The Guyana Amazon Warriors continued their perfect CPL 2016 record when they beat the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots by four wickets.
Patriots skipper Faf du Plessis hasn’t been able to turn around his side’s fortunes so far this season. After finishing last last season, they’ve now lost four of their five matches.
It was a contest dominated by the spinners in a low-scoring affair. Shamsi impressed once again with 2-27, but Australian leg-spinner Adam Zampa stole the headlines with 3-18.
Shamsi is the joint-third leading wicket-taker in the tournament with six scalps just a shade over six an over, but the efforts with the ball haven’t been matched with the bat. Du Plessis has 75 runs from his five innings at an average of 15.
The Patriots could only muster 108-8 thanks to Lendl Simmons’ 50. Du Plessis scored one while it was an evening to forget for compatriot JJ Smuts, who walked for a golden duck.
Smuts had good moments with the ball in response as he took the wickets of Dwayne Smith (5) and Chris Lynn (34), but it was a five-ball blitz from Martin Guptill, off Smuts’ bowling, that really took the game away.
Guptill smashed 26 runs off five consecutive Smuts deliveries, including three sixes and two fours, and there was no getting back from that. The Amazon Warriors saw off the total with 22 deliveries remaining, to make it four out of four.
Photo: CPL/Sportsfile
