Bridgetown [Barbados], September 14 (ANI): The Barbados Tridents ended the group stage of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2026 in style, defeating the Guyana Amazon Warriors by six wickets at Kensington Oval.
AM Ghazanfar and Johann Layne claimed three wickets apiece as the Tridents bowled out the Warriors for just 99, their second-lowest total of the season. Brandon King then produced an impressive unbeaten 44 to guide the Tridents to their sixth victory of the tournament, according to the CPL website.
Sent in to bat by the home side, the Warriors appeared to make a promising start, finding a few boundaries during the opening two overs and settling into their innings.
That all changed in the third over when Ghazanfar ripped through the Guyana batting line-up, claiming three wickets in the space of five deliveries.
First came a fortunate stumping, with the ball rebounding off Quinton de Kock’s chest before the wicketkeeper completed the dismissal of Mavendra Dindyal. Two balls later, Shai Hope chipped one to short mid-wicket before the big wicket of Shimron Hetmyer followed. Hetmyer edged the ball onto his pads, sending it spinning into the air for de Kock to pouch.
At 15 for 3, the Warriors were suddenly in serious trouble and desperately needed a recovery. Glenn Phillips attempted to spearhead that fightback, but it was short-lived as spin once again provided the breakthrough. George Linde got Phillips to hole out to Chris Green before striking again with the very next ball, removing Dwaine Pretorius's first delivery and setting up a hat-trick opportunity, the CPL website added.
Quinton Sampson and Romario Shepherd offered some resistance against the Tridents’ attack, but Johann Layne eventually broke the partnership, claiming Sampson as his second wicket. He then smashed the stumps of Ronaldo Alimohamed with the very next ball to create another hat-trick opportunity for the Tridents.
Sherfane Rutherford was brought into the attack and made an immediate impact, needing just one delivery to dismiss Romario Shepherd and wrap up the Warriors’ innings.
The Warriors, who have dominated opponents for much of the season, were now on the receiving end of a dominant display as they were bowled out for 99.
Despite the low total, the Warriors would not have considered the game over. There had been plenty of low-scoring matches towards the back end of the tournament, meaning early wickets could still have changed the complexion of the chase. Veerasammy Permaul provided the first breakthrough when Zachary Carter fell cheaply, before Mehidy Hasan Miraz produced a surprise blow by bowling Quinton de Kock for just three.
The Warriors had made some inroads, but the Tridents had still made significant progress towards the modest target, reaching 33 for 2 at the end of the Power Play. The Warriors then turned to their captain, Imran Tahir, making his 100th CPL appearance, hoping the veteran leg-spinner could produce another magical spell and wrestle the momentum back from the home side, according to the CPL website.
Tahir made an immediate impact by removing Rutherford, but Brandon King and Shadrack Descarte refused to be intimidated. They took the attack to Tahir, with Descarte particularly entertaining the Kensington Oval crowd with an array of sweeps and reverse sweeps, showcasing his explosive power-hitting.
His entertaining innings was interrupted by the weather as the players were forced from the field for a brief spell. When play resumed, Descarte was unable to recapture his earlier momentum, but King remained composed and took control of the chase.
The opener finished unbeaten on 44, steering the Tridents comfortably home with 31 deliveries to spare and ensuring they closed the group stage on a high. Despite the defeat, the Warriors finished the group stage at the top of the table. The Tridents also advance to the play-offs, securing third place. (ANI)
Barbados Tridents crush Guyana Amazon Warriors by six wickets, seal CPL play-off spot
