Match 27 of the 2019 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) will see Trinbago Knight Riders host Guyana Amazon Warriors at Queen’s Park Oval, Port of Spain on Monday (Tuesday in India). 

Both teams have already qualified for the playoffs with Guyana having a perfect record in the league so far, with seven wins from as many matches. As a result, they lead the table with 14 points and have a guaranteed spot in Qualifier 1. On the other hand, Trinbago are third with nine points and a win here will ensure them a clash against Guyana in Qualifier 1. 

The two teams haven’t faced each other yet this season but met four times last year. Each side won two games each, but Trinbago had the last laugh as they won the 2018 CPL final. 

Ground Details and Team Combination 

There have been just three matches played at Queen’s Park Oval in this season’s CPL so far. In those three games, the average run-rate has been 8.4 which is about par for the tournament. But batsmen have tended to spend more time in the middle here than anywhere else. The average deliveries per wicket is 20.1 which is the highest among all venues in CPL 2019. 

Among all stadiums used in the league stage, the bowling strike rate for spin (25.6) is the worst at Port of Spain. On the other hand, pacers have enjoyed bowling here more, taking a wicket every 18.4 deliveries on average. Hence, pace might be the way to go here but there are a couple of top spinners playing whom you can’t ignore. You should look at picking pacers who bowl during the death overs as fast bowlers have a strike rate of 10.4 between overs 16-20 in Port of Spain this season. 

Captaincy Suggestion

Brandon King is the second highest run-scorer (275) in CPL 2019 and has been one of the key reasons for the Warriors’ amazing season. His consistency especially has been very impressive, with his lowest score in his last four innings being 49. Also, among all batsmen who have scored 200+ runs in the ongoing edition of CPL, King has the best balls per dismissal (38). That is particularly outstanding when you consider that he has been hitting a boundary off every 4.6 deliveries. 

X-Factors 

Kieron Pollard, the recently appointed limited-overs captain of West Indies, has been in fine form in this year’s CPL. He possesses the third highest batting average (57.66) currently. What’s more impressive is his record at Queen’s Park Oval this season. In three innings, he has crossed 25+ each time and has been dismissed just one. He has been bowling regularly and has taken at least one wicket in each of his last five matches which is an added bonus. 

Imran Tahir has been one of the leading limited-overs spinners in the world over the last decade and continues to show his class even at the age of 40. He has been a valuable asset for Guyana since coming into the team as Shadab Khan’s replacement. The South African leg-spinner has picked up two wickets in each of the four games he has played in so far in CPL 2019 and is yet to concede more than a run-a-ball in any match. Hence, he is a safe pick when it comes to this match. 

When Sunil Narine plays, he is usually a must-pick in fantasy cricket. And why not when he opens the batting and, on most occasions, bowls four fine overs. He has got starts in his last couple of innings and a 50+ score might just be around the corner. When it comes to his bowling, he has been consistently good which is the norm for a bowler of his calibre. Apart from the one game against Jamaica Tallawahs, he has not gone at an economy rate of over six in any other match. He has bowled his entire quota of four overs each time, picking up at least one wicket in four out of five innings. 

Weather 

It’s expected to be cloudy in the evening in Port of Spain, but according to the forecast, there is little chance of rain affecting the match. 

Suggested FanFight Team 

Nicholas Pooran (wk), Brandon King (c), Lendl Simmons, Colin Munro, Kieron Pollard, Sunil Narine, Shoaib Malik, Keemo Paul, Chris Green, Ali Khan, Imran Tahir.