GEORGETOWN, Guyana — THE Guyana Amazon Warriors (GAW) made a winning start to their home campaign in CPL 2025, defeating the Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) by five wickets in a thrilling contest at Providence Stadium.
After winning the toss, the Warriors opted to bowl first. TKR began cautiously, their first boundary only coming in the third over, which also brought mixed fortunes—12 runs scored but the dismissal of Colin Munro (17 off 14). Alex Hales (7 off 6) followed soon after, leaving TKR reeling at 24 for 2 inside four overs.
Captain Nicholas Pooran tried to counter, striking three early boundaries off Keemo Paul, but Moeen Ali removed him for 13 (10).
At the end of the powerplay, TKR were struggling at 40 for 3. Keacy Carty (21 off 30) and Darren Bravo (33 off 35) then dug in, adding 56 runs off 61 balls. However, the Warriors’ spinners—Moeen Ali, Imran Tahir, and Romario Shepherd—kept a tight grip on the scoring. Bravo eventually fell with the score at 95, and TKR only crossed the 100 mark in the 16th over.
Then came the fireworks. Kieron Pollard ignited the innings with a blistering 54 off just 18 deliveries, clearing the ropes five times and thrilling the Providence crowd. His explosive knock powered TKR to a competitive 167 for 5, with a staggering 67 runs coming in the final four overs. Moeen Ali was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with superb figures of 1 for 11 from his four overs, while Pretorius, Shepherd, and Tahir claimed one wicket each.
The Warriors’ chase got off to a shaky start as Moeen Ali (4 off 3) and Keemo Paul (6 off 6) fell cheaply, leaving the score at 22 for 2. But Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer quickly turned the momentum, counterattacking brilliantly. They raced to 66 by the end of the powerplay, their 50-run stand coming off just 22 balls. By the halfway stage, Guyana were cruising at 88 for 2.
Hetmyer looked in sparkling form but fell one short of a half-century (49 off 33) to Sunil Narine in the 12th over. Soon after, Hassan Khan was dismissed by Usman Tariq, though the Warriors had already crossed the hundred mark. Hope brought up a steady fifty from 41 balls before falling for 53 (46), leaving the hosts with more work to do.
With boundaries drying up between overs 13 and 17, the chase became tense as the required rate climbed. Relief came in the 18th over when Romario Shepherd and Dwaine Pretorius took on Andre Russell, blasting three massive sixes. Shepherd fell in the same over, but the equation was down to 19 from 12 balls.
Ten runs in the penultimate over left the Warriors needing nine from the last. Quentin Sampson struck a boundary before being dismissed, putting the pressure on Pretorius. Calm under fire, the South African all-rounder launched a huge six off Kieron Pollard’s third ball of the final over to seal victory. His unbeaten 26 from 14 balls guided Guyana home in front of a jubilant Providence crowd.
