After 40 days of scintillating action, this year’s edition of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL 2023) came to an end today with the final between the Guyana Amazon Warriors and Trinbago Knight Riders going in favor of the former.
The summit clash was a one-sided affair as TKR, led by Kieron Pollard, failed to turn up on the big night. Pollard’s men were bowled out for a paltry score of 94, a total that was chased down without the Warriors needing to break a sweat.
This is the first time that the Warriors have won the CPL, having previously endured rotten luck in five finals. As has been the case over the years, the Warriors performed extremely well, finishing the league stage as the table-toppers.
They lost the first qualifier but bounced back quickly to win the second one to proceed to the final, where they humbled TKR to cap off what has been a magnificent run for them.
The Warriors’ victory was also a triumph for their captain, Imran Tahir. The veteran leg-spinner led the team with aplomb and was instrumental in their success.
The tournament in general, too, was a special one as the six teams played some wonderful cricket, the crowds were enthusiastic, and there were some thrilling matches.
The quality of cricket was top-notch, and the season will be remembered fondly by fans. As will some of the individual performances in all three departments.
On that note, here’s a look at the top 5 bowling performances of the CPL 2023 season:
#5 Mohammed Amir (4-19 vs St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in CPL 2023)
In the 27th game of the 13th edition of the CPL, Mohammed Amir won a lot of hearts courtesy of his fine bowling.
The game, which was held at the Providence Stadium in Guyana, saw the Jamaica Tallawahs face the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. Having opted to bat first after winning the toss, the Tallawahs put up a total of 178 despite getting off to a terrible start.
The game was expected to be a closely contested affair, but Mohammed Amir’s sensational bowling didn’t allow for that. He picked up a four-wicket haul and conceded only 19 runs in 3.3 overs.
His wickets included those of Andre Fletcher and Yannic Cariah, the former one of the most dangerous strikers of the ball and the latter, who was well-set at 65.
Thanks to Amir and the other bowlers, the total was easily defended as the Tallawahs were bowled out for just 119.
#4 Dwayne Pretorius(4-27 vs Trinbago Knight Riders, CPL 2023 Final)
In the high-octane summit clash earlier today, the Guyana Amazon Warriors bowled the Trinbago Knight Riders out for just 94 before completing the chase with six overs to spare.
The hero of this stunning performance was South African Dwayne Pretorius, who picked up four wickets in the first inning while conceding just 26 runs.
One of his four wickets was the crucial one of Nicholas Pooran,who,o on his day, could single-handedly destroy an opposition. More than his strikes, it was his consistent lines and lengths that created an impact. He also found a little bit of swing to trouble the batters.
Pretorius, for his magnificent outing in the big game, was declared the player-of-the-match. His brilliance with the ball is one of the huge reasons behind the success of the Warriors, as he ended up being the highest wicket-taker of the tournament.
#3 Romario Shepherd (3-7 vs Jaimaica Tallawahs in CPL 2023)
The Guyana Amazon Warriors and Jamaica Tallawahs squared off in the 11th game of the tournament at Warner Park in St. Kitts. The Warriors batted first and notched up a total of 210 on the board thanks to half-centuries by Shimron Hetmyer and Keemo Paul.
With the likes of Brandon King, Imad Wasim, and Fabien Allen part of the side, the Tallawahs had all the might to chase down the total.
However, Romario Shepherd produced a stunning effort with the ball, which put them on the backfoot. He returned figures of 3-7, dismissing Brandon King, Sharmarh Brooks, and Amir Jangoo in the process.
His spell with the new ball reduced the Tallawahs to 7-3, and as hard as Wasim and Allen tried, the game was gone. The Warriors defeated the Tallawahs by 34 runs, and Shepherd was declared the player of the-match.
#2 Salman Irshad (4-27 vs St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in CPL 2023)
Jamaica Tallawahs’ Salman Irshad produced fantastic returns against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in game 7 of the season.
The Tallawahs won the toss and opted to field first, a decision that was validated by Irshad’s superb bowling. Irshad ended with figures of 4-27, picking up some huge wickets and creating a massive impact on the proceedings.
He dismissed Andre Fletcher, Corbin Bosch and Ambati Rayudi in the very same over to leave the Patriots in a hole. He later returned to dismiss a well-set Joshua Da Silva just before the commencement of the death overs.
His high-quality skills helped the Tallawahs reduce the Patriots’ score to 156, which was chased down with a lot of ease. Irshad was rightly chosen as the player of the-match.
#1 Matthew Forde (4-23 vs Jamaica Tallawahs, CPL 2023 Eliminator)
In the Eliminator between the Saint Lucia Kings and Jamaica Tallawahs, the former could only manage to score 125 in the first inning.
The Tallawahs bowled immaculately, posing different questions to the batters who had no answers. For the Kings, none of the batters apart from Roston Chase got going.
The chase was expected to be an easy one, and that was the case as the Kings won the game with 16 deliveries to spare.
However, 21-year-old Matthew Forde bowled with a big heart despite there being very few runs in the bag. Forde picked up 4 out of the 5 wickets that fell and ended with exceptional figures of 4-23.
His first two wickets brought some life to the game, and despite the loss, his returns in a high-pressure game were a massive positive for the Warriors, who eventually ended up winning the tournament.
Forde’s 4-27 in the eliminator is the standout performance of the tournament, not least because of the magnitude of the game.
