Latest update April 25th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jul 20, 2014 Sports
– Battle Tallawahs today
By Sean Devers
A near capacity crowd left the National Stadium last night with smiles as broad as the mighty Essequibo River after the Guyana Amazon Warriors decimated the St Lucia Zouks by nine wickets with 24 balls to spare in a one-sided but entertaining Limacol CPL T20 contest to follow up their spine-tingling victory on Thursday night against the Red Steel.
That game produced the first ever Tie in CLP cricket and it took a super over to give the ‘Warriors’ the victory, their third in the tournament from as many games but last evening’s win was as easy as taking candy from a baby.
The Zouks never threatened the Warriors strong bowling attack and were dismantled for 118 in 19.2. Only Sohail Tanvir offered token resistance with an attacking 32 from 25 balls as Krishmar Santokie (4-24) and Sunil Narine (2-21) doing the bulk of the damage.
Lendl Simmons (32) and Martin Guptill, who hammered two fours and three sixes in an undefeated 50 from 47 balls, added 77 in 10 overs to set up the emphatic win before Mohamed Hafeez (17*) joined the entrenched Guptill to formalize the win.
On an afternoon blessed with glorious sunshine after morning showers had threatened to curtail the day/night contest, the Guyana Amazon Warriors won the toss on another slow and low track and invited the St Lucia Zouks to bat first on a lush green outfield.
The Zouks lost Henry Davids (4), Andre Fletcher (4) and Johnson Charles (13) with just 29 runs on the board inside the first six power play overs and when Keddy Lesporis ran himself out by the length of the pitch for 11, the Zouks were 34-4 in the seventh over and the Warriors were large and in charge in their own back yard in front of a large and colourful crowd which was building all the time.
Just when Sunil Ambris and Roelef van der Merwe were beginning to offer some resistance by taking the score to 52, van der Merwe was bowled off the inside edge for six and Skipper Darren Sammy (2) impetuously lofted Narine to Chris Barnwell at long-on after surviving a confident LBW shout off the off-spinner the ball before and the Zouks, at 58-6, were down in the dumps.
The left-handed Tavir got going with an elegantly steered boundary off Ronsford Beaton and along with Ambris, who batted sensibly, added 21 for the seventh wicket before Ambris (13) missed a pull at one that kept low from Jimmy Neesham and was comprehensively bowled to leave the score on 79-7 and the fans dancing in the setting sun.
This got progressively worse for the Zouks who catapulted to 80-8 when Shane Shillingford was trapped plumb in front to fellow off-spinner Narine before he had scored much to the delight of a raucous, flag waving crowd which produced a Kaleidoscope beyond the boundary.
A stupendous catch by Guptill, who dived full-length forward, running in from deep mid-wicket as Santokie got rid of the potentially dangerous Tanvir, who pushed his team closer to a three-figure score with a six and four off consecutive balls from Neesham. Tanvir’s lasted 25 balls and was decorated with three fours and a six and his demise left the Zouks on 94-9.
A couple of sixes from Mervin Matthew off Beaton lifted the St Lucian based side past the hundred mark before he provided Santokie with his fourth scalp at 117 after hitting two sixes and a four in a cameo 21.
The ‘Warriors’ who began their reply in daylight with the floodlight now taking effect and by the halfway stage the Red and Green stands along with the Grass Mound were ram-packed although for the second night in a row the Palm Court VIP Party stand had plenty of empty seats.
In fact the Mound more looked like the party stand with El’Dorado Rum and Busta Soft drink tents, pulsating music pumping from huge speakers and an energized crowd was on its feet all night.
If the Tasa and Congo Drums along with the gyrating CPL girls on stages around the boundaries were not enough entertainment for a crowd which created a Sea of yellow ‘Amazon Warriors’ flag and T-shirts, Guptill who dumped Tino Best and Matthew for effortless sixes and Simmons who crashed Matthew for gloriously executed back-to-back fours, produced the on-field action to the delight of the partisan crowd.
The Warriors galloped to 50 in the sixth over with a massive six from Simmons off Shillingford, who now seems a toothless Lion without his controversial Doosra.
Left-arm spinner van der Merwe was greeted with a fabulous straight six by Simmons and the fans were enjoying the biggest party in sports.
However, Sammy, who came into the attack much too late, spoiled the ‘dance’ by bowling Simmons off the inside edge off his first ball and the Trinidadian had to go for an attractive 32 from 27 balls with two sixes and two fours and at 77-1 in 10 overs the Zouks were already dead and only waiting to be buried.
Magnificent stroke-play from Guptill and level-headed support from Hafeez then took their team home with ease as they put together 41 in an unfinished second wicket stand.
Today in another 16:00hrs game, defending champs Jamaica Tallawahs, led by the destructive Chris Gayle will aim to end the Guyana Amazon Warriors winning streak by upsetting the home team. All tickets for today’s game, except for the Party Stand, have been sold out.
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