By Sean Devers

THE Guyana Amazon Warriors bettered the 99 stand between Kemo Paul and Shimron Hetmyer against Jamaica Tallawahs in St Kitts when 20-year-old debutant Canada-born Guyanese Matthew Nandu added 112 in 12. 5 overs with 21-year-old Pakistani Saim Ayub for the first wicket at the Providence Stadium on Wednesday night.
That partnership set the foundation for the Warriors to extend their seven-match unbeaten streak when they defeated the Tallawahs by seven wickets in front of a capacity crowd of their adoring fans.

Ayub’s magnificent 85, his third consecutive fifty, was decorated with five fours and five sixes from 53 balls while Nandu, whose father Arjune Nandu played First-Class cricket for Guyana, played a well-calculated supporting role with 37 from 35 balls and four boundaries.
Shai Hope chipped in with an unbeaten 16 to take the Warriors 155-3 in 18. 3 overs, replying to the Tallawahs’ 152-5 in 20 overs.
The Tallawahs’ innings was anchored by a regal exhibition from Brandon King who fashioned a classy 52 from 32 balls decorated with 10 fours and a six.
But only Ramon Reifer whose 20 lasted 14 balls and included three fours and Fabian Allen who also faced 14 balls and cleared the boundary twice reached 20 as the pair featured in an unbroken 41 stand to see their team past the 150 mark.

Dwaine Pretorius had 2-33 from four overs while the captain, 44-year-old leg-spinner, Imran Thair, took 1-19 from four overs
When the Warriors, who have won the most matches in the history of the CPL and have attended five finals without winning a title, began their chase, Nandu got his first boundary in CPL when he tucked Salam Irshad off his hip and the sold-out crowd began to dance in the stands.

The fans who created a fantastic atmosphere under a clear night sky were treated to some wonderful shots, after a careful start, as the Warriors reached 51 without loss in the first six overs.
Ayub ‘caressed’ Shamar Springer past cover for four and after 10 overs the home team was 89 for no loss as the partnership gained momentum to the delight of the many fans who were gyrating all night to pulsating vibes from the sound System and the rhythms from the Tassa Drummers.

Ayub pivoted and pulled Nicolson Gordon for consecutive sixes and reached his 50 from 34 balls with five fours and three sixes.
Nandu also looked impressive as the young Guns brought up the 100 in 11 overs before the left-handed Nandu was bowled by off-spinner Chris Green who struck at 112 in the 13th over.
Hope, a quality all-formats batter, joined Ayub, who dumped Allen for two sixes to gallop into the 80s but with the score on 141 Ayub fell to Springer before the burly Azam Khan (1) ‘chopped on’ a short delivery from Salam, looking to cut, at 146-3 but by then the fat lady was already clearing her throat. Oden Smith finished the contest with a boundary.
Earlier, Warriors won the toss and elected to field and King got going with a couple of glorious boundaries in the first over bowled by Pretorius before Romario Shepherd struck in the fourth over when Alex Hales (9) inside-edged a length ball at 24-1.

King, another quality all-format batter, stroked Shepherd for an imperious cover drive for four and followed it up with a back-foot steer to third man for another boundary.
King launched into Smith, who replaced Shepherd and took him to the cleaners with four elegant fours, including an imperious cover-driven boundary off a free-hit in an over which cost 17.
After the six power-play overs, the Tallawahs were 55-1 before Tahir stemmed the run flow, conceding just three runs from the seventh over
A misfield on the mid-wicket by Smith brought up the 50 while the left-handed McKenzie sparkled briefly and hit Motie’s first ball over cover for six.
The ageless Tahir had McKenzie (13) caught at long-off at 73 -2 while King reached his fifty from 29 balls with 10 fours and a six before he missed one from Motie that kept low and was bowled four runs later to wake up a large flag-waving crowd which produced a Kaleidoscope of colour in the stands.

The 100 came up in the 13th over as Imam Wasim and Shamarh Brooks looked to forge a partnership on a lightning-fast outfield but the pair were kept on a tight rein.
Wasim who struggled for 26 balls in his 18, was bowled at 110-4 by Pretorius who trapped Brooks (10) LBW a run later as the fans in the stands erupted in a raucous outburst.
Allen deposited Pretorius into the window of the Media Centre breaking the glass, before clobbering Thair onto the roof of the Presidential suite
Reifer and Allen joined forces to give their side a challenging total which in the end proved inadequate.