Zouks target hattrick of the win in their first late game of CPL 2020

Zouks target hattrick of the win in their first late game of CPL 2020

Confidence would be high in the St. Lucia Zouks camp when they take on last season’s beaten finalists Guyana Amazon Warriors in their first late game of the 2020 Hero Caribbean Premier League. The Zouks outclassed the St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots to get a convincing win in their previous game, and find themselves in the right end of the table after two games. With games coming thick and fast, Daren Sammy and co. will hope that their winning momentum continues as the tournament gets closer to its midway point.

Head-to-head record

Guyana Amazon Warriors have fared better in the head-to-head record against the St. Lucia Zouks. The Warriors did the double over Daren Sammy’s team in 2019, with Brandon King and Chris Green starring for Guyana in those matches respectively.

This time around, the Zouks will take some heart from the fact that both those players have started the season poorly, with King scoring a mere 10 runs and Green getting a solitary wicket after two games. Also, given the way Daren Sammy’s team has performed in the past two matches, they would be optimistic of getting a favourable result in CPL 2020.

Watch out for:

Mohammad Nabi continued to shine for the St. Lucia Zouks, playing a crucial cameo in the death overs against the St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots to register the highest team total of CPL 2020. His calmness under pressure and prolonged franchise competition experience make him one of the most reliable players for the Zouks.

Roston Chase has proved to be a brilliant utility player for the Zouks, performing well with the bat and the ball. He chanced his golden arm against the Patriots in the previous game, and ended up with figures of 3/12 in his four overs. The all-rounder was brought in as a late replacement for the Zouks, and that is turning out to be an inspired bit of business given his all-round impact so far in the competition.

Opponent Corner

Last season’s leading run scorer Brandon King has struggled for form in the first two games, but the same can’t be said for the swashbuckling Shimron Hetmyer. The southpaw has twin fifties to his name after two games; and alongside Nicholas Pooran, Ross Taylor and Sherfane Rutherford forms a formidable middle-order line up for the Warriors. On the bowling front, Keemo Paul and Imran Tahir have been lethal so far, successfully negating the opposition scoring rate in the middle overs of the game.

Probable XI: Andre Fletcher, Rakheem Cornwall, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Daren Sammy (c), Roston Chase, Scott Kuggelejin, Chemar Holder, Kesrick Williams, Obed McCoy, Saad Bin Zafar

NOTE:The aforementioned line-up is an educated guess at best, and the final decision rests with the captain and the team management depending on various external factors.

About St Lucia Zouks

St Lucia Zouks is the representative team of Saint Lucia in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) of Cricket. Founded in 2013, the team has been competing in the tournament since its inception and is currently owned by KPH Dream Cricket Pvt Ltd – the consortium that owns Kings XI Punjab.

The team is named after St Lucia, one of the four islands in the Caribbean known for its rich creole culture which is represented in its logo. A vibrant mix of blues and yellows, the logo also has a flame symbol that is derived from the national flag, representing a desire to win. In 2016, the team held the record of winning six out of ten games securing the third position in the league. St Lucia Zouks is a popular team among cricket fans around the world.

This year, the team will be coached by Andy Flower and captained by Daren Sammy who is leading the squad for the first time. Players comprise Mohammad Nabi, Andre Fletcher, Kesrick Williams, Rahkeem Cornwall, Chemar Holder, Javelle Glen, Mark Deyal, Leniko Boucher, Kavem Hodge, Obed McCoy, Kimani Melius, Saad Bin Zafar, Scott Kuggelein, Roston Chase, Najibullah Zadran and Zahir Khan. 

Three on the trot for St. Lucia Zouks, prevail in low scoring thriller