St Kitts & Nevis Patriots will lock horns with Barbados Royals in the 14th match of CPL 2021 at the Warner Park in St Kitts, on Thursday, 2 September.
The undefeated Patriots at the top of the points table. The Royals are fifth, having won just one game in three attempts. Both teams met each other on an opening day, which the Patriots won by 21 runs.
The Patriots are coming off a six-wicket victory against Jamaica Tallawahs. They rode on a half-century from Sherfane Rutherford and a cameo from Fabian Allen to chase down 167 in 17.4 overs.
An off-colour Asif Ali may be replaced by Joshua Da Silva. Rutherford has already struck three fifties in four games, while Fabian Allen has been quite handy in the finishing role.
Dwayne Bravo took three wickets in the last match. With seven wickets, Dominic Drakes is the leading wicket-taker for the Patriots. Fawad Ahmed and Allen will lead the spin attack.
The Royals’ sole victory of the campaign came against the Tallawahs. They lost the reverse fixture by six wickets, two days ago, when the Tallawahs chased 151 comfortably.
The Royals top-order has been inconsistent so far. The opening pair of Johnson Charles and Shai Hope needs to get them off a brisk start. Glenn Phillips has done well, but Jason Holder has failed to deliver.
Betway Fantasy Tips
- Azam Khan scored 50 in 30 balls in the last game. He should be retained ahead of Hope, who is struggling with the bat.
- Among batters, pick Phillips, Evin Lewis and Rutherford. Appoint Rutherford as your vice-captain.
- Bravo and Allen are great options for all-rounders. You can ignore Holder, who has not done much with either bat or ball this season.
Probable XI:
St Kitts & Nevis Patriots: Dwayne Bravo (c), Devon Thomas (wk), Evin Lewis, Sherfane Rutherford, Ravi Bopara, Fabian Allen, Dominic Drakes, Joshua Da Silva, Sheldon Cottrell, Paul van Meekeren, Fawad Ahmed
Barbados Royals: Jason Holder (c), Shai Hope (wk), Johnson Charles, Kyle Mayers, Glenn Phillips, Azam Khan, Joshua Bishop, Oshane Thomas, Hayden Walsh, Raymon Reifer, Mohammad Amir.
Prediction:
The Royals need solid contributions from their top-order to win this game. But it won't be easy to score freely against the star-studded bowling line up of the Patriots. Expect Dwayne Bravo's side to win this.
Blitzpools Fantasy Team:
Azam Khan, Sherfane Rutherford (c), Evin Lewis, Glenn Phillips, Johnson Charles, Dwayne Bravo (vc), Fabian Allen, Dominic Drakes, Hayden Walsh, Fawad Ahmed, Rayad Emrit