Player of the match Karishma Ramharack took 3-12 from four overs to help the Amazon Warriors restrict the Knight Riders to just 78 all out in 17 overs after TKR won the toss and chose to bat first.
Captain Deandra Dottin led the way with 25 while Shreyanka Patil provided good support for Ramharack with 2-10 from four overs.
The successful chase then took just 7.3 overs thanks to 38* from Sophie Devine and scores of 18 from Suzie Bates and 17* from captain Stafanie Taylor.
The Amazon Warriors will take on the Barbados Royals in the final on Sunday.
Ball dominated bat on a testing wicket under lights. The Royals were inserted after Warriors captain Lauren Winfield-Hill won the toss and Hayley Matthews’s side struggled to break the infield or find the boundary in the early stages. Matthews fell for just two runs off 13 deliveries, and the normally fluent Chamari Athapanthu used up 27 deliveries for her 15 runs before being pinned lbw by Chloe Tryon.
It was hard going throughout for the Royals in the face of tight bowling, with just 25 runs added in the PowerPlay and 33 on the board after the first ten overs. Erin Burns starred for the Warriors once again, this time with the ball in hand, as she returned figures of 3/31 off her four overs as the Royals reached a total of 101/8 off their twenty overs. Qiana Joseph top scored for the 2023 champions with 19 runs. The slow left-armer later pocketed 3/16 with the ball to cap a Player of the Match performance.
The Warriors found conditions equally as tough in their response. The Royals put the squeeze on and showed their class and composure in defending a small target. Once Erin Burns, the tournament’s top run maker, was dismissed by Athanpanthu to leave the warriors 44/5 in the twelfth over, the game drifted out of sight for Winfield-Hill’s side.
The Royals chalked up another win and look increasingly strong in this year’s competition, now it is a case of who they will meet in Thursday’s final with Trinbago Knight Riders and Guyana Amazon Warriors both tied on two points apiece. Deandra Dottin’s Knight Riders have the chance to secure their place in the final but will need to find a way of beating the undefeated and dominant Royals tomorrow night in order to do so.
Chasing a target of 131 in favorable batting conditions, the Warriors found themselves in early trouble at 15-2 after losing Natasha McLean and Stafanie Taylor within the first few overs. The pressure mounted as Jonassen and seamer Shikha Pandey applied the brakes, making run-scoring difficult in the powerplay.
However, Burns, alongside captain Lauren Winfield-Hill, who scored a solid 46 off 47 balls, steadied the ship with an unbroken 119-run partnership, the highest ever in the competition. The duo expertly navigated the tricky period, combining aggressive stroke play with calculated risk-taking, which paid off handsomely.
Burns, who was dropped twice during her innings, capitalized on those chances to anchor the chase. She reached her half-century off just 32 balls and continued to find the boundary with ease, particularly down the ground and through the leg side. Winfield-Hill played the perfect supporting role, rotating the strike and allowing Burns to dominate the innings.
Earlier, the Knight Riders posted a total of 130-6, a score that seemed competitive at the halfway mark. The team’s captain, Deandra Dottin, and Harshitha Samarawickrama laid a strong foundation with a half-century opening partnership. Samarawickrama, replacing the injured Meg Lanning, was particularly impressive, displaying elegant strokes and punishing anything short as she guided the team to 37-0 after the powerplay.
Despite the solid start, the Knight Riders' momentum stalled once spinner Chloe Tryon was introduced into the attack. Tryon, who finished with figures of 4-21, struck with her very first delivery, dismissing Dottin with a brilliant catch by Ashmini Munisar at gully. She then bowled Samarawickrama, who attempted a reverse sweep, and stifled the Knight Riders in the middle overs.
Jemimah Rodrigues and Jess Jonassen provided a late surge with a quick 44-run partnership, but Tryon once again swung the momentum in the Warriors' favor by removing Jonassen for 28 and then dismissing Kycia Knight in the penultimate over.
The Knight Riders' final total ultimately fell short, and the Warriors, despite the early hiccups in their chase, displayed their depth and resilience to record their first points of the tournament.
This victory will serve as a significant confidence boost for the Warriors as they look to build momentum in the competition. Both teams had entered this match desperate for a win after losing to the Barbados Royals in their opening fixtures, but it was the Warriors who emerged triumphant, thanks to Burns' heroics and Tryon's pivotal bowling performance.
After topping the group stage with two wins over the Warriors and a win and a loss over previous winners Trinbago Knight Riders, the Royals claimed the second ever WCPL title at Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Trinidad.
Having lost the toss and being put into bat for the first time, the Royals posted 169-7 with Captain Hayley Matthews finding a big score at the right time before being slowed down in the final few overs keeping the Warriors in hope of a result.
In response, competition top scorer Sophie Devine could only manage a start before some tight bowling restricted the run rate required, leaving the Warriors short.
