Saint Lucia Zouks 56 times 0 (Cornwall 32 *) time Guyanese Amazon Warriors 55 (Deyal 2-2, Zahir 2-12, Kuggeleijn 2-12) for 10 windows
The Guyana Amazon Warriors may have gained momentum with three straight wins to reach the semifinals, but they took off in stunning fashion against the St Lucia Zouks in the contest that really counted. At bat for Daren Sammy, they melted into irrelevance, throwing 55 in fewer than 14 overs for what was the second-lowest total in CPL history.
In response, the St Lucia Zouks needed just over 4.3 overs to seal the shortest chase in T20 franchise history, and arguably the most dominant T20 knockout cricket ever seen, with Rahkeem Cornwall and Mark Deyal putting up Warriors bowlers at sword. It leads them to their first CPL final, where they face the unsullied Trinbago Knight Riders, after what turned out to be a potentially delicious competition that turned into something of an awkward embarrassment. Perhaps it serves as the exclamation point for a competition that has lacked the competitive edge and drama that made it arguably the funnest T20 league.
Start how you want to continue
The Zouks were literally in control from start to finish, and Scott Kuggeleijn was met with a hat-trick after the fourth ball, having taken a Brandon King lead, a ball before Shimron Hetmyer mysteriously shoved his arms. to one that headed straight for the central stump. The Warriors entered their shell thereafter, and as the wickets continued to fall, the tracks became even more dry. Kuggeleijn aside, it was a masterclass on how to throttle one side per turn, with Mohammad Nabi, Roston Chase, Zahir Khan, Javelle Glen and Mark Deyal sharing the grounds. Perhaps it was a sign of how apathetic the Warriors were with the bat that starter Chandrapaul Hemraj, who stayed until 13 and hit one of just two sixes in all innings, is noteworthy.
The discipline of Mohammad Nabi
Having seen the bouncing, rocking, and stitching movement that Kuggeleijn achieved in that first changeover, Nabi might have wondered if this wasn’t the spinners’ paradise that the CPL has generally thrown in this year. The New Zealander was a tough act to follow, but Nabi proved there would be no truce from the other end, expertly varying his pace and flight as he started with a maiden and stepped up the pressure on two new hitters. In a unit packed with spinners, he was rewarded with three overs in a row and repaid his captain’s faith by allowing just six runs. He may have only taken Nicholas Pooran’s wicket, but he could claim a lot of cricket for those who fell to the other side.
Not hanging around
When it looked like the Warriors ‘day couldn’t get any worse midway through, Cornwall and Deyal showed otherwise, poking fun at the Warriors’ battles with the bat. There were complaints about the nature of the pitch when Chris Green’s men had the bat in hand, but with the Zouks taking 4.3 overs to shoot 56 without losing, one wonders if the demons were all in the Warriors’ heads. Cornwall disarmed the famous Green, establishing a surprisingly passive field for such a low chase, on his first over, breaking two sixes on a deep midwicket to set the tone for what would be very short innings. Eyal, named Man of the Match for his comprehensive contribution, joined him in that approach, then said he didn’t want to get caught up in one of those hideous low-scoring T20 games that pursuing teams fall victim to. On 27 balls, the Zouks hit five fours and four sixes; the Warriors had only made two of each inning.
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