Caribbean-T20 League 2024

Final: SLK vs GUY

Preview

A month-long battle with 33 matches comes down to this day. Yes, we have the second finalist, who will cross swords with Saint Lucia Kings for the final game of the Caribbean T20 League 2024. Guyana Amazon Warriors defeated Barbados Royals in the penultimate match to seal their spot in the final berth. The game will be hosted at the Providence Stadium in Guyana at 04:30 AM IST on Monday, October 7. 

In the group stage, both Guyana Amazon Warriors and Saint Lucia Kings displayed remarkable resilience, each securing 7 wins out of the assigned ten games. However, it was the Warriors who emerged on top, edging past the Kings with their superior Net Run Rate, a testament to their unwavering determination and spirit. 

Saint Lucia defeated the hosts in the first qualifier of the event to get a direct entry into the finals. In that match, SLK batted first to put up a total of 198 runs on the scoreboard. Solid performances from their openers, Faf du Plessis (57) and Johnson Charles (72), who are known for their aggressive batting, took them over the line as the rest of the batting lineup crumbled in front of Guyana’s bowling attack. Moeen Ali and Dwaine Pretorius, who are key bowlers for the team, took two wickets apiece, along with Shamar Joseph picking one, which played significant roles but somehow failed to get the runs in control. 

Later on, the game was reduced to 13 overs due to persistent rain, with 121 runs to chase. Shimron Hetmyer played a 37-run unbeaten knock off just 18 balls, but despite strenuous efforts, they fell short of 15 runs to cross the line. Alzarri Joseph, Noor Ahmad, David Wiese and Roston Chase picked one wicket and took their side over the line. 

Imran Tahir and Co. then faced Barbados Royals in the Qualifier 2, in which they won comfortably with a margin of 8 wickets. The Rovman Powell side were bundled up at just 148 runs, all thanks to the Warriors, Romario Shepherd (3) and Moeen Ali (2). While retaliating, openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz (40) and Moeen Ali (44*) put up a great show, after which keeper-batter Shai Hope finished the game with an unbeaten 56 runs off just 33 deliveries to register a win in just 14.3 overs to cruise to the finals. 

Match Details

Match: SLK vs GUY, Match 28, Caribbean-T20 League 2024

Date: Monday, October 7, 2024

Time: 04:30 AM IST

Venue: Providence Stadium in Guyana

Pitch and Weather Report

The surface at the Providence Stadium in Guyana has been assisting the bowlers as the match progresses, and the surface becomes slower. The spinners usually get the upper hand throughout the game, and the pacers will need to scrap timbers early on in the match. The par score is 149 runs for the team batting first, but in order to win a game here, one needs to target a score of 180-190.

The weather in Guyana will be partly cloudy, with chances of light showers. During the match, the temperatures will be around 26 degrees Celsius. 

SLK vs GUY Squads

SLK: Faf du Plessis, Alzarri Joseph, Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Noor Ahmad, David Wiese, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Matthew Forde, Aaron Jones, Khary Pierre, Johann Jeremiah, Sadrack Descarte, McKenny Clarke, Ackeem Auguste, Mikkel Govia, Khari Campbell, Tim Seifert

GUY: Imran Tahir, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope, Romario Shepherd, Azam Khan, Gudakesh Motie, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Keemo Paul, Dwaine Pretorius, Kevin Sinclair, Raymon Reifer, Ronaldo Alimohamed, Shamar Joseph, Kevlon Anderson, Matthew Nandu, Junior Sinclair, Moeen Ali, Tim Robinson

SLK vs GUY Probable Playing XIs

SLK: Faf du Plessis (c), Johnson Charles, Ackeem Auguste, Roston Chase, Tim Seifert (wk), Johann Jeremiah, David Wiese, Alzarri Joseph, Khary Pierre, Noor Ahmad, Matthew Forde

GUY: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Raymon Reifer, Shai Hope (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Moeen Ali, Keemo Paul, Romario Shepherd, Dwaine Pretorius, Gudakesh Motie, Shamar Joseph, Imran Tahir (c)

Match Prediction

The two-time champions, GUY, are in red-hot form, despite their defeat in the first qualifier against SLK. If they can replicate the same performance as they did in the second qualifier against BAR, they are likely to win their third Caribbean T20 League title. SLK, on the other hand, has a team of seasoned batters and bowlers who are ready to back each other to win their maiden title. With the current form of both teams and the home advantage, the anticipation for the Guyana Amazon Warriors to win this game is high.

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