CPL 2022: Guyana Amazon Warriors: SWOT Analysis

To the delight of cricket fans across the globe, West Indies' premier T20 festival, the Caribbean Premier League, has been commenced. Six fantastic teams will fight it out in this one-month-long tournament for the lucrative trophy. 

The team we will discuss today is one of the most consistent teams in CPL's history, the Guyana Amazon Warriors. They have entered the finals five times, but returned empty-handed on every occasion. So, let's find out what their strengths are and what challenges they might face in the course of CPL 2022. 

Strengths

Dynamic middle order

Shimron Hetmyer in action [PC: Twitter]

The Warriors have tremendous hitters; Shimron Hetmyer, Heinrich Klaasen, Colin Ingram, Odean Smith and Romario Shepherd in their upper and lower middle order. The presence of these guys would ensure a strong finish for the Warriors in most of the games. Further, it would allow their openers, Chandrapaul Hemraj and Shai Hope to bat freely at the top. 

Terrific spin department

Tabraiz Shamsi [PC: Twitter]

Guyana have the likes of Gudakesh Motie, Imran Tahir, Tabraiz Shamsi, Veerasammy Permaul, Junior Sinclair and Waqar Salamkheil in their lineup. So, they have not only experience but also sheer talent in their spin department. Further, these players being different types of bowlers assures them ample variety in their spin arsenal. 

Weakness

Pace bowling

Definitely, Guyana have many options in their pace department. But a combination of Odean Smith, Romario Shepherd, Keemo Paul and an inexperienced Ronsford Beaton doesn't ensure enough quality. Although these bowlers pick some wickets here and there, they mostly go for plenty of runs. And more importantly, they don't threaten the opponent's batting order in terms of swing, seam, pace or bounce. 

Opportunity

Waqar Salamkheil

Waqar Salamkheil has grabbed many eyeballs through a string of consistent performances. Then promising left-arm wrist spinner from Afghanistan has picked 33 wickets in 23 matches in his brief T20 career. Further, he was highly impressive in the recently concluded Men's 6ixty, scalping four wickets at a superb strike rate of just nine. The Warriors think tank has shown enough trust on the young spinner. So, we expect him to get a fair amount of opportunities to prove his mettle with the ball in the tournament. 

Threat

Openers' poor record against left-arm off-spinners

Guyana's openers, Shai Hope and Chandrapaul Hemraj, are vulnerable to slow left arm (SLA) bowlers. Statistically, Hope averages just 14.5 against the SLAs in the powerplay, while Hemraj has recorded a career average of a mere 23.3 against them. So, their vulnerability to the left-arm spinners is certainly a threat to their team. 

Strongest XI

Chandrapaul Hemraj
Shai Hope (wk)
Shimron Hetmyer (c)
Heinrich Klaasen
Colin Ingram
Odean Smith
Romario Shepherd
Keemo Paul
Gudakesh Motie
Ronsford Beaton
Tabraiz Shamsi

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