In a record-breaking spectacle, the Guyana Amazon Warriors delivered a commanding performance, securing an emphatic 88-run victory over the Barbados Royals in the 2023 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) at Providence on a memorable Sunday evening.

Electing to bowl first after winning the toss, the Barbados Royals were met with sheer devastation as the Guyana Amazon Warriors wreaked havoc with their batting prowess. The star of the show was none other than Shai Hope, who etched his name in the annals of CPL history with a breathtaking century, the second-fastest ever, achieved in a mere 41 balls. This extraordinary display of batting propelled the Amazon Warriors to an imposing total of 226-7 after the allotted 20 overs, marking their highest-ever team score in the CPL.

Hope's sensational innings was a masterclass in boundary-hitting, comprising an astounding 17 boundaries. He received valuable support from Kevlon Anderson, who notched up a commendable 47 runs on his CPL debut. The late cameo by Shimron Hetmyer ensured that the Amazon Warriors finished on a high note, setting a formidable target for the Royals.

In response to the daunting task, the Barbados Royals encountered early setbacks as opener Rahkeem Cornwall departed in the third over. The Amazon Warriors' spinners, led by the crafty Gudakesh Motie and the wily Imran Tahir, capitalized on the situation, taking wickets at regular intervals and stifling the Royals' run flow. The dismissals of Justin Greaves and Laurie Evans further compounded the Royals' woes, reducing them to a precarious 42-3.

Rovman Powell's departure, courtesy of Imran Tahir's bowling prowess, tilted the scales decisively in favor of the Amazon Warriors. Despite a valiant half-century from Rivaldo Clarke, the Royals struggled to maintain the required run rate. In the end, they could only muster a total of 138-6.

With this resounding victory, the Barbados Royals faced the unfortunate consequence of failing to qualify for the CPL playoffs, bringing their campaign to an end.

As the CPL moves into the playoff stage next week, the Guyana Amazon Warriors are set to clash with the Trinbago Knight Riders in Qualifier 1, while the Saint Lucia Kings will lock horns with the Jamaica Tallawahs in the Eliminator.

 Final Scores: Guyana Amazon Warriors: 226-7 (Hope 106, Anderson 47; McCoy 2-36, Holder 2-50); Barbados Royals: 138-6 (Clarke 54, Brathwaite 18; Tahir 3-23, Motie 2-11)

Shai Hope’s controlled half-century helped Guyana Amazon Warriors complete a six wicket win and the double against the Trinbago Knight Riders as the two sides, on Saturday, played out a dress rehearsal ahead of Wednesday night’s Qualifier 1.

The Amazon Warriors won the toss and opted to field first and the decision went in their favour as a Knight Riders side shorn of Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell and Sunil Narine posted a competitive 176-8. The Amazon Warriors timed their chase perfectly in reply as Hope carried on his good form with an unbeaten 54 to ensure the game was won with 10 balls to spare.

Earlier on, a much-changed Knight Riders got off to a bad start when Martin Guptil was run out for one but Mark Deyal’s quick fire 37 from 20 balls ensured the Knight Riders were able to post a healthy 49-2 by the end of the PowerPlay.

Chadwick Walton and Keacy Carty put on a 59-run partnership before Imran Tahir cleaned up Walton for 25.

However, that merely signalled the moment for Carty to press the accelerator. He took an extreme liking to Odean Smith, taking him for 26 runs in the 15th over to bring up his half century.

Carty was to go on to make a brilliantly constructed 83 before he was eventually stumped. That wicket was one of three in the 19th over as Imran Tahir halted the Knight Riders momentum.

The Knights Riders were to eventually post 176, a total that gave their bowlers something to work with.

In reply, the Amazon Warriors got off to the best possible start in the PowerPlay. Odean Smith partnered Saim Ayub and the pair reached 56-0 at the end of six overs but Ayub was to fall immediately after the fielding restrictions were lifted, skying a delivery from Akeal Hosein.

Smith was to go on to make his best score of the 2023 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) – benefitting from three drops on his way to a sparkling 44, Smith’s knock ensured the Warriors only needed 60 from 44 balls with eight wickets remaining.

It was an equation the Amazon Warriors negotiated with ease as they romped to victory with two overs remaining.

Scores: Guyana Amazon Warriors 177-4 (Hope 54*, Smith 44; Deyal 1-21, Hinds 1-26) beat Trinbago Knight Riders 176-8 (Carty 83, Deyal 37; Tahir 3-12, Paul 1-11) by 6 wickets

In a thrilling encounter at Providence, Guyana Amazon Warriors continued their unbeaten streak in the 2023 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) by defeating the Jamaica Tallawahs by seven wickets, securing a spot in Qualifier 1.

Winning the toss and opting to field first, the Warriors were resolute in their approach. Despite a fiery start by Brandon King, the Jamaica Tallawahs found it challenging to maintain their momentum, concluding their innings at 152-5 after 20 overs.

The home team's chase began with a dream opening partnership as Saim Ayub and Matthew Nandu combined forces to construct an impressive 112-run stand, firmly establishing the Warriors' dominance. Ayub showcased his brilliance, amassing a remarkable 85 runs to steer the Guyana Amazon Warriors towards a comfortable victory.

Although the Jamaica Tallawahs suffered an early setback with the dismissal of Alex Hales, courtesy of Romario Shepherd's bowling, Brandon King showcased his prowess, crafting exquisite shots on his way to a half-century off just 29 balls.

