CPL 2020: Semi-final 2, GAW vs SLZ, match preview, probable playing XI and prediction
Guyana Amazon Warriors will take on St Lucia Zouks in the second semi-final of CPL 2020 on Tuesday, 8th September, at the Brian Lara Cricket Stadium in Trinidad.
Both teams finished the group stage with six wins from ten games, but the Warriors finished second due to their superior Net Run Rate.
The Warriors come off a win over the Barbados Tridents and have had a five-day break ahead of this fixture. The Zouks, meanwhile, come off a win over the Jamaica Tallawahs on Sunday.
While the Zouks won the first CPL meeting between these sides this season by ten runs, the Warriors won the reverse fixture by seven wickets.
CPL 2020 GAW vs SLZ: Match Details
Date: 8th September (Tuesday)
Time: 3:00 AM (Wednesday, 9th September) (IST), 9:30 PM (GMT) and 5:30 PM (Local)
Venue: Brian Lara Stadium, Tarouba, Trinidad
Guyana Amazon Warriors
The Warriors won their last fixture comfortably thanks to a brilliant bowling performance. The spin bowling trio of Imran Tahir, Chris Green, and Kevin Sinclair kept things tight and picked up five wickets in twelve overs, conceding just 52 runs in total. Their pacers have done a good job as well, with Keemo Paul and Naveen-ul-Haq especially shining.
They have had trouble in their middle order with a lack of contributions from Sherfane Rutherford, who has had a poor season. Brandon King and Chanderpaul Hemraj haven't had great campaigns as well and it's been Shimron Hetmyer, Ross Taylor, and Nicholas Pooran who have done the bulk of the scoring for them.
The Warriors will hope that their openers come good this match and take on the Zouks' bowlers.
Predicted Playing XI:
Brandon King, C Hemraj, Shimron Hetmyer, Ross Taylor, Nicholas Pooran (WK), Keemo Paul, Chris Green (C), Ashmead Nedd/ Kevin Sinclair, Romario Shepherd, Naveen-ul-Haq, and Imran Tahir.
St Lucia Zouks
The Zouks have exceeded expectations and have performed very well to qualify for the playoffs. All-rounders Mohammad Nabi and Roston Chase have been the key to their success and skipper Darren Sammy will no doubt look to them to turn the game around for them.
Rahkeem Cornwall has done well with the bat and has provided them with quick starts. Andre Fletcher and Mark Deyal have had less impressive campaigns but they too have delivered at crucial situations.
On the spin-bowling front, the side has plenty of options to choose from apart from Nabi, Chase, and Cornwall. Afghan spinner Zahir Khan has had a good campaign, while Javelle Glenn too has cemented his place in the side with some noteworthy performances. Kesrick Williams and Scott Kuggleijn, who's the third-highest wicket-taker in the league, should be their main pacers.
Predicted Playing XI:
Rahkeem Cornwall, Andre Fletcher(WK), Mark Deyal, Najibullah Zadran, Roston Chase, Mohammad Nabi, Javelle Glenn, Darren Sammy (C), Scott Kuggeleijn, Kesrick Williams, and Zahir Khan.
CPL Match Prediction
Both these sides will be hard to separate, especially given how closely they finished in the CPL points table. Both sides have a deadly spin bowling attack and some capable pacers. The Warriors, however, have superior firepower in their batting, at least on paper, and that gives them an edge over the Zouks in this match.
Prediction: Guyana Amazon Warriors to win the CPL match.