By Avenash Ramzan
On another slow and low track at Providence, Guyana Amazon Warriors’ bowlers took full advantage to hold St Kitts Patriots to a paltry total, before their batsmen, led by captain Martin Guptill, survived another middle-order wobble to register victory and remain unbeaten in the Hero Caribbean Premier League.
Patriots skipper Faf du Plessis called correctly at the toss and elected to bat, but their innings never gained momentum and they were left on 108-8 when the overs finished. Amazon Warriors lost five wickets for 36 runs at the back-end of the chase, but still managed to win comfortably with 22 balls to spare.
Patriots were stifled from the onset by accurate bowling and sharp fielding, and had it not been for a painstaking even fifty from ex-Amazon Warriors opener Lendl Simmons, they were in danger of being dismissed below 100.
The Powerplay overs produced 24 runs for the loss of opener Evin Lewis for four and Thisara Perera without scoring, to Steven Jacobs and Rayad Emrit respectively.
Pressure mounted with the lack of boundaries, and it was soon 29-3 in the ninth over when du Plessis was caught by Emrit off Zampa, before Simmons and Jonathon Carter try to stitch together a partnership. Carter was caught on the boundary by Guptill off Veerasammy Permaul for 15 at 52-4 in the 14th over, before Zampa claimed Devon Thomas (9) and Jon Smutts in the 17th over to reduce the visitors to 80-6.
Debutant Shamarh Brooks gave the innings some life with a six and four in his 19 off nine balls, before falling to Sohail Tanvir. Simmons, who toiled all innings, batting with just one pad, brought up his fifty off 60 balls and was immediately run out by a direct hit from a Guptill throw from the boundary.
Zampa ended with 3-18, and while all the other bowlers expect Jason Mohammed picked up a wicket, Jacobs was the most economical- his four overs yielding a mere seven runs.
Patriots’ innings contained just five fours and two sixes, and by the halfway stage of the chase, the Amazon Warriors had racked up seven fours and five sixes. It was due to a rampaging Guptill, who batted like a man possessed on a pitch that seems to detest batsmen.
The fall of Dwayne Smith for five, superbly caught and bowled by Smuts in the second over, did not hamper Guptill one bit, as the Amazon Warriors skipper harrassed the bowling, hitting four sixes and three fours in a classy, yet destructive 43 off 22 balls.
He dominated a second wicket partnership of 60 in exactly six overs with Chris Lynn, and took a liking to Smuts, whom he smashed for 22 runs in the fourth over. The Powerplay overs produced 60 runs and by then the Patriots seemed to be just going through the motion.
However, Guptill’s departure created an opening, as the Amazon Warriors lost Jason Mohammed (4), Christopher Barnwell (0) and Anthony Bramble (1) in the space of eight deliveries to be reduced to 91-5. Lynn, who held the innings together, added to the drama when he was bowled 12 runs later for another solid innings of 34, before Tanvir (12*) and Jacobs (2*) completed the win in the 17th over.
Badree, Shamsi and Smuts picked up two wickets apiece for the Patriots. With the win, the Amazon Warriors have moved to eight points, four clear of second place Jamaica Tallawahs, while the Patriots have dropped one spot to fourth with their fourth loss in five games.
The Amazon Warriors will face the Trinbago Knight Riders in Match 11 tomorrow (Sunday) evening, starting at 19:00h at the National Stadium, Providence. From all reports, the match is a sold out and another humdinger of a contest is anticipated.
Cover photo caption: Amazon Warriors captain Martin Guptill drives down the ground, as Chris Lynn watches on
