Hope, Hetmyer fifties, spinners take Warriors to the top spot – Guyana Chronicle
IN their only day game, the Guyana Amazon Warriors, with half-centuries from Shai Hope and Shimron Hetymer and six wickets from their spinners, beat St. Lucia Kings by 35 runs yesterday at the Providence Stadium.
The Warriors sit at the top of the points table with one match in hand, while the Kings are also on 14 points, and have completed their 10 games.
The Trinbago Knight Riders (on 12 points) will face the Warriors this evening from 19:00hrs in their last match before the play-offs.
Hetmyer hit nine fours and a six in an entertaining 58 from 30 balls, and shared in an 85-run third-wicket stand with Shai Hope, who made a delightful 56 from 31 balls with two fours and five sixes. The duo spearheaded the Warriors to 207-7.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (26) and Azam Khan (26) added 49 for the first wicket, before Romario Shepherd contributed a cameo 24 from 16 balls with three fours.
Fast bowlers David Wiese (3-43), Alzarri Joseph (2-39), and 2024 CPL leading wicket taker left-arm spinner Noor Ahmad (2-26, tried to restrict the warriors. Noor has 18 wickets in total.
Set 208 to win their sixth consecutive game, the Kings were restricted to 172-7, as only 40-year-old Skipper Faf du Plessis offered a fight.
The South African ‘carried his bat’ for an unbeaten 92 from 59 balls, with seven fours and four sixes.
Outside of Faf, only Joseph of the other batters passed 15, ending unbeaten 25 from 21 balls with two sixes and a four.
The pair featured in an unbroken 67 runs eighth-wicket stand from 44 balls, with du Plessis clobbering three sixes, while Joseph also cleared the ropes as Junior Sinclair conceded 27 in the final over. But it was too little, too late.
Gudakesh Motie (2-27), Moeen Ali (2-21), and captain Imran Tahir (2-20) did the damage for the defending champions.
Khan and Gurbaz gave the Warriors a brisk 49-run opening start in 4.5 overs, before Khan provided left-arm spinner Noor Ahmad with his 17th wicket. The burly Pakistani hit three sixes and two fours in a rapid 11-ball 26.
Four runs later, David Wiese removed Gurbaz, whose 26 was decorated with four boundaries, and lasted 22 balls.
Hetymer joined Hope on a good track and lightning-fast outfield, and after the six power-play overs, the Warriors were 57-2.
Hope and Hetmyer, who featured in a 106-run stand against the Barbados Royals, added 85 runs for the third wicket, with the pugnacious Berbician dominating the entertaining partnership, scoring 58 runs.
Hetymer hit a record 11 sixes during his brutal 91 against the Patriots; an innings in which he did not hit a four.
But yesterday, in scorching heat, a fit and focused-looking Hetymer, watched by his adoring flag-waving fans in less-than-full stands, hit six off of left-arm spinner Khary Pierre. It was his only six in his fourth fifty in the 12th edition of the CPL.
The 27-year-old left-hander blasted nine fours before he wasted an opportunity to add to his single hundred at this level when he fell to Joseph after reaching his 23rd fifty in T20 cricket.
Hetmyer’s dismissal left the home side on 138-3 in 14.2 overs.
After the demise of Hetmyer, the 30-year-old Hope stepped on the gas, hitting consecutive sixes off the expensive Pierre in an over which leaked 25 runs.
The Bajan celebrated 14 fifty and second in this tournament, with a one-handed six off before David Wiese had him well caught at short cover off the next ball, with the score on 179-4 in 16.3.
Shepherd took the Warriors to 200 in 18.2 overs before Keemo Paul (1) was stunningly caught by Wiese, who realised he was over the boundary and tossed the ball to Pierre to prove the saying that teamwork makes the dream work, as Noor Ahmad struck at 186-5.
Ali (1), and Shepherd (24), were both dismissed at 200, while Dwaine Pretorius (6), and Gudakesh Motie (1) were unbeaten as the last 21 balls only produced 30 runs.
