West Indies wicketkeeper-batsman Nicholas Pooran shared a heartfelt post for Caribbean and Trinbago Knight Riders legend Dwayne Bravo.
Bravo announced his retirement from all forms of professional cricket and retired after suffering a groin injury during the ongoing edition of the CPL.
Pooran shared a heartfelt post for Bravo on his official Instagram handle and paid his tribute to the modern-day T20 legend.
Nicholas Pooran Pays Tribute to Dwayne Bravo
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The Barbados Royals and the Guyana Amazon Warriors are facing each other in the 16th match of the CPL 2024 at the Kensington Oval in Barbados. The Warriors are in pursuit of 206 after the Royals batted first and powered to formidable total in the game.
Shai Hope, the stand-in captain of the Warriors, won the toss ahead of the match and put the Royals to bat in the game. Kadeem Alleyne got the Royals off to a fiery start with his cameo of 22 runs from 9 deliveries.
Quinton de Kock powered the Royals to a formidable total
Even though Alleyne did not last long, his innings allowed de Kock the time to settle down and plan a long innings for his team. He batted till the last over of the innings and played a brilliant knock of 115 runs from 68 deliveries. His innings was decorated with eight fours and nine sixes. Along with the impactful knock of de Kock, Jason Holder’s fiery cameo of 28 from 10 deliveries powered the Royals to a formidable total of 205/6 in their 20 overs.
The Warriors needed a strong start to chase down the huge score. But that did not happen as Azam Khan fell early and was soon followed by his fellow opener, Tim Robinson. At the fall of the second wicket, Shimron Hetmyer walked out into the middle and started his innings of in style.
Shimron Hetmyer injected momentum into the chase
— Cricket Cricket (@cricket543210) September 15, 2024
Shimron Hetmyer slammed the first three balls off his innings for maximums. The first two of these maximums came against Keshav Maharaj in the sixth over of the chase. He then followed it up with another maximum in the next over. It was on the second delivery of the seventh over when Hetmyer launched Obed McCoy for the third maximum of his innings.
Hetmyer’s crazy start injected much needed momentum into the Warriors’ innings. He looked dangerous in the middle and could have taken the game away from the Royals, if he batted long enough. However, unfortunatley for Hetmyer and the Royals, the southpaw fell in the ninth over to Keshav Maharaj. He departed after scoring a quick fire 28 off 10 deliveries.
At the time of writing, the Guyana Amazon Warriors are stationed at 100/3 in 11 overs. Moeen Ali and Shai Hope are guiding the team towards the massive target.
Guyana Amazon Warriors opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz has left the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League to honour his obligations with the Afghanistan national side.
Afghanistan and South Africa are set to play a three-match ODI series from September 18-22 in Sharjah.
Guyana Amazon Warriors manager Leon Johnson confirmed to News Room on Wednesday that Gurbaz has departed for the upcoming series, rendering him unavailable for the defending champions’ next game against hosts Barbados Royals on Saturday, September 14, at Kensington Oval.
The flamboyant right-hander will rejoin the Warriors squad during the Guyana leg of the tournament on September 24.
The Guyana leg, which comprises the Warriors home games, playoff matches and grand final, will take place from September 20 to October 6 at the National Stadium, Providence.
New Zealand opener Tim Robinson, who made his CPL debut in the last match against St. Lucia Kings, will act as the temporary replacement for Gurbaz, while retired England all-rounder Moeen Ali is set to join the Warriors soon, as a replacement for Pakistan opener Saim Ayub, who will miss the entire tournament.
Gurbaz has played a significant role in the Warriors’ unbeaten run this season, scoring a team-high 136 runs in three innings at a phenomenal strike rate of 194.28.
He has also struck 15 sixes, the joint-most with Kyle Mayers of St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots.
The 22-year-old has scored 20 off 14 against Antigua and Barbuda Falcons, 69 off 37 against Patriots and 47 off 19 against Kings in his three knocks this season, helping the Warriors to top of the points table.
