Amazon Warriors flatten Falcons to stay perfect in CPL
Key Points(5)
- The Guyana Amazon Warriors are making an early habit of turning Caribbean Premier League (CPL) contests into one-sided affairs.
- They extended their unbeaten start to the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League with a ruthless seven-wicket demolition of the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, needing just 9.5 overs to race to 121 for three after dismissing the hosts for 116 in 17 overs.
- Fast bowler Shamar Joseph supplied the initial destruction, while Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer ensured there was never a realistic avenue for a Falcons recovery.
- Falcons lose their way after promising start Antigua’s innings began brightly enough, but the momentum quickly disappeared under the pressure of Guyana's attack.
- Rahkeem Cornwall and Amir Jangoo put together a brisk opening stand before Cornwall ended it by handing a return catch to Khary Pierre in the second over.
The Guyana Amazon Warriors are making an early habit of turning Caribbean Premier League (CPL) contests into one-sided affairs.
They extended their unbeaten start to the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League with a ruthless seven-wicket demolition of the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, needing just 9.5 overs to race to 121 for three after dismissing the hosts for 116 in 17 overs.
Fast bowler Shamar Joseph supplied the initial destruction, while Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer ensured there was never a realistic avenue for a Falcons recovery.
Falcons lose their way after promising start
Antigua’s innings began brightly enough, but the momentum quickly disappeared under the pressure of Guyana's attack.
Rahkeem Cornwall and Amir Jangoo put together a brisk opening stand before Cornwall ended it by handing a return catch to Khary Pierre in the second over.
Pierre struck again to remove Karima Gore for eight, but the Falcons briefly appeared to regain their footing when Jangoo and Hasan Nawaz combined for a 40-run partnership.
That resistance ended when captain Imran Tahir produced another breakthrough, with Glenn Phillips taking a spectacular catch at deep square leg to dismiss Nawaz for 20.
Phillips then turned from catcher to bowler and made an immediate impact. In his only over, he removed Jangoo for a well-made 37 from 29 balls, leaving the Falcons 84 for four.
Twelve runs later, Joseph accounted for Joshua James, and the home side's innings collapsed completely.
The final five wickets disappeared for just eight runs.
Joseph delivered the knockout blows himself, bowling Alzarri Joseph and Jayden Seales for ducks in the space of three deliveries to close out a sensational spell of 3-22.
Tahir finished with 2-15 and Pierre 2-19 as Guyana's attack dismantled the Falcons' middle and lower order.
Hope and Hetmyer turn chase into exhibition
The Amazon Warriors did give the Falcons a fleeting glimpse of an opening.
Glenn Phillips departed for 11 and Matthew Nandu followed for one, leaving Guyana at 16 for two in the third over.
What followed, however, extinguished any hope of an upset.
Hope and Hetmyer launched a spectacular counterattack, adding 99 runs for the third wicket in only seven overs.
Hope took his time initially, scoring just five runs from his first eight deliveries. Then the switch flipped.
He hammered Joseph for consecutive sixes to open the fourth over before producing a majestic square drive that sped to the boundary. One over later, he punished Seales with a four and a six from successive deliveries.
Hetmyer soon joined the assault.
Cornwall was dispatched for consecutive sixes in the seventh over, and Moeen Ali subsequently suffered the same fate. Hetmyer then turned his attention to Shamar Springer, smashing two sixes and a four in the 10th over.
The onslaught carried him to 49 from only 17 balls and left Guyana requiring just two runs for victory.
Springer salvaged a consolation moment by having Hetmyer caught off the next delivery.
But the match was already over in everything but name.
Quentin Sampson stepped in and finished the contest emphatically, swatting Springer over the boundary for six.
Hope remained unbeaten on 47 from 26 balls, striking four sixes and two fours, as the Amazon Warriors completed their third victory in three matches.
Guyana’s balance proving decisive
The victory showcased the Amazon Warriors' ability to win from either side of the equation.
Their bowlers first reduced the Falcons from a promising start to a total of just 116, with Joseph, Tahir and Pierre combining for seven wickets.
Then, after briefly wobbling at 16 for two, their batting responded with an explosive partnership that erased the deficit in spectacular fashion.
For the Falcons, the collapse from 84 for four to 116 all out proved decisive.
For Guyana, another victory keeps their perfect record intact and reinforces the impression that the Amazon Warriors have arrived in this CPL season with little intention of slowing down.