However, the Guyana Amazon Warriors retaliated when Gudakesh Motie dismissed King, causing a slowdown in the Tallawahs' scoring rate. Over a span of six middle overs, the Tallawahs struggled to find the boundary consistently, thanks in large part to the contributions of South African duo Dwaine Pretorius and Imran Tahir.

As the innings drew to a close, the Jamaica Tallawahs managed to reach a total of 152-5 after their allotted 20 overs.

Guyana Amazon Warriors introduced CPL debutant Matthew Nandu, who, alongside Saim Ayub, formed an opening partnership that firmly tilted the game in the Warriors' favor.

Ayub reached his half-century from 34 balls, marking his third consecutive CPL fifty. In the 13th over, Chris Green managed to dismiss Matthew Nandu, but Ayub continued to dazzle, accumulating 85 runs and guiding his side to the brink of victory before eventually losing his wicket. Shai Hope and Odean Smith sealed the deal for the Guyana Amazon Warriors.

With this convincing win, the Guyana Amazon Warriors advance to Qualifier 1, setting the stage for more thrilling CPL action. Their next challenge awaits them as they square off against the Saint Lucia Kings on Thursday evening.

Scores: Guyana Amazon Warriors: 155-3 (Ayub 85, Nandu 37; Springer 1-23, Irshad 1-27)

Jamaica Tallawahs: 152-5 (King 52, Allen 21; Pretorius 2-33, Shepherd 1-19, Tahir 1-19)

Result: Guyana Amazon Warriors win by 7 wickets.

Guyana Amazon Warriors confirmed their place in the 2021 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) semi-finals with a second consecutive win over the Jamaica Tallawahs.

Just like the previous encounter between the two sides the Amazon Warriors won the toss and elected to bat first, and although they found themselves in a perilous position at 75/7 – a blistering Romario Shepherd 72 not out ensured they set a target the Tallawahs never looked likely to chase.

In reply, the Tallawahs once again succumbed as their innings never got going amidst a cluster of regular wickets. Only late hitting from Chris Green prevented them from falling to a heavy defeat.

 Guyana got their innings off to a slow start as Imad Wasim and Green made early inroads to leave the Amazon Warriors teetering on 36-3.

 It was to go from bad to worse when the set Chandrapaul Hemraj holed out in the deep before Shamarh Brooks took a fantastic running catch to remove the dangerous Nicholas Pooran for 9.

 Wasim then struck twice in his final over to leave the Amazon Warriors at risk of not making 100.

 However, Shepherd’s power-hitting counterattack took the Amazon Warriors to a very healthy 142/7 to pile all the pressure back on the Tallawahs.

 The Tallawahs reply got off to a poor start when they lost the clean hitting Kennar Lewis and Kirk Mckenzie to a double-wicket maiden over from Imran Tahir.

 With the run rate rising Chadwick Walton offered brief respite with some boundary hitting before Hemraj got him to hole out to in the deep.

 Wickets continued to fall as Smith and Shepherd got in on the act and at 42/6 the Tallawahs were left to rely on Carlos Brathwaite and Andre Russell to pull off an unlikely victory.

 Some late heroics from Green gave them some hope but they ultimately fell to defeat and exited the tournament.

Scores: Guyana Amazon Warriors 142-7 (Shepherd 72*, Hemraj 21; Wasim 3-15, Green 2-19) beat Jamaica Tallawahs 128 (Green 31, Walton 20; Smith 3-20, Shepherd 3-31) by 14 runs

Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir and Chris Morris have all missed out on selection for South Africa's preliminary T20 World Cup squad but Keshav Maharaj is included despite having yet to make his international debut in the shortest format.

Du Plessis had retired from all other forms of cricket, with an eye on the World Cup, while all-rounder Morris also misses out on a squad where Temba Bavuma has been named captain.

World number-one ranked T20I bowler Tabraiz Shamsi, who has taken 24 wickets at an average of 12.2 in 2021, will operate as the main leg-spinner with veteran Tahir, who last appeared for his country in 2019, left out.

While the Proteas opted to leave out the experienced trio, they will have the likes of Quinton de Kock, David Miller and Aiden Markram to call upon, with Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje the standout pace options.

And Victor Mpitsang, South Africa's convenor of selectors, feels the 15-man squad could challenge in October after crashing out in the group stages of the last T20 World Cup in 2016.

"There is no better time than now for us to bring home the trophy and bring the nation together in a way that only sport can," said Mpitsang. 

"We hope that South Africans will rally behind this team and cheer them all the way to the final."

Maharaj is perhaps the surprise inclusion having never played a T20I and only featuring 14 times in 50-over cricket, taking 19 wickets.

The left-arm off-spinner will captain in the absence of the injured Bavuma as the Proteas face Sri Lanka in a three-match T20I series starting on Friday, a decision supported by Mpitsang.

"Kesh [Maharaj] is an excellent leader," said Mpitsang. "He has the backing of the team and us as a panel. 

"He has more than proven his leadership skills in the Dolphins set up and reinforced our good decision during the ODI series against Sri Lanka which ended on Tuesday.

"His exemplary captaincy is what we believe is in the best interests of the team’s stability during this last international series that the team gets to play ahead of the World Cup."

South Africa start their World Cup campaign against Australia on October 23 before facing West Indies three days later.
 

South Africa squad: Temba Bavuma (c), Keshav Maharaj, Quinton de Kock, Bjorn Fortuin, Reeza Hendricks, Heinrich Klaasen, Aiden Markram, David Miller, Wiaan Mulder, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi, Rassie van der Dussen

Reserves: George Linde, Andile Phehlukwayo, Lizaad Williams.