Warriors fixtures
August 30- vs Antigua and Barbuda Falcons in Antigua (Warriors won by three wickets)
September 4- vs St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots in St. Kitts (Warriors won by 40 runs)
September 7- vs St. Lucia Kings in St. Lucia (Warriors won by six wickets)
September 14- vs Barbados Royals in Barbados
September 18- vs Trinbago Knight Riders in Trinidad
September 20- vs St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots in Guyana
September 21- vs Antigua and Barbuda Falcons in Guyana
September 25- vs Barbados Royals in Guyana
September 28- vs St. Lucia Kings in Guyana
September 29- vs Trinbago Knight Riders in Guyana
The Guyana Amazon Warriors and the St. Lucia Kings played the 10th match of the CPL 2024 at the Daren Sammy Stadium in Gros Islet, St. Lucia. The Warriors earned an easy victory, as their bowlers put in a dominating show.
Imran Tahir, the Warriors’ skipper, won the toss before the match and put the Kings to bat. The Kings suffered a collapse, losing four wickets for seven runs. After this, there was a partnership, but another collapse in the lower order restricted them to 100 runs.
The Warriors came out to chase the target with great intent. They were aiming for a quick win to boost their net run rate. Rahmanullah Gurbaz played the perfect as an opener. His 47 off just 19 deliveries killed off the game as a competition.
In an attempt to chase down the target quickly, the Warriors lost a couple of wickets and in walked Shimron Hetmyer, the last game’s hero, at number five. When Hetmyer took guard, it was the ninth over of the innings, and Alzarri Joseph was bowling.
The first ball Hetmyer faced was a good length delivery that Hetmyer blocked back to the bowler. Joseph collected the ball and had a throw at the stumps; he followed this up with a stare-down to Shimron Hetmyer.
Joseph went for the same length on the next delivery but tried to angle the ball away from the batter. Hetmyer spotted the length early, cleared his front leg and heaved the ball away over mid-wicket for a huge maximum. It was a perfect reply to the unnecessary stare-down from the previous delivery,
Things heat up between Joseph and Hetmyer
— Cricket Cricket (@cricket543210) September 8, 2024
The Warriors chased down the target they had on board in 10 overs, losing only four wickets. With this win, the Warriors have found their way to the top of the points table with three wins in three games.
The tenth match of the ensuing 2024 Caribbean Premier League will see the St Lucia Kings play their first home game against the Guyana Amazon Warriors. This will be the first game of the league to be held at the Darren Sammy International Stadium, St Lucia. Both the sides are currently unbeaten in the tournament and will hope for another good showing.
Kings currently top the standings with two wins in two matches and will hope to register their third win. On the other hand, Warriors currently occupy second place in the standings and have won two out of the two.
The surface at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium is favourable for batters. A high-scoring encounter could be expected with some assistance for pacers at the beginning and spin as the game progresses. Opting to bat first could be a wise decision.
SLK vs GUY Probable Playing XIs
St. Lucia Kings
Johnson Charles, Faf du Plessis (c), Ackeem Auguste, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Roston Chase, Tim Seifert (wk), David Wiese, Mikkel Govia, Alzarri Joseph, Matthew Forde, Noor Ahmad.
Guyana Amazon Warriors
Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Shai Hope, Azam Khan(w), Shimron Hetmyer, Romario Shepherd, Keemo Paul, Dwaine Pretorius, Gudakesh Motie, Imran Tahir(c), Shamar Joseph, Junior Sinclair.
SLK vs GUY Winner Prediction
The Guyana-based side are an outstanding bunch of folks that won the championship last time. They’ve initiated the campaign in a similar manner and seem one of the best sides of the tournament. Although the Kings have firepower, they’re not a well-poised side and may get dented by their forthcoming opponents.
The Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2024 is experiencing one of the largest run-fests in the tournament’s history.
During the seventh game between Guyana Amazon Warriors and SKN Patriots. Andre Fletcher-led Guyana scored 266 runs where Shimron Hetmyer was the highest run-getter scoring 91 runs in 39 balls.
The Patriots approached the chase with the right mindset, determined to tackle the sizable target.
Despite losing Evin Lewis early, captain Andre Fletcher, alongside Sherfane Rutherford, brought significant momentum to the innings.
The video of that incident went viral on social media here is the clip.
— Cricket Cricket (@cricket543210) September 5, 2024
Both batters put immense pressure on the bowlers, leading to visible frustration among the Patriots. This frustration was particularly evident during the eighth over of the second innings when Keemo Paul attempted to obstruct Andre Fletcher’s running path as he was scoring freely.
Paul’s attempt to obstruct Fletcher did not sit well with the captain, who addressed the issue directly with the bowler.
