The top two teams in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) this year faced off in Providence, with the defending champion Guyana Amazon Warriors defeating their closest competitors, Saint Lucia Kings, by a commanding 35 runs.
The daytime match wicket was predicted to be difficult to score freely on, but Warriors skipper Imran Tahir showed confidence by winning the toss and choosing to bat on home soil in Guyana.
The Guyana Amazon Warriors finished on 207/7 after their 20 overs.
The players in the Warriors top order all made a contribution, but Shai Hope and Player of the Match Shimron Hetmyer stood out for their ability to read the situation, identify which bowlers to target, and rack up confident half-centuries without taking up a lot of deliveries.
As the Kings tried to chase down the score, Faf du Plessis batted through the entire innings and at several points appeared to be experiencing a cramp. During his more than hour and a half at the wicket, Du Plessis hit seven fours and four sixes in an innings akin to that of a genuine captain. Unfortunately for du Plessis, not a single player on the Kings’ batting roster was able to stay with him long enough to cause the 2023 CPL winners any real concern.
At 105/7, it appeared as though the Kings would be badly beaten. However, an impressive innings from Alzarri Joseph (25* off 21 balls) gave du Plessis some stability at the other end, and he went about leading his team to a more reasonable total while also ensuring that their net run rate was not severely harmed. The 35-run defeat, which came despite the Kings having batted out all of their overs and finishing at 172/7, was a type of victory for them since it had appeared that they would lose by a significant margin earlier.
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With a game remaining, the Warriors, who now have 14 points, took back the top spot in the rankings. In the last game of the entire season, they will meet the Trinbago Knight Riders tomorrow, which will decide the final rankings and upcoming playoff matchups.
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