'The Amazon Warriors outplayed us in every department'

Captain of the Jamaica Tallawahs, Kumar Sangakkara, believes if the team is to perform well in the play-offs of the Hero Motocorp Caribbean Premier League, they will have play a lot better that they did in their defeat to the Guyana Amazon Warriors at Sabina Park on Friday night.

Jamaica, who entered the contest as one of three early qualifiers for the play-offs, which bowls off on Tuesday at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad, went down by a massive nine wickets to the Amazon Warriors in their final game of the round.

Electing to bat first after winning the toss, the Tallawahs were limited to 149 for seven off their 20 overs despite a belligerent knock of 44 off 35 balls from Andre McCarthy and 38 off 31 from Sangakkara.

Guyana, in their reply, then cruised to 150 for one off 10.3 overs with Jamaican wicketkeeper-batsman Chadwick Walton, slamming 84 off just 44 balls, and New Zealander Luke Ronchi 55 off a mere 29 deliveries.

Fourth defeat

"The Amazon Warriors outplayed us in every department,'' expressed Sangakkara as the team suffered its fourth defeat in 10 outings.

"I thought we were about 15 runs short. Anything over 155, 160 on the pitch would have been good.

"But the way we bowled, I don't think those scores would have been sufficient, and when we play in the play-offs, we will have to perform a lot better than this to get over the line.''

Jamaica, who wanted to win to secure a top two preliminary placing, which would guarantee the team two matches in the play-offs, played an unchanged team to the one which overpowered the Chris Gayle-led St Kitts and Nevis Patriots.

However, unlike that game when they made a slightly below-par 157 for five and defended it rather easily, they found the going against the Amazon Warriors much different.

Their standout bowler in the St Kitts match, for example, 20-year-old fast bowler Oshane Thomas, was clobbered for 32 runs off two overs, and his new-ball partner, Krishmar Santokie, going for 13 runs off one over.

Without scoring

The league's leading wicket taker, Keswick Williams, also got clobbered, going for 46 runs off just two overs as Walton cracked six sixes and eight fours.

Ronchi, who came in after pinch-hitter, fast bowler Sohail Tanvir, was dismissed without scoring with the total on 15, struck three sixes and four fours.

"Chadwick and Luke batted really well. They took the attack to us as we bowled about five no-balls in the first six overs, and that really set the tempo for the rest of the innings,'' stated Sangakkara.

Amazon Warriors captain, Trinidadian Rayad Emrit, also praised Walton and Ronchi.

"We really worked hard for this victory,'' he said. "I was not expecting us to win inside 11 overs, but the way our guys batted at the top of the innings was tremendous.'