Trinbago Knight Riders were too good for Guyana Amazon Warriors in their last clash in the qualifiers and they will fancy their chances of repeating that feat in this final of the Caribbean Premier League.
That seven-wicket success was an eye-catching one and while the Amazon Warriors responded well by thrashing Jamaica Tallawahs to book their spot in the final, they would need to produce a big performance to overturn the result of the last clash between the two teams.
Asked if the opposition had a psychological advantage coming into the CPL final, Tahir instead focused on his team’s strengths.
“Someone is going to cross the line, and I feel that this team has all the ingredients to do this. We truly believe this. It’s just a game that we have to believe a bit more. Help each other more like we have been during the whole competition. I truly believe that the kind of cricket we have been playing the whole competition, we deserve to be in the final,” said Tahir.
“If you look back over the whole competition, we have beaten everybody. On the day, we need to play better cricket. I am really looking forward to the game tomorrow,” the Amazon Warriors skipper added.
Asked if the Keemo Pual fit the final, Tahir said,
“We just need to focus to play the game with freedom and execute our plans. We are hoping that he (Keemo Paul) will be fit for the final and he really wants to do something special for the team. ” Guyana skipper Tahir said on Sunday Final vs TKR.
Guyana Amazon Warriors are placed at the top spot in the Caribbean Premier League 2023 points table with 8 wins and one loss from their 10 matches of the league. The team has 17 points.
Shai Hope is the top run-scorer for Guyana Amazon Warriors with 449 runs at a strike rate of 144. He has struck 24 sixes and 31 fours. Saim Ayub has also made 426 runs at a strike rate of 144.
Imran Tahir has been the best bowler for Guyana Amazon Warriors and has picked up 16 wickets while bowling at an average of 17 and an economy rate of 6.64.
Knight Riders skipper Kieron Pollard said that losing their previous five finals does not give his team an advantage but added that it would be “unfortunate” for their opposition if they were to lose.
“Honestly, I don’t think we are playing any psychological games or anything like that. We are worrying about what TKR needs to worry about. I am not sure what they are thinking about psychologically or otherwise,” said Pollard.
“What I can safely say is that it is another game of cricket for us and we will play it as such. Let’s see what happens. It would be nice if we lift a fifth trophy, and it might be unfortunate for the opposition,” he added.
The Knight Riders have won four of their last five games and record another success to lift the trophy.
Trinbago Knight Riders are placed at the 2nd spot in the Caribbean Premier League 2023 points table with 6 wins and 3 losses from their 10 matches of the league. The team has 13 points.
Nicholas Pooran is the top run-scorer for Trinbago Knight Riders with 290 runs at a strike rate of 159. He has struck 20 sixes and 22 fours. Martin Guptill has also made 262 runs at a strike rate of 115.
Waqar Salamkheil has been the best bowler for Trinbago Knight Riders and has picked up 11 wickets while bowling at an average of 15 and an economy rate of 6.46.
Squads
Guyana Amazon Warriors – Imran Tahir, Shimron Hetmyer, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Odean Smith, Romario Shepherd, Azam Khan, Shai Hope, Gudakesh Motie, Dwaine Pretorius, Kevlon Anderson, Kevin Sinclair, Keemo Paul, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Ronsford Beaton, Matthew Nandu, Junior Sinclair
Trinbago Knight Riders – Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Nicholas Pooran, Rilee Rossouw, Akeal Hosein, Noor Ahmad, Martin Guptill, Jayden Seales, Matheesha Pathirana, Mark Deyal, Chadwick Walton, Terrance Hinds, Kadeem Alleyne, Jaden Carmichael