to Gayle or Shehzad or South Africa’s 27-year-old fast-bowling sensation Vernon Philander coming down like an express train to either Simmons or Guptil.
Head coach of the Amazon Warriors, Roger Harper, said his squad is a balanced unit, one that can adopt to any conditions placed before them – a fact that was exemplified in their opening encounter against the Red Steel, where the bowlers stuck to their task to limit their opponents’ powerful batting lineup, to come away with the win, despite the efforts of 17-year-old Nicholas Pooran.
Nevertheless, unlike previous T20 tournaments in the Caribbean where one team would have the advantage over the other, the LCPL has seen all sides competing on a level playfield, hence the desire to win needs to be strong at all times, irrespective of the circumstances.
However, Harper and his assistant, former West Indies fast bowler Curtly Ambrose, would be hoping their middle-order batting lineup does not succumb easily tonight as they did against the Red Steel when they lost four quick wickets for 15 runs, following a positive start from Simmons and Guptil.
This means that Hafeez, Barnwell and Deonarine would need to put their hands up to be counted while both Simmons and Guptil should capitalise heavily on their positive starts, taking into consideration the opposition batting lineup that is certainly packed with firepower.
Sarwan and Franklyn certainly came to the party for the Amazon Warriors in the opening game, posting 49 runs during their unbroken sixth-wicket partnership, 21 of which came in the final over, bowled by Dwayne Bravo.
It meant that Narine, Santokie, Ramdin and Veerasammy Permaul, who completed the team’s starting XI for the opening contest, were not required to take guard, even though they are capable lower order batsmen in their own rights.
Santokie was adjudged Man-of-the-Match in the first game, since the adjudicators felt his opening burst and overall spell engineered the Red Steel’s feeble reply, even though Permaul snared 3 for 32, including the prized scalp of a dangerous-looking Pooran.
These two, along with Hafeez, Narine, Franklyn and Barnwell, are expected to continue in the same vein against the Tallawahs tonight, despite the presence of the hard-hitting Gayle, who will be complemented by Shehzad and Hyatt’s stroke play.
Chadwick Walton narrowly missed a ton – finishing unbeaten on 99 – when Guyana played Combined Campuses and Colleges in the West Indies Cricket Board Caribbean T20 tournament earlier this year, and, coupled with his recent form with the bat, should be brimming with confidence tonight.
Rudolph, Carlton Baugh Jr, Dave Bernard Jr, Nkrumah Bonner and Jermaine Blackwood will add depth to the Tallawah’s batting lineup, while their bowling will be led by spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan, who will get valuable support from Philander, Miller, Andrew Richardson, Akeem Dewar and even Rudolph who can chip in with his leg breaks/googlies.
The final XI for both teams will be chosen from Guyana Amazon Warriors: Ramnaresh Sarwan (captain), Sunil Narine, Mohammad Hafeez, Lendl Simmons, Denesh Ramdin, James Franklin, Christopher Barnwell, Krishmar Santokie, William Perkins, Steven Jacobs, Keon Joseph, Trevon Griffith, Narsingh Deonarine, Veerasammy Permaul and Martin Guptil.
Jamaica Tallawahs: Christopher Gayle (captain), Muttiah Muralitharan, Andrew Richardson, Ahmed Shehzad, Vernon Philander, Danza Hyatt, Carlton Baugh Jnr, Nikita Miller, Jacques Rudolph, Chadwick Walton, Dave Bernard Jr, Akeem Dewar, Jermaine Blackwood and Nkrumah Bonner.
The gates will be opened at 18:00hrs and the first ball is expected to be bowled at 20:00hrs.