In the second match of the 2019 Caribbean Premier League (CPL), Guyana Amazon Warriors face St. Lucia Zouks at Providence Stadium, Guyana. This venue has seen a very high variation in terms of first innings totals, but one thing that has remained constant is the purchase on offer for spinners and the use of slow deliveries by pacers.

It’s clear that taking pace off the delivery is key at Providence. Pacers haven’t been very successful through an innings and it’s mainly only in the death overs that they have done well.

Leg-spinners and left-arm pacers have the best bowling strike rate here. Finger spinners have been able to curtail the flow of runs but haven’t picked enough wickets.  

Leg-spinners have held the key here, performing in every phase of the innings, with pacers taking most of their wickets in the death overs.

Expected Result 

Guyana Amazon Warriors should win this match comfortably, given the likes of Shimron Hetmyer, Nicholas Pooran, Sherfane Rutherford and Shoaib Malik are very good against spin. St. Lucia Zouks will be missing a couple of their key players in Lasith Malinga and Niroshan Dickwella. In the spin department, Fawad Ahmed will have to create some magic if the Zouks want to have any chance of being victorious in this match. 

Team Composition 

It will be safe to go with spinners, death-over bowlers, and batsmen who play spin well. All-rounders like Chris Green and Malik are good picks because of the resources they are likely to consume in the match. Having more bowlers in a fantasy team is going to be key here. 

Players to watch out for

Nicholas Pooran: His recent exploits in the Indian Premier League and the World Cup make him a key player for Guyana Amazon Warriors. With a strike rate of 150 and a boundary percentage of 20 against spin, he is a must-pick for this match. 

Chris Green: With an economy rate of 6.27 in last year’s CPL, he is a reliable bowler for Guyana. Coming down the order, he can tonk a few sixes with the bat as well. 

Fawad Ahmed: With the track likely to assist spinners, he will be a vital player for St. Lucia Zouks. With a strike rate of 18.3 and an economy rate of 6.5 since 2018 in T20s, he has been successful in various leagues across the world. Another must-pick player for your fantasy side today. 

Thisara Perera: He has a batting average of over 32 in T20s since 2018, with an overall strike rate of 174, and 155 against spin. He is likely to take up the responsibility of bowling the death overs as well. 

Predicted Fantasy XI for FanFight

Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Sherfane Rutherford, Andre McCarthy, Shoaib Malik, Rakheem Cornwall, Thisara Perera (c), Ben Laughlin, Chris Green (vc), Imran Tahir, Fawad Ahmed.