CPL 2021, Match 5 – Guyana Amazon Warriors vs St Kitts and Nevis Patriots: Fantasy Preview

Two teams with an empty trophy cabinet – the Guyana Amazon Warriors and St Kitts and Nevis Patriots – will take on each other head to head to stomp their mark on the tournament. While the Amazon Warriors, led by Nicholas Pooran will come into the clash in some confidence, having won all of their clashes in the last three years against the Patriots, Dwayne Bravo’s inclusion in Patriots might have a say on the final outcome of the game, on Saturday.

Head-to-Head Record

Total: 12 | Warriors: 10 wins | Patriots: 2 wins

Last five matches:

Warriors: 5 wins | Patriots: Zero win

Ground Details and Team combination

(stats prior to Match 2 of CPL 2021)

Over the last few games, the venue has definitely provided some even contest between the bat and the ball, with the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots scoring 175, on Thursday to set the mark. The average score at the venue since 2019 is 179. While batting first might not be the best template to follow at the venue, with a win percentage of 40 since 2019, it has started to change with two wins for the teams choosing to bat first.

64.6% of the wickets (53) at the venue have come at the hands of pace, with spin still accounting for 34.3% of the wickets (29).

Suggest Teams

While you could go for the above team, you also have the option of choosing your own team from Cricket.com’s Fantasy Research Centre. You can use this tool to build your team with the help of algorithms. Based on your preferences, the platform will guide you to create the ideal fantasy XI.

Captaincy Suggestion

Shimron Hetmyer has been a star in the Guyana Amazon Warriors’ batting setup, even in the presence of the two Pakistan all-rounders – Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik – scoring a match-winning 41-ball 54 in the season opener. Last season, the left-hander scored 267 runs for the franchise, averaging 33.38 while striking it at 125.9, with a BPB of 7.1.

Our Criclytics Players Projector predicts Hetmyer could score 38-58 runs in this match

X-Factors

Naveen-ul-Haq has already built his reputation with the white-ball in franchise cricket all over the globe. In the ten appearances that he has made in the Caribbean Premier League thus far, the Afghanistan pacer has picked up 11 wickets, averaging a meagre 19.1 with the ball while restricting the run-scoring to 6.4 RPO, striking every 17.8th delivery.

Our Criclytics Players Projector predicts Naveen could pick 2-3 wickets in this match

Last season, Dwayne Bravo was at his scintillating best with the ball for Trinbago Knight Riders, with nine wickets in the tournament. But this season, for the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, the all-rounder has begun the season on a high, with a batting masterclass, scoring a 35-ball 47 against the Barbados Tridents in the franchise’s CPL opener, smacking four sixes in the process. While he was costly with the ball in that game, he is certainly an X-factor, considering the Criclytics, which predicts that he will score 13-19 runs and pick 0-1 wickets in this match.

Here are the top-10 picks as per Criclytics projected points –

Player Match-Ups:

Imran Tahir definitely has the wood over Sherfane Rutherford, with three dismissal in 20 deliveries, conceding just nine runs against the left-hander. Watch out for the battle, with the left-hander striking the ball at just 45, in comparison to his CPL strike rate of 128.6.

Probable XIs:

Guyana Amazon Warriors: Chandrapaul Hemraj, Brandon King, Odean Smith, Shimron Hetmyer, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Hafeez, Nicholas Pooran (c & wk), Romario Shepherd, Naveen-ul-Haq, Ashmead Nedd, Imran Tahir

St Kitts and Nevis Patriots: Devon Thomas (wk), Evin Lewis, Chris Gayle, Asif Ali, Sherfane Rutherford, Dwayne Bravo (c), Fabian Allen, Dominic Drakes, Sheldon Cottrell, Paul van Meekeren, Fawad Ahmed