Hope, Hetmyer put Guyana on course for top spot

A strong batting performance, led by half-centuries from Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer, have put Guyana Amazon Warriors on the brink of securing top spot in CPL 2024. In the penultimate league game of the season, Guyana managed to defeat Saint Lucia Kings, who will now anxiously wait to see if they can hold on to their second spot in the table.

Saint Lucia were abysmal in the run chase but Faf du Plessis' fighting knock ensured they didn't go behind heavily on the net run rate. Guyana got off to a flier when Azam Khan took on Alzarri Joseph. The boundaries kept coming before a top edge saw Azam depart for a 11-ball 26. The batting side had to rebuild again after the other opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz fell just before the conclusion of the powerplay.

While Hetmyer ensured the run rate didn't dip as he kept finding the boundary, Hope made a sedate start. Even a six around the halfway mark didn't really boost his strike rate as the batting side heavily relied on Hetmyer for impetus. He smashed a 26-ball 50 in style to ensure Guyana remained on top before being sent back by Joseph. Hope finally found his timing as he took on Khary Pierre for three sixes in an over that brought up a 29-ball fifty. Once he departed, the rest couldn't make a huge impact at the death but Guyana still managed to breach 200.

Saint Lucia were pumped up for the run chase as du Plessis targeted Romario Shepherd, an eventful over that saw the pacer concede three fours and a six. The carnage in the PowerPlay saw the chasing side knock off 63 runs but at the cost of two wickets. To make matters worse, Imran Tahir breached Roston Chase's defence with a googly in the 7th over and from thereon, Guyana took full control.

The spin trio of Tahir, Moeen Ali and Gudakesh Motie reduced Saint Lucia to 101 for 6 with du Plessis waging a lone battle. The skipper battled cramps but still didn't give up, he batted deep into the innings despite wickets falling around him. While Saint Lucia had made only 121 from 17 overs, du Plessis combined with Joseph to fetch some crucial runs in the final three overs. The last over in particular from Junior Sinclair saw du Plessis hammer three sixes while Joseph managed to clear the ropes once, as the finish saw them limit the losing margin to 35 runs.

Brief Scores: Guyana Amazon Warriors 207/7 in 20 overs (Shimron Hetmyer 58, Shai Hope 56; David Wiese 3/43, Noor Ahmad 2/26) beat Saint Lucia Kings 172/7 in 20 overs (Faf du Plessis 92*; Imran Tahir 2/20, Moeen Ali 2/21) by 35 runs