By Brandon Corlette
The Guyana Amazon Warriors thumped the Jamaica Tallawahs by 34 runs in match 11 of the 2023 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL). It was a six-hitting fest at Warner Park, St Kitts as Warriors slammed 16 sixes in their innings on their way to 210-7 in 20 overs.
Shimron Hetmyer (60) and Keemo Paul (57) propelled the Warriors to the highest score of the season while Player of the Match Romario Shepherd led the way with the ball with 3-7 from three overs and his brisk unbeaten 19 topped off an all-round game. The defending champions, Tallawahs lost their first match of the season, as they were bowled out for 176 in 18.4 overs.
In the Tallawahs’ chase, they lost golden boy Brandon King for one and Shamarh Brooks for a golden duck. Shepherd continued to show his skill with the ball, claiming the first three wickets, to reduce Tallawahs to 7-3 in 3.1 overs. Amir Jangoo was the third man dismissed when he was rushed by a rising delivery only to see a stunning catch taken by Paul.
Imran Tahir then showed that age was just a number, as he pulled off his second stellar catch to give Junior Sinclair his first wicket of the season. Tallawahs were reeling at 13-4 in 4.2 overs after Kirk McKenzie fell for five.
At the powerplay, Tallawahs were 28-4 staring at defeat. Sinclair then picked up his second wicket, that of Raymon Reifer (19), at 36-5 in the seventh over.
Imad Wasim and Fabian Allen took the score to 62-5 in 10 overs, with Tallawahs requiring 149 runs from the final 10 overs of the match.
Allen and Wasim added 97 runs together to give the Jamaican franchise some hope. Wasim slammed 63 from 36 balls; his innings was decorated with five sixes and three fours. Allen was equally aggressive in his 25-ball 47 which had six maximums. With their opponents on 140-7 in 16.2 overs, the Warriors were looking to close out the game.
Shepherd was the star with the ball, and Sinclair impressed with 2-17 from three overs. Warriors were stunning in the field, pulling off seven spectacular catches.
Earlier, Jamaica Tallawahs won the toss and opted to bowl first. Nicholson Gordon was replaced by Hayden Walsh while Sinclair and Hazratullah Zazai were in the Warriors team. Odean Smith and Chandrapaul Hemraj were the ones replaced from the last game.
Chris Green removed Zazai in the first over, and Mohammad Amir had the final laugh after he was struck for a six. Amir removed his Pakistan team-mate Saim Ayub (07), who was caught at the wicket.
Amazon Warriors were 7-2 after two overs. Shai Hope and Azam Khan joined forces, but the Tallawahs’ bowling was too hot to handle. Khan hit a six off Amir, and the next ball, he was caught at third man off a leading edge at 22-3 in 3.4 overs.
Hetmyer partnered Hope, and the dynamic duo took Warriors to 49-3 after six overs. Hope found long-off and was dismissed by Green for 25 from 17 balls at 76-4 in 9.1 overs. Tallawahs fancied their chances of controlling the game at that point, after breaking the 54-run fourth-wicket stand.
At the half-way mark, Warriors were 78-4, hunting for a big finish. The Guyanese duo in Paul and Hetmyer then proceeded to destroy the Tallawahs bowling, with sixes all over the park. Hetmyer reached his fifty in 32 balls, while Paul reached his fifty in 23 balls, after he was dropped on 45.
Paul slammed seven sixes and one four in his 29-ball 57. He was clean-bowled by a Salman Irshad-yorker at 175-5 in 17 overs, ending a 99-run stand with Hetmyer.
Hetmyer followed soon after, hitting one down to long-on at 178-6 in 17.3 overs. The left-handed Hetmyer slammed four sixes and three fours in his 60 from 45 balls. Shepherd’s unbeaten 19 from nine balls helped the Warriors breach 200, and they ended on 210-7 in 20 overs, the highest total this season so far.
Amir was the best bowler with 3-33 from four overs while Green had 2-28 in four overs.
Warriors will be in action again on September 2 against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados from 10:00h Eastern Caribbean time. (GTimes)