Tallawahs aim at winning trend

THE JAMAICA Tallawahs will be hoping to kickstart a series of wins when they face Barbados Royals in their return fixture in Match 10 of the Caribbean Premier League, which bowls off at 6:00 p.m. (Jamaica time) at Warner Park in St Kitts and Nevis today.

The Jamaican franchise will be looking to avenge their only loss of the competition thus far after they went down to the Royals by 15 runs in their second game, also at Warner Park, on Saturday.

With St Kitts and Nevis Patriots being the only team with a perfect record following three wins, the Tallawahs, who are in second place with two points because of a better net run rate, will be hoping for consistency and momentum with a string of games lined up.

“I think it’s been a pretty good start for us with one win and a loss in this type of competition. It’s just for us now to continue to get these wins and hope for the best,” said captain Rovman Powell.

One thing that is evident in the Tallawahs camp is the camaraderie that has blossomed this year. Another early plus for the two-time champions is the fact that the team’s batsmen have already shown tremendous form, with the franchise scoring the second-highest CPL total in history in their opening encounter – 255 for five in 20 overs against St. Lucia Kings.

With that in mind, captain Powell is hoping that with each practice session, the team can come up with the right plans for the day.

HOPEFUL PLANS BEAR FRUIT

“Every training session we have becomes very important. We have already played two games and we have an idea of what to expect in terms of the conditions out in the middle. It’s for us now to specify our plans, and, hopefully, those plans will bear fruit,” added Powell.

Another positive for the Tallawahs is the welcome addition of Pakistan left-arm spinner Imad Wasim, who is said to be available for the match today.

The experienced left-handed Pakistani will also add a different dimension to the Tallawahs batting, which gives Powell a lot more confidence, with the team putting up bigger totals and defending them with their astute bowling.

“This is one year that I am pretty confident. If you should look at all the teams, they are evenly stacked. It’s just consistency and momentum that teams are searching for, and we are also searching for that, and once we get that, we will be fine.”

Saturday’s win was the first for the Barbados Royals in three matches, and their skipper, Jason Holder, expressed joy at curbing a losing trend.

“It’s good to get over the line finally. Credit to all the boys. I think everybody played a really good part in this victory,” Holder said.

Holder, one of the game’s premier all-rounders, did not spark with the bat, but his team got good knocks from New Zealander Glenn Phillips, who hit an unbeaten 56 off 46 balls and Raymond Reifer, who struck 31 not out from 20 balls in an unbroken 79-run sixth-wicket partnership with Phillips.

Reifer, who was playing his first game in this CPL edition, returned to claim three for 31 and Holder praised his effort.

“I call him my banker. He’s a big day horse. He’s done it time and time again for us over the years,” Holder said of Reifer.

“It’s good the selection panel could give him that confidence to bring him in. He didn’t start (the tournament), but he was very, very supportive off the field, and it’s really good to see him come in and succeed.”