CPL 2021 | Team Preview: Desperate for first title, Guyana Amazon Warriors put their money on youth

What should one call a team that has been able to reach the finals of a six-team tournament on five out of the eight seasons and could not go on to become the champions even for once? 

Should they be called ‘chokers’ as the fans of the game attribute to teams that wither away in high-stakes games or rather they should be called a top side that have an amazing consistency for as inconsistent a format as T20 cricket at franchise level?

In an ideal world, the answer should be in the middle of both questions and there should lie the legacy of the side that have been known as the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premier League.

The Warriors have made it into the finals of the league in 2013, 2014, 2016, 2018 and 2019 but a CPL title remains elusive for the side. Of all the heartbreaks they have faced in the big games of those five editions, the last one against the St. Lucia Zoulks would have been haunting them, and they will be desperate to set up an undisputed legacy by stamping their name as champions of the competition this time.

They are set to open their campaign in the very first game of the season against the Trinbago Tridents, who were the only side that got better of them on the points table last year.

Here, we are deciphering the strengths and weaknesses of the Guyana Amazon Warriors

Strengths

Flamboyance of Pooran, Hetmyer

The duo of Shimron Hetmyer and Nicholas Pooran are the two of the greatest young and dynamic players going around the world and especially the franchise T20 cricket.

Both are known for taking the game by the scruff of their neck and also, neither of them have shown any signs of real weakness against specific types of bowling and on certain types of pitches. The Warriors will be putting all their money on the duo to deliver belligerent performances they have been promising for a long time now.

Pooran has also been appointed as the skipper of the Warriors and it shows the complete trust he enjoys from the franchise and the team will be hoping for a fearless brand of cricket come the next edition of the competition from August 26.

Experience of Hafeez, Malik and Tahir

If there will be any trio of late boomers in the history of the game, the decorated trio of the Warriors such as Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, and Imran Tahir will find a special mention on the list.

Hafeez has come back to the Warriors set up after an impressive run for form with the Lahore Qalandars and Pakistan national side in the recent past. He has gone one notch higher in his swashbuckling batting by adding the reliability and consistency factor to become one of the ‘beats’ going around.

Shoaib Malik had moved on from the side last year but has come back to bolster the Warriors’ batting lineup. CPLs have been the most successful stage for Malik, both the batsman and the bowler. Malik has scored runs and taken wickets at staggering averages of 43.60 and 15.66 respectively and the Warriors will be banking on him to turn up once more and see them all the way through to the championship.

Imran Tahir is fresh off a remarkable hat-trick in the inaugural edition of The Hundred and the trademark sprint he embarked on afterwards established nothing but that he is still enjoying the short form of the game. Tahir will find enough assistance from the pitches at the Warner Park in St. Kitts and the side will be hoping for his best this season.

If the duo of Hetmyer and Pooran will be the heart and soul, the trio of Tahir, Malik and Hafeez will form the engine room for of the Warriors, and a lot of their fortunes will hinge on these five shoulders if they have to dare to go all the way in their sixth attempt.

Weakness

While the batting is more or less settled and fluid with a mixture of experienced pros and young and dashing batsmen, the bowling appears to be thin on paper.

The trio of Chris Green, Keemo Paul and, who have steered the Warriors for a long time decided to part ways with the franchise. The bowling department does not lack in talent or value with the influx of Afghan Naveen-ul-Haq, who can be seen as a like for like replacement of Kemo Paul.

The inclusion of rookie Ashmead Nedd will strengthen the spin bowling department along with Tahir, Kevin Sinclair, and Chanderpaul Hemraj.

All in all, the fortunes of the Warriors will be dependent on this spin quarter and the nature of pitches at Warner Park. All the CPL matches this year will be played in St. Kitts and it is plausible that pitches will start getting slower and lower where spinners and pacers with control over lack of pace can come in handy.

Best playing XI

Brandon King, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Shoaib Malik, Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Mohammad Hafeez, Romario Shepherd, Kevin Sinclair, Ashmead Nedd, Imran Tahir, Naveen-ul-Haq