Guyana Amazon Warriors v Barbados Royals CPL Tips: Another shock for Warriors

• Guyana win takes them into top two

• Royals will finish bottom

• Visitors have improved with no pressure

• Signs of unreliability from hosts

• Hetmyer eyecatching at 6s

Guyana Amazon Warriors v Barbados Royals
Monday 15 September, 00:00
TV: Live on Sky Sports

Guyana Amazon Warriors v Barbados Royals CPL team news

Guyana's task could not be simpler. Beat the bottom team in the league at fortress Providence and make it to the all-important top two.

Their chances are improved by finally finding an opening partner for Ben McDermott. Quentin Sampson's match-winning 76 against St Lucia Kings means the position is his to lose. They did need more muscle lower down with Dwaine Pretorius hitting a six off the final ball for victory.

Warriors bat deep but they need to with a middle-order offering little. Shimron Hetmyer is having a poor tournament. Shamarh Brooks has been added to try to strengthen.

Probable Guyana XI: McDermott, Sampson, Hope, Hetmyer, Brooks, Hassan, Shepherd, Moeen, Motie, Pretorius, Tahir

Barbados Royals have won two of their last three but it is too little too late. Even a win here won't prevent them from finishing bottom. 

They shocked Trinbago last time out with Quinton de Kock finally providing a score with Sherfane Rutherford and Rovman Powell dovetailing well in a tough chase of 167. Perhaps if they had consistently paired those two together Royals would have fared better. The batting order has been all over the place.

Brandon King missed that win with Kadeem Alleyne opening in his place. The bowling has been consistently poor and they will have to change tactics quickly on a slow surface. Chris Green and Jomel Warrican, the spinners, are key. They may well need a third. Rutherford may have to bowl with Mujeeb-ur-Rahman with Afghanistan.

Possible Royals XI: De Kock, Alleyne, van der Dussen, Rutherford, Powell, Parris, Green, Sams, Simmonds, E Bosch, Motara

Guyana Amazon Warriors v Barbados Royals CPL pitch report

Providence has been tricky to call this season. Kings' 185 last time was a s surprise following first-innings scores of 99 and 149. The ten- and thirty-game study shows first-innings averages of 167 and 164. There is no toss bias over the latter. With the Royals bowling unreliable and potentially unequipped for a wicket which takes turn, Guyana's total match runs at over 157.5 feel like a play at 5/61.84. 

Guyana Amazon Warriors v Barbados Royals CPL match prediction

Guyana are 1.674/6 with Royals 2.3811/8. The odds are not a surprise but are they right? For all the concerns about Royals' form this season, it is worth noting that Guyana have been pretty flaky.

Defeats by Patriots and Falcons at home were major shocks and suggest they are not as tuned in as previous years. They have also twice needed last-gasp interventions from Pretorius' blade for wins.

Royals, of course, may not have the spin depth here but Rutherford and Powell are good players of spin. Any sort of wobble from the Guyana batting could let in these two. Royals have nothing to play for but they should be able to play without pressure and it is telling they have picked up when their play-off chances started to disappear.

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Guyana Amazon Warriors v Barbados Royals player bets

These pages recommended Sampson for top Guyana bat at 75s the game before he won against St Lucia. By then he had been cut to the low teens. There is nothing more infuriating. We may focus on Hetmyer this time. He has had a poor season but his price is now reflecting that. Due a score, have a small interest in the 6/17.00.

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