Paul, refusing to back down, exchanged words with Fletcher, escalating the situation as both players asserted their positions. Fortunately, the tension was defused before things got out of hand, thanks to the intervention of teammates and umpires who stepped in to separate the two.
Shimron Hetmyer’s innings
Shimron Hetmyer who was playing for Guyana Amazon Warriors was the highest run-getter of the match he scored 91 runs in just 39 balls where he smashed 11 sixes. Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz also scored 69 runs including six sixes and four fours. Both batters smashed the bowlers to all over the ground.
Guyana Amazon Warriors and SKN Patriots match report
After Guyana Amazon Warriors’s 267 the Patriots were off to a good start but they lost wickets in the middle and that helped the Warriors to put pressure on the batters. In the end, despite a tough fight, the Patriots could score 226 before being bundled out in the 18 over and lost the match by 41 runs.
The Antigua and Barbuda Falcons took on the St. Kitts and Nevis Patriots on the opening clash of the CPL 2024 at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound Antigua.
The Patriots managed to win the match by one wicket off the last delivery in the game. But it was a debutant from the Falcons, who might have grabbed the most attention in this game.
Jewel Andrew hailing from Antigua, has impressed with his show in the domestic circuit. The 17-year-old was drafted in by the Falcons ahead of the season because of the promise and potential he has shown so far. Well, as far as his debut in the CPL is concerned, he has repaid the faith his franchise showed in him.
Andrew came into bat in a pressure situation for the Falcons and handed the situation with great composure and maturity. His 50 off 30 balls was what got the Falcons to a fighting total.
Match Situation When Andrew Came into Bat
After the Falcons were put to bat by Andre Fletcher, they lost a wicket pretty early in the innings. However, Fakhar Zaman did give them a platform with his aggressive batting. But the departure of Zaman and Kofi James in quick succession put the Falcons on the back foot.
It was at this stage that Jewel Andrew walked out to bat. A lot depended on Andrew’s batting approach at the stage. The young man played a classing innings in crisis and rescued his team from a precarious position.
If we look at the strike rate progression of Jewel Andrew, then we see that he rotated the strike at the beginning of the innings and maintained a strike rate of around 100. As he got settled and got an idea about the conditions, Andrew gradually started increasing his scoring rate.
At one stage, he unleashed the fury on the bowlers and got the scoring rate to over two runs a ball. The innings progression of Jewel Andrew shows his maturity, composure and ability to handle pressure.
The Unit Trust Corporation Global Balanced Fund Limited (UTC GBFL) announced former West Indies captain Daren Sammy as its brand ambassador at an investor luncheon, held at the Harbour Club St Lucia, Curio Collection by Hilton, on August 16.
TT Unit Trust Corporation (TTUTC) executive director and UTC GBFL director Nigel Edwards said, “Daren’s journey is a true reflection of a Caribbean success story. His remarkable achievements on the cricket field and his inspiring leadership resonate deeply with our values. His story has not only been about individual greatness, but about honouring the legacy of the West Indian greats before him and building a fresh legacy for the generations to come. We at the UTC share that vision of what is possible when we come together for a common cause.”
The UTC GBFL has signed Sammy to a brand ambassadorship that will establish him as a face of the fund, which includes support for the Daren Sammy Foundation. This partnership follows the historic launch of the UTC GBFL in May last year, which marked the first collective investment scheme to become available to investors across the entire Eastern Caribbean Currency Union (ECCU).
Sammy, known for his charismatic leadership, said he is thrilled to join UTC GBFL as a brand ambassador.
“Their commitment to excellence and innovation aligns perfectly with my values, both on and off the field. I look forward to working together to achieve great things and inspire others through our partnership.”
Omar Burch-Smith, regional collective investment scheme manager, UTC Fund Management Services STL Ltd, said that “Daren embodies the kind of transformative leadership that can produce extraordinary results – the kind of leadership that we as Caribbean people can look to as we build brighter futures together. Deepening the capital market and developing new sources of capital is a critical step on the path to sustainable development in our region.”
A dynamic and skilled all-rounder, Sammy is celebrated not only for his prowess with bat and ball, but for his steadfast leadership as West Indies captain which spurred the team on to two ICC T20 World Cup titles in 2012 and 2016.
In May 2023, Sammy was named as the head coach of the West Indies cricket team in T20 and 50-Over cricket.
Former West Indies cricketer Courtney Walsh on Saturday (August 17) took to social media to share the news regarding his stolen phones.
