3 reasons why Guyana Amazon Warriors are favorites to defend their title in CPL 2024
Guyana Amazon Warriors kickstarted their Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2024 campaign with a victory on Saturday (August 30). The defending champions prevailed by three wickets over Antigua and Barbuda Falcons in a thrilling encounter.
The Falcons batted first and got good starts from Fakhar Zaman (40) and Kofi James (37). In the end, Imad Wasim slammed 40 off 21 to take them to 168. Gudakesh Motie picked up three wickets for the Warriors.
In response, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (20), Shai Hope (41) and Shimron Hetmyer (19) contributed for the Warriors. An impressive knock from Romario Shepherd (32 off 16) kept them in hunt, while Dwaine Pretorius (20* off 10) displayed nerves of steel to chase down 16 off the final over.
Nothing much has changed for the franchise since winning their maiden CPL title last year. In place of Chandrapaul Hemraj and Odean Smith, the Warriors secured the services of experienced all-rounder Raymon Reifer. Gurbaz, who played a solitary game last season, is likely to be available for the first half of the competition.
Meanwhile, Shamar Joseph has been promoted to the role of a leading pacer after serving as a net bowler in the last season.
The core part of the team - Hetmyer, Hope, Shepherd, Motie, Pretorius and Imran Tahir - will drive them this year as well. On that note, let's take a look at a few reasons why Warriors are placed well to defend their CPL title.
#1 Potent pair of Gurbaz-Hope at the top
Rahmanullah Gurbaz will remain available for the Guyana Amazon Warriors at least for the first half of the tournament before he leaves for the South Africa series. The Afghanistan batter emerged as the top run-scorer in the 2024 T20 World Cup with 281 runs in eight innings, with a top score of 80. He also scored 62 runs in two appearances in IPL 2024.
With his explosive approach and good form, Gurbaz can provide a scintillating start to the franchise and help them be among the top teams in the group stage.
Another experienced player, Shai Hope was the Player of the Tournament in CPL 2023 with 481 runs in 12 innings at an average of 53.44. Certainly, his positive approach played a key role as the Warriors secured the title.
With his breezy 34-ball 41-run knock in the first game, Hope has shown that he is confident heading into the tournament.
#2 Presence of a credible spin bowling attack
Former South Africa spinner, Imran Tahir led the Guyana Amazon Warriors to their maiden CPL title last season. Tahir scalped 18 wickets in 12 games at a terrific economy of 6.22 and best figures of 3/7. Although the skipper returned with figures of 0/29 in the first CPL 2024 game, he is expected to come back in form, given his strong pedigree of 500+ T20 wickets.
Meanwhile, Gudakesh Motie also impressed last season by picking up 15 wickets, including 2/7 off four overs in the final. The left-arm spinner also emerged as the finest bowler for the franchise in his first CPL 2024 appearance, ending with figures of 3/25. Hence, as per his track record and form, Motie will be a vital player for the Warriors in their pursuit of defending the title.
#3 Pacers with proven track record in CPL
The last CPL season saw Dwaine Pretorius emerge as the best bowler with 20 wickets in 12 innings at an economy of 7.10. Interestingly, Pretorius brought his A-game in a crucial final, where he finished with figures of 4/26 to bundle out the Trinbago Knight Riders for 94.
In his first CPL 2024 appearance, the Proteas all-rounder returned with figures of 1/33 and slammed 20* off 10. With an impressive start, the right-arm pacer will look to repeat last year's performance for the Warriors.
Romario Shepherd, another skilful all-rounder picked 12 wickets in as many games in CPL 2023, with best figures of 3/7. Meanwhile, he has scalped 67 wickets in 54 appearances in the CPL and can be a boon to the side this season as well.