Gaby Lewis got the Royals off to a firing start before falling side the PowerPlay with a score of 37-1 after six overs.
Matthews prevailed through the middle overs putting on the first century partnership of the competition with Rashada Williams. The Warriors clawed back the Royals, restricting them to 32-6 from the final five overs.
After early struggles for wickets, Shabnim Ismail showed her quality with 4-30, picking up the wickets of all the Royals top four batters.
Guyana Amazon Warriors, in similar fashion to the Royals, had an important middle over partnership after making the most of the PowerPlay, with Suzie Bates and Shemaine Campbelle putting on 60.
The Royals’ bowlers did enough with the ball to restrict run rate enough to deny the Warriors despite some late hope given by Natasha McLean with a 17-ball 28, including taking 16 runs from the 17th over.
Matthews was at the forefront once again in key moments with McLean being run-out off Matthews’ bowling at the non-striker’s end with some misfortune in her dismissal combined with some brilliant reactions from the Barbados captain.
Royals bowlers were economical as they have been throughout the competition with overseas star Amanda-Jade Wellington, in particular, starring with 4-23, including 3-2 in the penultimate over when the Warriors required 23 from 12 balls.
Campbelle’s brilliant unbeaten knock of 47 was in vain as Matthews was able to defend 21 off the final over despite Ismail’s cameo giving the Royals a late scare.
Scores: Barbados Royals 169-7 (Matthews 82, Williams 36; Ismail 4-30, Patil 1-25) beat Guyana Amazon Warriors 161-8 by eight runs
The Royals won the toss and put the Warriors into bat and their decision was vindicated when they kept them to 100 from their 20 overs thanks to economical wicket-taking bowling from Shakera Selman who finished with figures of 2-16.
Despite Warriors’ openers Chamari Athapaththu and Rashada Williams racing to 21 from four overs, an all-round performance with the ball including some stunning catches meant the Royals went into the innings break on top and feeling it was a score that they could chase.
In response, Hayley Matthews and Aaliyah Alleyne looked to make light work but a rush of wickets and some tight bowling meant it came down to some big hitting from Qiana Joseph to see them over the line and into the final.
They will now take on the Trinbago Knight Riders, whom they recently defeated in the final of the SKYEXCH 6IXTY last week.
After being put into bat, the Guyana Amazon Warriors started quickly before the dangerous Athapaththu was dismissed by young Fatima Sana for 19 leaving the Warriors 34-1.
As if often the case, one wicket brings another and with just seven more added to the score Williams was bowled by Selman, meaning Stafanie Taylor and Shermaine Campbelle were in need of putting together a rebuild.
The pair looked to be finding their rhythm before a stunning catch from Britney Cooper sent Campbelle back to the dugout and the Warriors floundering on 83/3 after 17.
Another stunning catch from Alleyne saw the back of Nation and then two run-outs in the final over meant the Warriors somewhat limped to 100/7 from their 20.
Beginning the chase, the Warriors’ openers Matthews and Alleyne looked keen to get the chase done quickly and were 22-0 after five overs before Gajnabi trapped Alleyne lbw with the first ball of her spell and made it two-in-two as Cooper edged behind off the next ball.
Chloe Tryon and Matthews had a grip on the rebuild and when Stafanie Taylor dropped Matthews on 20, it seemed the Royals were racing at 59-2 from nine overs.
Making up for her mistake Taylor then caught Matthews who had only added two and a flurry of wickets meant the finish would be tight.
Runs began to dry up but batting power and bravery from Qiana Joseph, who scored 30 off 19 and sealed it with a six, meant the Royals took the two points for the win and qualify for the final.
The Royals must now go and recover, refuel and prepare to return to competition in the final of the inaugural Massy WCPL on Sunday.
Matthews won the toss and chose to field first at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, Trinidad and her side restricted the Warriors to what was thought to be a below-par score of 118-9 off their 20 overs. The wickets were shared around between Royals’ seam and spin bowlers, Aaliyah Alleyne taking 3-21 from her four overs including the crucial wicket of a well-set Stafanie Taylor for 38.
It was far from a comfortable chase for the Royals, the 2023 champions found themselves 44-3 and 50-4 during their innings but Matthews kept her head with wickets falling all around her, finishing unbeaten on 61 not out off 58 deliveries having batted through the innings to secure victory for her side and get the defence of their trophy off to a winning start.
An undulating match began with the Warriors struggling to get any momentum with the bat after losing both openers inside the PowerPlay. Captain Lauren Winford-Hill was bowled by a fast delivery from Alleyne that zipped off the floodlit wicket and Natasha McLean fended off Qiana Joseph to be well caught inside the inner circle by a diving Cherry-Ann Fraser.
At 59-2 after 10 overs the Warriors then lost wickets regularly in the second half of their innings which duly served to stifle their run scoring.