The 61-year-old provided an update on X following the nightmarish experience a week ago. He informed his near and dear ones that he no longer had access to his Jamaica and Antigua numbers.
“Phones got stolen last Saturday and to date can’t get any info so any one trying to reach me on my JA number or Antigua number you won’t get me as yet.”
Courtney Walsh wrote on X:
Phones got stolen last Saturday and to date can’t get any info so any one trying to reach me on my JA number or Antigua number you won’t get me as yet 🙏🏿🙏🏿
— Courtney A Walsh (@CuddyWalsh) August 16, 2024
On the professional front, Courtney Walsh was roped in as a consultant for the Zimbabwe Women’s cricket team earlier this year. Zimbabwe, however, failed to qualify for the 2024 T20 World Cup as they managed just a solitary win in their four league games at the qualifiers.
Walsh holds the record for most wickets for the West Indies in international cricket. The speedster scalped 519 wickets in 132 Tests with the help of 22 five-wicket hauls. In ODIs, Walsh has 227 scalps in 205 matches. Overall, the Jamaica-born player has 746 wickets across formats. The top five on the list also include Curtley Ambrose (630 wickets), Malcolm Marsh (533), Kemar Roach (408), and Joel Garner (405).
West Indies pacer Jayden Seales narrowly avoided a potential disaster on Day 2 of the ongoing second and final Test against South Africa at Providence Stadium in Guyana. The bizarre yet horrifying incident took place when a dragonfly flew directly into Seales’ eye during his run-up, causing a temporary halt to the play in Guyana.
The strange incident scared one and all, as Jayden Seales was gearing up to deliver the ball in the South Africa cricket team’s second innings in the ongoing final Test. Just as the West Indies pacer started his approach, the errant dragonfly made a dramatic entrance, startling Seales and disrupting his delivery.
West Indies’ Jayden Seales survives eye scare in Guyana Test vs South Africa
Jayden Seales was absolutely disturbed to see the dragonfly interrupting his run-up before it attacked his right eye, forcing the West Indies pacer to abandon his run-up. Later, the umpire called it a dead ball.
A video capturing this rare incident was quickly shared by Windies Cricket on X, showing Jayden Seales’ visibly shaken reaction as he dealt with the unwelcome intruder in the ongoing second Test against South Africa in Guyana.
Amidst this interruption, Jayden Seales has been a standout performer in the ongoing Test series between the West Indies and South Africa. He finished with a three-wicket haul in the first Test against the Proteas side at Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, where the game ended in a draw.
Jayden Seales continues to impress as South Africa takes command in Guyana
He continued his impressive form in the ongoing second Test against South Africa in Guyana, claiming three wickets in 14 overs while conceding 45 runs and dismissing Tony De Zorzi, Wiaan Mulder, and Kagiso Rabada. His brilliant performance helped the West Indies bowl out South Africa to 160 in their first innings in the ongoing second and final Test in Guyana.
Watch here how Jayden Seales had to halt his run-up after encountering a dragonfly mid-stride:
Dead ball by Dragonfly attack!🪰
Seales pulls out of his runup after crossing paths with a Dragonfly.#WIvSA #MenInMaroon pic.twitter.com/AP67Pz8RHN
— Windies Cricket (@windiescricket) August 16, 2024
However, the West Indies also had a miserable time with the bat in the first inning, bowling out for just 144 runs against South Africa. Only Jason Holder (54*), Keacy Karty (26), and Shamar Joseph (25) could cross the 20-run mark in the first innings against the Proteas in Guyana.
Nandre Burger and Wiaan Mulder were the standout performers for the tourists with the ball, taking 7 wickets together. Well, South Africa has presently put itself in the commanding position in the ongoing second Test against the West Indies. They finished day two of the final Test at 223/5 with a 239-run lead in the second innings against the West Indies team in Guyana.
Aiden Markram (51) and Kyle Verreynne (50*) were brilliant with the bat on Day 2 of the Guyana Test on August 17. Seales was brilliant with the ball on Day 2 of the second and final Test, taking three wickets of Tony de Zorzi (39), Tristan Stubbs (24), and David Bedingham (0) in Guyana.
On the other hand, Gudakesh Motie snared two wickets in the third innings of the ongoing crucial Test. Now, the West Indies need to take five more wickets to ease the job of their batters, who will have a huge task to win the game.