“Mentally, the guys are good actually; we can’t really think about the past because a lot these guys were not there in the past…as I keep telling them, just take it one game at a time, and let’s see what happens in the next one.”
Those were the words of a calm and collected Shimron Hetmyer on the eve of Tuesday’s Qualifier One against Barbados Royals at the National Stadium, Providence.
The Guyana Amazon Warriors have been to five unsuccessful finals in the nine previous seasons, but their fans and some pundits believe if they qualify for a first final at home, the elusive title could be captured.
One thing on the Warriors’ side is momentum. They entered the home leg bottom of the table with three points from six matches, which meant they were on the brink of being knocked out before the playoffs, something they had never endured in the history of the tournament.
However, four wins on the bounce at Providence have propelled the Warriors to second position behind Barbados Royals at the end of the preliminary phase, which gives them two cracks at qualifying for the Friday’s final.
Ideally, they would want to win and get an extended break for the championship contest, as the match on Tuesday would be their fifth in seven days.
Should the Warriors lose in Qualifier One, they would have another shot at qualifying for the final when they meet the winner of the Eliminator, in Qualifier Two on Wednesday.
Hetmyer indicated the players were given time off on Monday to recuperate and they are focused on the job ahead.
Amazon Warriors defeated Royals by five wickets on Sunday, but with eight wins out of 10, and captain Kyle Mayers, who power-punched the tournament in the early stages with his batting, due for a significant score, it is hard to discount the Royals, who finished bottom of the table last season.
Eliminator: Kings v Warriors
St. Lucia Kings have been to the last two finals, finishing second best on both occasions, and in their head-to-head clash with the Tallawahs this season, they won by two wickets in the only completed fixture.
Of the visiting teams, the Kings posted the biggest threat to the Warriors in the group stages, racking up 194 led by a sterling century from skipper Faf du Plessis.
Their downfall was in the field, as dropping simple chances and missing run-outs allowed the Warriors back in the match and scoreboard pressure seem a little issue.
It was revealed that leading run-scorer Johnson Charles is available for selection after recovering from injury.
Faf’s opposite number, Rovman Powell, has been leading his side’s batting and looked at the performance this year as a step in the right direction after they didn’t qualify last season.
Powell is confident his top-order will string together the performances needed to get them over the line after a solid showing in the nets.