Stafanie Taylor played a typically classy knock, hitting four fours and a six to anchor the innings for the Warriors before Alleyne made the crucial breakthrough by bowling her with the second ball of the 17th over. Amanda-Jade Wellington found turn and a kept a tight line for the Royals, the Australian leg-spinner finishing impressively with 2-19 off her four overs to set up a seemingly straightforward chase.
The Royals also lost regular wickets in their reply, Shabnim Isamil the pick of bowlers for the Warriors, picking 4-16 from her four overs and looking threatening with almost every delivery she sent down.
Erin Burns pulled off an early contender for catch of the competition, a flashing drive by Georgia Redmayne seeing Burns produce a wonderfully athletic diving grab at point. Definitely one for the highlights reel and the repeat button.
Chloe Tryon ensured the game went down to the wire by stitching together five consecutive dots to Shabika Gajnabi in a penultimate over that went for just one run.
With seven needed off the final six balls, Winford-Hill entrusted 19-year-old leg-spinner Nyia Latchman with the final over. The teenager kept her nerve impressively but it wasn’t enough to stop Matthews using all her skill and experience to find the gaps in the outfield and get her side over the line at the last.
The Royals won the toss and chose to field first. That decision proved to be the wrong one as the Tallawahs hammered the bowling all around Warner Park to post 162-3 from their 10 overs.
The Tallawahs were 60-3 when Reifer came to join Jangoo at the crease in the fifth over before the pair put the Royals bowling to the sword, adding 102 runs off just 36 balls to help them post the mammoth total.
Jangoo ended with 68 not out from 27 balls including four fours and six sixes while Reifer ended 57 not out off 19 balls including eight fours and three sixes.
The Royals then had a decent showing with the bat in reply but, despite fighting knocks from Ireland’s Harry Tector (35), South African Corbin Bosch (33) and Rakheem Cornwall (25), they fell well short of the target, being bowled out for 121 in 9.5 overs.
Reifer completed a fine all-round display with 3-16 off 1.5 overs while Nicholson Gordon took 2-18 from his two overs.
The Tallawahs have now booked a spot in the semi-finals with a perfect record after two games.
Earlier, Trinbago Knight Riders Women got an easy 10-wicket win over Guyana Amazon Warriors Women.
The Amazon Warriors only managed to score 33 before being bowled out in eight overs after winning the toss and electing to bat.
No batter got into double figures as South African leg-spinner Sune Luus led the way with 2-6 from two overs for TKR. Hat-trick hero from their last game Geetika Kodali from the USA took 1-10 from two overs.
The Knight Riders’ opening pair of captain Deandra Dottin and Lee-Ann Kirby then made quick work of the target, reaching 34-0 off 3.5 overs to seal the win.
Taylor hit four fours and a six from the 24 balls she faced as the Guyana Amazon Warriors scored 59-1 from eight overs in reply to Barbados Royals Women’s score of 58 from 9.3 overs.
Opener Rashada Williams scored an unbeaten run-a-ball 22 in an unbroken 57-run match-winning second-wicket partnership.
The only wicket to fall was that of Chamari Athapaththu, who was run out for one.
Cheryl-Ann Fraser took the remarkable figures of 3-6 from two overs and Ayabonga Khaka 1-8 as the Amazon Warriors bundled the Royals Women out for just 58.
Chloe Tryon, who scored 24 from 17 balls, was the only batter in double figures for the Royals Women. West Indies Women captain Hayley Matthews made 7.
The victory was the second of the day for the Guyana franchise. Earlier, Taylor scored 24 and Williams 29 in a 15-run victory over the Trinbago Knight Riders Women.
GAW Women scored 81-2 and restricted TKR to 66.
The Royals Women did win a match on Wednesday scoring 108-4 and restricted TKR to 80-3.
Taylor led the Amazon Warriors to the final of the WCPL in 2023 where her team finished as runners up.
She will be joined by fellow retained players Shabnim Ismail, Karishma Ramharack, Shemaine Campbelle, Natasha McClean and Shakera Selman.
The newly signed players for the Amazon Warriors are Australian batter Erin Burns who won the WCPL with the Barbados Royals in 2023 and South African all-rounder Chloe Tryon who was with the Royals at the 2022 WCPL.
There are seven more spots in the squad left to fill and six of these players will be selected at the WCPL draft which will take place in July. The final spot will be the last overseas player which will be confirmed before the start of the tournament.
The 2024 Massy WCPL will take place in Trinidad from 21 to 29 August will all seven matches at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy.
The Guyana Amazon Warriors squad before the draft is as follows: Stafanie Taylor, Shabnim Ismail, Karishma Ramharack, Shemaine Campbelle, Natasha McClean, Shakera Selman, Chloe Tryon, Erin Burns
