These aren't best of times for Faf du Plessis. Still with just one win from four games, St Kitts and Nevis Patriots have managed to stay on the third spot in the points table and a loss here would severely dent their chances going forward.
Du Plessis and his men take on Guyana Amazon Warriors in their next 2016 Caribbean Premier League clash at the Providence Stadium in Guyana. Amazon Warriors, the current table-toppers, have functioned like a well-oiled unit and are unbeaten so far in the three games they have played. To add to that, they defeated the Patriots in their opening clash by four wickets. Clearly, the onus is on the visitors to make things happen.
Patriots are coming off a demoralising loss against Barbados Tridents. There have been patchy performances with the bat and the bowling is too heavily dependent on Samuel Badree.
Eric Simmons, the coach, in his pre-match press conference, stressed on the fact that the team is close to firing on all cylinders. Impressed by the performance of Devon Thomas and Evin Lewis, Simmons tipped them to come good in the next clash. However, the think-tank will be well aware of the fact that they'll need a much-improved performance from the batting unit if they want to topple the Amazon Warriors. The biggest threat to the Patriots will be Sohail Tanvir, who is the highest wicket-taker, with eight wickets so far.
The Amazon Warriors have been ruthless in the tournament - getting better with every passing game. After winning their opening clash by four wickets, they trounced Trinbago Knight Riders by six wickets before taking the top-of-table clash against Jamaica Tallawahs by seven wickets. They walk into the contest as favorites but such things hardly matter once the game begins.
When: Guyana Amazon Warriors vs St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, Match 10, 1200PM local time.
Where: Providence Stadium in Guyana.
What they said:
"From the (warm-up) camp we were all about getting back home somewhere in the top two, and that's what we did, and to leave home (leg of matches) as the top team. I'm sure that if we can play the way that we're playing, or continue the way that we're playing, that we can end up going on from here. It's just up to us to stay positive, and that's what we've been doing so far, and once it continues I'm sure we'll stay on top." - Dwayne Smith on Amazon Warriors good run.
"I think that we're in good spirits. Obviously we would have preferred a win or two more under our belts, but that's not always the way it goes. We've played some good cricket, one or two slips have cost us obviously, but there's a lot of confidence in the squad's make-up and balance. We know the conditions here and we believe we have the squad to exploit them." - Simmons was upbeat even after his team has picked up three losses.
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