Motie, Tahir spin web around Kings to set up easy victory for Warriors
GROS ISLET – Spinners Gudakesh Motie and Imran Tahir ran through the St Lucia Kings’ lower order to help set up a comfortable six-wicket win for the Guyana Amazon Warriors in St Lucia on Saturday and propel them to the top of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
The spinning duo accounted for the last six wickets to fall, as the Kings were dismissed for a paltry 100 in 14.3 overs, the lowest score so far in this year’s tournament.
The Warriors then made light work of the target, rushing to 101-4 in 10 overs, to register their third successive win and maintain their unbeaten start to the competition.
It was the Kings’ first loss in three outings and the result dropped them down to third place in the standings behind the also unbeaten Barbados Royals, who have won both of their matches.
In what was a dismal batting performance by the Kings, it took a late cameo from Matthew Forde to get them up to three figures.
Kings’ captain Faf du Plessis made just six before he was trapped lbw by fast bowler Dwaine Pretorius and Ackeem Auguste was run out by Motie for 10 to leave the Kings 27-2 in the fourth over.
But with the score 42-2, the Kings shockingly lost their next four wickets for the addition of only seven runs, with Keemo Paul dismissing Bhanuka Rajapaksa for seven and opener Johnson Charles for 19, before Player-of-the-Match Motie and Tahir took over.
Tahir clean bowled Roston Chase for two, and with his very next ball he trapped David Weise lbw for a duck, as the Kings slumped to 49-6 in the seventh over.
Forde denied Tahir his hat-trick, and together with Tim Seifert added a valuable 45 runs in the highest partnership of the Kings’ innings.
King struck two sixes and three fours in his top score of 31 from 21 balls, before being caught at long off trying to hit a delivery from Motie out of the ground.
The end then came swiftly for the Kings with Tahir trapping Seifert lbw for 12 and Motie bowling Noor Ahmad and having last man Alzarri Joseph caught at long on.
Motie ended with the attractive figures of 3-16 from 3.3 overs, Tahir finished with 3-29 from four overs and Paul took 2-19.
Warriors’ openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Tim Robinson then wasted little time in their run chase.
Gurbaz was especially brutal on Forde, blasting him for four huge sixes in the third over to jumpstart the innings.
By the time Robinson was outfoxed by a googly from Ahmad to be bowled for 33 from 20 balls, the Warriors had already rushed to 62 in five overs.
Gurbaz clouted left-arm spinner Khary Pierre for three sixes in the seventh over, but eventually fell for 47 from 19 balls, inclusive of seven sixes when Ahmad had him lbw to leave the Warriors 91-2.
Shai Hope (11) and Azam Khan (0), both fell cheaply, but by then the writing was on the wall with Shimron Hetmyer and Paul completing the final rites.
Ahmad was the pick of the Kings’ bowlers with 3-22 from his four overs.
CMC
SUMMARISED SCORES:
ST LUCIA KINGS 100 in 14.3 overs (Matthew Forde 31, Johnson Charles 19, Tim Seifert 12, Ackeem Auguste 10; Gudakesh Motie 3-16, Imran Tahir 3-29, Keemo Paul 2-19) vs GUYANA AMAZON WARRIORS 101-4 in 10 overs (Rahmanullah Gurbaz 47, Tim Robinson 33, Shai Hope 11; Noor Ahmad 3-22). Guyana Amazon Warriors won by six wickets
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