Amazon Warriors hunting third win against Zouks today
… Ahead of clash with Jamaica Tallawahs tomorrow

GUYANA’S franchise team in this year’s Limacol Caribbean Premier League, the Amazon Warriors, will be looking to make it three out of three, when they go up against St Lucia Zouks from 16:00hrs today, in the seventh match of this year’s tournament at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence.

This match will precede their all-important and most-talked-about clash against defending champions and the team which defeated them to take the inaugural title last year – Christopher Gayle-led Jamaica Tallawahs – tomorrow the same venue, same time.
However, for today’s clash, the Denesh Ramdin-led Amazon Warriors lineup will be looking to improve in certain areas, in order to enter tomorrow’s encounter brimming with confidence, even though they scored back-to-back wins over Antigua Hawksbills and Red Steel.
The Warriors line-up is boosted with four Trinidadians which could be the difference but despite that, it is expected that these two franchises will continue the tradition of intense rivalry as was the case when they met in last year’s tournament.
The question which will be asked by all and sundry is: ‘Will the mystery surrounding Sunil Narine be solved by the Darren Sammy-led Zouks lineup?’ since the Red Steel were melted away by him in a Super Over contest last Thursday night.
Narine – not unexpectedly – is the most potent weapon against any team in this format of the game and the fact that he himself has admitted it is strange batsmen around the world are not picking him, underlines his and the Amazon Warriors’ superiority for today’s contest and tomorrow’s.
Time and time again, whether it is for Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies, Kolkata Knight Riders or Amazon Warriors, Narine has come in at various stages of an innings and has invariably delivered every single time – both through penetration and economy.
He is the undisputed leader of the bowling pack, but around him is a group of exceptionally driven and gifted individuals, who are stars in their own right, so no matter what total their batsmen put up, they have the resources to successfully defend, once used correctly.
The local team’s fast bowling artillery consists of debutant Ronsford Beaton, New Zealand’s James Neesham, Jamaican Krishmar Santokie, along with the seam bowling trio of Christopher Barnwell, Lendl Simmons and Navin Stewart, with Pakistan’s Mohammed Hafeez lending invaluable support to Narine in the spin department.
Left-arm spinner Veerasammy Permaul, off-spinners Mohammed Hafeez and Steven Jacobs are expected to play key roles in support to Narine, even as the Amazon Warriors’ batting strength is formidable, with seven players from the squad with international game experience.
In Sammy, the Zouks has a leader who never says die irrespective of the situation as he always believes in himself and his teammates until the final ball is bowled and with reputable players of the calibre of Roelofven Der Merwe, Brad Hodge, Shane Shillingford and Andre Fletcher, anything is possible.
They were the bottom-placed team in last year’s tournament and certainly will be looking to improve their performance in this year’s championship, with Sammy receiving support from the above-mentioned players, along with Sohail Tanvir, Liam Sebastien and Gary Mathurin.
While England’s Test discard Kevin Pietersen is yet to make an appearance for the Zouks this year, when he does, he will be the biggest factor for the team in this year’s tournament. Hence it is good for them to accumulate as many points as possible now, so with his inclusion they can push for a final-four spot.
They are yet to chalk up a win in this year’s edition, having gone under to the Tallawahs in their first game, with Gayle etching his name in the record books with the first LCPL ton – an unbeaten 111 scored off 63 balls with 10 sixes and five fours.
Meanwhile, the Tallawahs, like their opponents for tomorrow’s game the Amazon Warriors, are leading the points table with four points from two matches, making tomorrow’s encounter all the more exciting in keeping with the Carnival-like atmosphere for the tournament.
The Gayle versus Narine challenge is a must-see, while many will be looking to see how Jermaine Blackwood, who has been in tremendous form in other formats of the game this year, compete against the wiles of Hafeez along with the swing and deceptions of Santokie.
The teams for today and tomorrow’s matches will come from:
Guyana Amazon Warriors squad: Denesh Ramdin (captain), Sunil Narine, Robin Bacchus, Christopher Barnwell, Ronsford Beaton, Trevon Griffith, Martin Guptill, Steven Jacobs, Leon Johnson, Mohammad Hafeez, James Neesham, Veerasammy Permaul, Krishmar Santokie, Lendl Simmons and Navin Stewart.
St Lucia Zouks: Darren Sammy (captain), Tino Best, Sunil Ambris, Henry Davids, Johnson Charles, Andre Fletcher, Keddy Lesporis, Mervin Matthew, Gary Mathurin, Liam Sebastien, Shane Shillingford, Sohail Tanvir, Roelofven Der Merwe, Tonito Willet and Brad Hodge.
Jamaica Tallawahs from: Chris Gayle (captain), Carlton Baugh, David Bernard, Jermaine Blackwood, Nkrumah Bonner, Odean Browne, Nikita Miller, Andrew Richardson, Andre Russell, Owais Shah, Jerome Taylor, Rusty Theron, Daniel Vettori, Adam Voges, Chadwick Walton and Ahmed Shehzad.

(By Calvin Roberts)