GUYANA Amazon Warriors lost to Rangpur Riders by 15 runs in their final game in the preliminary round of the ExxonMobil Guyana Global Super League last night at the Providence Stadium.
Watched by a raucous crowd, the Warriors never recovered from a precarious position of 27-5 to end on four points from four matches with their place in tomorrow’s final in Jeopardy.

Today, leaders Victoria with four points face Hawkes this morning at 10 am while Rangpur Riders and Lahore Qalandars face off in the night game at 7 pm.
Rangpur Riders were bowled out for 117 despite an attractive 47-ball 58 from Khushdil Shah who reached the ropes twice and cleared it four times but nobody else passed 15.
Dwaine Pretorius (3-16) and Tanzim Sakib, Imran Tahir and Gudakesh Motie took two wickets each for the Warriors who reached 102 in 19.1 overs as only Shai Hope (35) and Kemo Paul (18) passed 15.
Kamrul Islam had 4-13, and Harmeet Singh (3-12) were the main wicket-takers for the Riders.

Rangpur Riders elected to bat on a track that kept from inception and fast outfield despite back-to-back boundaries from Saif Hassan in the first over, had an inauspicious start.
Jamaican-born Steven Taylor had his wicket dismantled off the first ball of the contest from Dwaine Pretorius who bowled Hassan (8) four balls later with one that crept along the carpet to leave the score on 8-2.
The 35-year-old South Africa struck in his second over with the score on 14-3 when Wayne Madsen (4) drilled a catch to Kemo Paul at mid-off.
A run later, with the score on 15-4 Soumya Sarkar (2) was bowled with another ball that kept low from the lively Tanzim Sakib.

With the team from Bangladesh wobbling on the ropes, Shah joined Mehdi Hassan in the fourth over and the pair tried to orchestrate ‘operation rebuild’ with Shah stroking Romario Shepherd back past his ankles for four.
But the oldest man in the tournament and leading wicket-taker Imran Tahir removed Hassan (3) as the Riders’ struggles continued as they slumped to 27-5 in 6.4 overs.
West Indies left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie was dumped over long-on for six by Shah who effortlessly deposited off- spinner Roston Chase into the stands.
At the halfway stage the Warriors were large and in charge in their backyard with the score 45-5.

Shah was willing to counter-attack and brought up the fifty from 69 balls with his third six as Tahir gave the ball some ‘air’.
Shah, who has a century in this format, reached his 13th fifty from 42 with a four and four sixes.

He was dropped on 56 off Sakib who tested him with a quick bouncer two balls later which Shah top-edged to the Keeper from the miscued hook to break the 61-run stand from 59 balls with his skipper Nurul Hasan.
Rishad Hossain (10) ran past Tahir and was neatly stumped by Shai Hope at 101-7 after the 100 had come up from 108 balls.
Nurul Hasan (15) fell to Shepherd before Motie got rid of Rishad Hossain (11) and Zak Chappell (2) to complete the demolition job.

Chasing 118 to win, the Warriors had a nightmare start; Pretorius, surprisingly asked to open, was lbw for one, Moin Ali fell for four, Shimron Hetymer was bowled by Kamrul Rabbi for a first-ball duck to leave the home side tottering at 7-3.
Worse was to come as Roston Chase (9) and Hassan Khan (1) were sent packing with the Warriors on 27-5 in the fifth over.

Hope, who leaves on Saturday to lead the West Indies in the three-match ODI series which commences on Sunday in St Kitts, was joined by Motie (who leaves for that series) and revived the position by taking the score to 66.
Motie (15) fell to Mahedi Hasan at 66-6. Hope and Paul carried the score 89 before Paul was bowled by Harmeet Singh for 18 after hitting a six and a four.
But Hope top-edged a sweep off Rishad Hossain and was taken by the Keeper at 91-9 but Shepherd (9) tried to carry his team home by hitting a six before he was caught at cover off Kamrul Rabbi.