THE Caribbean Premier League (CPL) has been known as the biggest party in sport since 2013. It gets cricket-crazy fans even crazier. I’m quite sure most of you here in Guyana can’t wait until the summer arrives, to deck out in your “Warriors” branded outfits and celebrate, whether win or lose.
In case you’re wondering, I am an early-teen boy who lives in Bartica and I enjoy cricket no matter the format (I mean I enjoy [it] even when I have to listen [to] it on the radio or read the report in the Chronicle newspaper).
I am very much elated to be a citizen of the country that is home to Guyana Amazon Warriors. The Amazon Warriors is one of the favourite teams in the CPL tournament. There are five other teams hailing from five other Caribbean nations that suit up annually for the “biggest party in sport”. Each participating team hosts at least 4 games called “home games”.
The tournament has the preliminary round and the playoffs which consists of four matches: the qualifier, eliminator 1, qualifier 2 and the much anticipated FINAL!!
The Guyana Amazon Warriors entered the final on three occasions (2013, 2014, 2016), but sadly, never held the CPL champion trophy.
Just in case you have not been following CPL from its birth, here are the previous champions:
2013 – Jamaica Tallawahs (Inaugural Champs)
2014 – Barbados Tridents
2015 – Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel
2016 – Jamaica Tallawahs
2017 – Trinbago Knight Riders (name changed when Bollywood Star, Shah Rukh Khan bought the franchise in 2016)
2018 – Here is where I’m starting to speak it into existence… GUYANA AMAZON WARRIORS!
Although the Warriors have never won a CPL title, they had some exceptional performances that deserve recognition, especially in the bowling unit.
Rashid Khan at age 18 became the first “Hat-trick Hero” in the history of CPL and the highlight of the 2017 season. He also became the youngest cricketer to take a hat-trick in any T20 league across the world.
Sohail Tanvir took 5-3, the tournament’s best ever bowling figures, in a must win game for the Warriors to keep their playoffs hope alive. With that performance he claimed the best economy rate in CPL history, 0.75
Over the past five seasons, the Warriors have been able to draft in some popular T20 Stars: Sunil Narine, Tilakaratne Dilshan, Lasith Malinga, Brad Hodge, Marchant de Lange, Sohail Tanvir, Babar Azam, Luke Ronchi, etc.
This year the Warriors’ selectors opted for more regional firepower. They have players with enough experience which might be able to lift that elusive trophy.
The 2018 team includes Tanvir, Chadwick Walton, Shoaib Malik, Rayad Emrit, Imran Tahir, Cameron Delport, Luke Ronchi, Veerasammy Permaul, Roshon Primus, Gajanand Singh, Shimron Hetmyer, Devendra Bishoo, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Keemo Paul, Saurabh Netravalkar and Akshya Persaud.
Here are some of my favourites to shine and will be capable of driving the team to victory this summer:
They increased their chances when they retained Luke Ronchi; the right-handed New Zealander scored 172 runs in four games, due to his late arrival to the 2017 tournament.
Shoaib Malik: He is one of the new faces to join the warriors. But he is one of the most experienced batsmen in the CPL, having featured in all CPL seasons thus far. The Pakistani may be a slow starter, but when he gets settled, he is a force to reckon with, especially when runs are needed.
Chadwick Walton: A key figure to Guyana’s batting department. The right handed Jamaican finished with the most runs last season (458). He has returned to represent Guyana Amazon Warriors at the 2018 season. The opener is well known for opening the game with a big shot and will surely do so at the “Biggest party in Sport”.
Imran Tahir: This veteran can be the most enthusiastic player on earth. He is well known for his style of running straight off the pitch, shouting and raising both arms in the air.
The fast-turning googlies at scorching lengths make him such a rapid wicket taker and will surely shine this season.
Sohail Tanvir: Well, I would have already mentioned him earlier. But his ability is definitely repeatable. The left-handed Pakistani is the Warriors most successful bowler for the past two seasons, with twenty wickets in 2016 and seventeen in 2017.
So these persons I believe are capable of shining for the Warriors this summer at the “Biggest party in Sport”. Let us hope that they live up to our expectations and give the GUYANA AMAZON WARRIORS their first CPL title that has eluded them for the past five seasons.
Guys, jus bring it home fuh we.
