PRE MATCH ANALYSIS
Follow UsBarbados Tridents (BT) welcome defending champions Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) in Match 23 of the 2019 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) at Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados. Tridents lie in fifth place with four points from six matches, whereas, the Knight Riders are placed in the second spot with nine points from six matches. A crucial match for both teams – as Trinidad look to inch closer to a place in the playoffs, while Barbados aim to stay alive in the tournament.
After winning their first four matches of the tournament, Trinidad lost to St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, which was decided by a Super Over. Their next match against St Lucia Zouks yielded a no result. Barbados on the other hand are looking to get some sort of momentum in their campaign, having won just two from their six matches.
History certainly does not favour the Tridents, who have won just one out their previous eight meetings against TKR.
Team News
Barbados-born Chris Jordan has joined the TKR side and is in contention for a place in this match against BT. Jordan replaces Mohammad Hasnain in the Tridents squad, whose NOC was revoked by the PCB. Jordan is most likely to be drafted straight into the XI. Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan too joins the Barbados squad.
Also, Barbados leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane will be unavailable for this match as he is part of the Nepal side that will play a T20I tri-series against Singapore in Zimbabwe. There is no fresh update on Sunil Narine’s injury but TKR will not want to risk him in the XI if he is not 100% fit.
Ground Details and Team Combination
There is something in the track for both the pacers and the spinners, making the track at Bridgetown the most bowler-friendly pitch in the tournament.
We have already had a game interrupted by rain at Barbados and there could be some showers at night, which once again might stop play. However, it is highly likely that we will get all the overs in. If the wickets are under the covers for a long time, it could come in handy for the pacers as they can make the best use of the sweat on the pitch. However, the Barbados track has showed that it has something in it even for the spinners and we cannot discount the role they will play in this match.
When it comes to playing spin, TKR batsmen have the best scoring run-rate in CPL 2019, while the Tridents find themselves at the opposite end of the table. Will not be much of a surprise if TKR bombard BT with a lot of spin.
Captaincy choices
With scores of 63, 86 and 90 in his previous three innings, Lendl Simmons is a hot favourite to lead your fantasy team. He has an impressive strike-rate of 182.51 and is a vital cog for TKR at the top.
JP Duminy’s all-round prowess makes him an excellent choice. He has been chipping in with wickets in the last couple of matches and is more than capable of making some vital contributions with the bat in the middle-order. He has scored 153 runs at a strike-rate of 123.38 from his six innings so far
X-Factors
Kieron Pollard has made vital contributions with the bat and also chipped in with wickets now and then. His batting prowess along with his change of pace with the ball will be handy on a track like this. With 15 fours and nine sixes along with a strike-rate of 158.87 Pollard is a dangerous batsman in TKR’s middle-order.
Coming from a land where which producers rank turners, Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan will not just be handy with his left-arm orthodox, but he will have sound knowledge of how to combat the spinners. He will be a useful weapon for the Tridents.
Harry Gurney had an excellent match against Jamaica, where he finished with figures of 1 for 20 from his four overs. In his last 10 innings, he has gone wicketless just once. You can be rest assured that he will pick up a few wickets in the game, which will benefit your team.
Suggested FanFight team
Denesh Ramdin, Lendl Simmons, Colin Munro, Kieron Pollard, Shakib Al Hasan, Jason Holder, JP Duminy, Chris Jordan, Harry Gurney, Khary Pierre, Ali Khan
