The Guyana Amazon Warriors continued their dominant form on Friday, September 11, securing their eighth win of the season with a six-wicket victory over the Trinbago Knight Riders in Guyana. The result officially eliminated the defending champions from the tournament and confirmed a last-place finish for the Knight Riders, a sharp decline from their previous title-winning campaign.
Opting to bat first, the Knight Riders initially looked promising as Colin Munro and Alex Hales found the boundary early on. However, the momentum shifted dramatically in the fifth over when Mehidy Hasan Miraz dismissed both Munro and Nicholas Pooran with consecutive deliveries, leaving the visitors at 41 for 1. The Warriors’ spinners tightened their grip thereafter, conceding only 36 runs and taking two additional wickets between the fifth and 13th overs. Hales was caught out in the 10th over, and Miraz returned to bowl Jyd Goolie in the 13th and Sunil Narine in the 15th, finishing with impressive figures of 4 for 23.
Justin Greaves provided some resistance with a 37-ball 35, but his dismissal by Shamar Joseph in the 17th over further stalled the Knight Riders’ progress. Kieron Pollard, who entered at number seven, could not turn the tide as the team finished their 20 overs at 126 for 8, with Joseph contributing 2 for 27. The Warriors’ chase began steadily, reaching 35 runs during the Powerplay while losing Mavendra Dindyal. Although Usman Tariq removed Glenn Phillips shortly after the fielding restrictions were lifted, a composed 49-run partnership between Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer stabilized the innings.
Sunil Narine eventually broke the partnership by dismissing Hetmyer in the 13th over, but Hope remained steady to guide his side home. Scoring an unbeaten 42 off 35 balls, Hope finished the match in style with a four and a six in the 19th over. The final scorecard saw the Trinbago Knight Riders post 126 for 8, while the Guyana Amazon Warriors reached 127 for 4 in 18.4 overs to claim the win. The report also notes that the game followed a familiar template for the Warriors with their spinners restricting their opponents to a subpar total of 126 to set up a relatively easy chase. The report also notes that with only 36 runs coming for the loss of two more wickets, just one boundary was struck between overs five and 13. The report also notes that the spinners then assumed complete control of proceedings. The report also notes that 7 after being held back, wasn’t able to make an impact either as the Knight Riders stumbled along to 126 for 8 in 20 overs.