By Clifton Ross

THE under-pressure Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) will be looking to come out of the woodshed today against the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots and possibly keep their 2020 title campaign alive.

Amazon Warriors whipped Patriots by 3 wickets just a few matches ago. The instrument of Patriots’ destruction was Shimron Hetmyer who clobbered 71 while his mate Keemo Paul snapped up 4 wickets to complete a clinical performance.

Since then Warriors have endured a mixed tournament, winning some and losing a few games which they shouldn’t have even missed out on in the first place.

The spectacle of Warriors downfall this season is their woeful batting approach which has resulted in just a few batsmen peaking, but in a must-win-all-games situation today, all eyes will be on Guyana.

Hetmyer will no doubt look to launch into the attack after thumping around a few of Patriots bowlers. If Warriors batting order should be restructured, Chandrapaul Hemraj and Hetmyer might have some success.

Leading batsman last season, Brandon King, has yet to announce himself and could possibly show up this afternoon, given the axe is likely dangling over his head.

Ross Taylor has been notching some 20-odd scores, and seems to be settling into his role in the middle-order and could deliver the type of innings Guyana will need from the Kiwi.

If the Warriors manage any changes, it could likely be the return of spinner Ashmead Nedd or possibly the debut of all-rounder Kevin Sinclair.

Nicholas Pooran has just played one big innings thus far, 68 but needs to step up as one of the team’s West Indies stars and a veteran CPL player.

The bowling has been exceptional to date, with South African leg-spinner Imran Tahir leading the way. Skipper Chris Green has not yet played to his full potential but remains a key part of the bowling attack.

Fast-bowling for Warriors has not been that impressive this season as Romario Shepherd has been in and out of the XI while Naveen ul Haq will continue to play his role as a wicket-taking strike option.

Patriots are last on the points and like the Warriors, they too suffered a loss in the last game.

Rakeem Cornwall and Andre Fletcher have similar woes to that of Hemraj and King, who have shown intent, but failed to produce as Windies internationals.

Mark Deyal, Roston Chase and Zadran Najabullah are the keys to any chance of victory St Kitts & Nevis may have. Afghanistan’s Mohammed Nabi, who grabbed a record 5-15 recently, will be the equaliser and could cause trouble for Warriors.

With just 2 wins from 6 games, the 4th-placed Warriors are desperately in need of a win today while the last-placed Patriots will look to add to their one win.

Meanwhile, defending champions Barbados Tridents battle St Lucia Zouks in the first match at the Queen’s Park Oval ground.