I hope Hetmyer has put Guyana on the path to the top spot

A strong batting performance led by half-centuries from Shai Hope and Shimron Hetmyer has put the Guyana Amazon Warriors on the verge of securing the top spot in the 2024 CPL. In the penultimate league game of the season, Guyana managed to defeat the Saint Lucia Kings. who are now eagerly waiting to see whether they can defend their second place in the table.

St Lucia were miserable in the run chase, but Faf du Plessis' combative performance ensured they didn't fall too far behind in terms of net run rate. Guyana tasted success when Azam Khan took on Alzarri Joseph. The boundaries kept coming before a top edge prompted Azam to make an 11-ball 26. The batting line-up had to rebuild again after the other opener, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, fell near the end of the powerplay.

While Hetmyer made sure the pace didn't drop as he continued to find the boundary, Hope got off to a quiet start. Even a six at half-time didn't really increase his scoring rate as the batting line-up relied heavily on Hetmyer to provide momentum. He hit a 26-ball 50 in style to ensure Guyana remained on top before being sent back by Joseph. Hope finally found his timing as he hit three sixes in an over against Khary Pierre, leading to a 29-ball fifty. After he left, the rest couldn't make much of an impact at the death, but Guyana still managed to cross the 200 mark.

St Lucia were energized for the chase as du Plessis targeted Romario Shepherd, an eventful over that saw the pacer concede three fours and a six. The PowerPlay carnage saw the chasing side concede 63 runs, but at the cost of two wickets. To make matters worse, Imran Tahir broke through Roston Chase's defense with a googly in the 7th over and from then on Guyana took full control.

The spin trio of Tahir, Moeen Ali and Gudakesh Motie reduced Saint Lucia to 101 for 6, with du Plessis leading a one-on-one. The skipper struggled with cramps but still didn't give up, he fought deep into the innings despite the wickets falling around him. While St. Lucia had only scored 121 in 17 overs, du Plessis along with Joseph scored some crucial runs in the last three overs. Notably, in Junior Sinclair's last over, du Plessis hit three sixes while Joseph managed to clear the ropes once as they limited the losing lead to 35 runs at the finish.

Short results: Guyana Amazon Warriors 207/7 in 20 overs (Shimron Hetmyer 58, Shai Hope 56; David Wiese 3/43, Noor Ahmad 2/26). Saint Lucia Kings 172/7 in 20 overs (Faf du Plessis 92*; Imran Tahir 2/20, Moeen Ali 2/21) by 35 runs