All-round performance by Sunil Narine helps Trinbago Knight Riders beat Guyana Amazon Warriors in Hero Caribbean Premier League 2020 opener

Credit: CPL via Getty Images.

Sunil Narine’s quickfire 50 and 2/19 helped Trinbago Knight Riders start their Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2020 in style, registering a 4-wicket win over Guyana Amazon Warriors in the tournament opener at Tarouba. For Guyana, Shimron Hetmyer scored 63 runs off just 44 balls. 

The match was reduced to 17 overs a side due to rain and Trinbago skipper Kieron Pollard decided to field first after winning the toss in order to make use of the wet conditions.

Trinbago spinners performed well throughout the match allowing Pollard to make bowling changes at will. Ross Taylor hit the first six of the match in the seventh over for Guyana.

"The Kiwi veteran showed his strength off his legs, picking up West Indies U19 star Jayden Seales for another six, but an edge past slip off the young fast bowler and one that Pollard couldn’t hold at slip off Fawad Ahmed studded a stand of 50 for the third wicket," said CPL in a press release.

Narine dismissed Taylor to end his partnership with Hetmyer, but Nicholas Pooran joined hands with Hetmyer to steady Guyana innings. The two West Indies internationals batted with intent to allow the Amazon Warriors enter the last 5 overs well-placed at 89/3.

Hetmyer remained confident even after Pooran's dismissal, launching Seales for a Hero Maximum into the stands to bring up his fourth career Hero CPL fifty off just 38 balls. Rutherford holed out trying to repeat the dose off Bravo, but Hetmyer and his fellow Guyanese, Keemo Paul, scrambled 7 off a good penultimate over by Ali and then smashed Bravo for 15 off the last to set the Knight Riders a tricky 145.

The Amazon Warriors started well with the ball, allowing Trinbago to score just 9 off the first 3 overs. The Knight Riders started to score freely after the Guardian Life Powerplay, with Narine hitting Green over midwicket and Munro hitting the same bowler clean out of the ground.

Narine batted superbly to bring the required run rate down to just seven an over before he was dismissed by Imran Tahir. Narine scored 50 runs off only 27 balls. 

Brief scores: Trinbago Knight Riders 147/6 (Narine 50, Darren Bravo 30, Munro 17; Naveen 2/21, Tahir 2/40, Paul 1/21, Shepherd 1/30) beat Guyana Amazon Warriors 144/5 (Hetmyer 63*, Taylor 33, Pooran 18, Paul 15*; Narine 2/19, Ali Khan 1/21, Seales 1/24) by four wickets