Guyana Amazon Warriors and Red Steel clash tonight at Providence Stadium

FOLLOWING their nail-biting two-wicket first round win over Antigua Hawksbills last week Friday, 2013 Limacol Caribbean Premier League runners-up Guyana Amazon Warriors will tonight go head-to-head with their nemesis Red Steel from 19.30hrs at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.The home team, since their arrival back home from Grenada, last Sunday, have been hard at practice for this encounter under the watchful eyes of head coach Roger Harper, his assistant Orin Bailey and even the team’s mentor in Sir Curtly Ambrose at the venue for tonight’s contest.
The home team will be led by recently appointed captain of the West Indies Test team in Denesh Ramdin, with the batting lineup featuring such players as explosive opener Lendl Simmons, Martin Guptil, Mohammed Hafeez, Jimmy Neesham and Christopher Barnwell, who have all had international experience for the West Indies, New Zealand and Pakistan.
Other batsmen of the calibre of Trevon Griffith, who on his day can be an explosive opener as well, Leon Johnson, who is known to always have a level-headed approach to the game, Steven Jacobs, Robin Bacchus and Navin Stewart, who can also chip in heavily with the bat once selected for the final 11, with Krishmar Santokie, Veerasammy Permaul, Sunil Narine and Ronsford Beaton also weighing in.
Narine, who continues to be a mystery to batsman all around the world, with definitely lead the Amazon Warriors bowling attack against a side that should be able to read him, with Santokie, Beaton, Stewart, Barnwell and Neesham providing support as well as Simmons, who bowls a tidy line and length as a medium pacer.
However, the Red Steel, who lost two out of three games to the Amazon Warriors last year, including the opening fixture at the same venue for tonight’s contest, should be looking to redeem themselves this time around, especially after having a confidence-boosting first-round win over Barbados Tridents last Saturday.
If many can recall, the Kieron Pollard-led Tridents were the first team to qualify for the semifinals, after winning their first four matches at home before being stopped by the Guyana Amazon Warriors – a loss that created a slide as they never won another game after that, including their semifinal fixture.
Energetic West Indies all-rounder and ODI skipper Dwayne Bravo will lead the Red Steel’s attack, with the batting being centred around Nasir Jamshed, Ross Taylor, Bravo’s younger brother Darren, the hard-hitting Nicholas Pooran, Kevin O’Brien, Jason Mohammed and all-rounder Kevon Cooper.
The elder Bravo will also lend support with the bat, while he will be contributing heavily with the ball, alongside Fidel Edwards, Delorn Johnson, Shannon Gabriel, O’Brien, Cooper, Mohammed, Sulieman Benn and the other mystery spinner from the Twin Island Republic, Samuel Badree.
At the venue yesterday, workmen were putting in the final touches in order to ensure the various sponsors of this year’s tournament get maximum mileage through branding rights, even as both teams underwent fine-tuning in sweltering heat.
In another CPL encounter today, Antigua Hawksbills clash with the Jamaica Tallawahs at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua at 15.30 hrs.
The final 11 for both teams will come from Guyana Amazon Warriors: Denesh Ramdin (captain), Martin Guptil, Lendl Simmons, Christopher Barnwell, Trevon Griffith, Steven Jacobs, Robin Bacchus, Leon Johnson, Ronsford Beaton, Mohammed Hafeez, James Neesham, Veerasammy Permaul, Krishmar Santokie, Sunil Narine and Navin Stewart.
Red Steel: Dwayne Bravo (captain), Ross Taylor, Nasir Jamshed, Suleiman Benn, Fidel Edwards, Nicholas Pooran, Darren Bravo, Samuel Badree, Shannon Gabriel, Evin Lewis, Kenar Lewis, Delorn Johnson, Kevin Cooper, Kevin O’Brien and Jason Mohammed.

(By Calvin Roberts)