The Caribbean Premier League 2025 saw its first one-sided contest as Guyana Amazon Warriors cruised to a five-wicket win over St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots in Match 2.
After their bowlers restricted the opposition to a below-par score, Guyana's chase was headlined by two names who surprisingly went unsold in the IPL auction last year.
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Ben McDermott and Shai Hope combined for a match-winning partnership that made the result look inevitable long before the final runs were scored.
Ben McDermott and Shai Hope shine as Guyana Amazon Warriors win
Put into the field, Guyana Amazon Warriors controlled the game from the outset. St. Kitts & Nevis' opener Evin Lewis retired hurt early and though Andre Fletcher fought hard with a 41-ball 60 - wickets kept falling around him.
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Dwaine Pretorius was the pick of the bowlers with 3 for 43 while Imran Tahir chipped in with 2 for 29. Despite some late hitting from Jyd Goolie and Abbas Afridi, St. Kitts & Nevis were restricted to 153 for 8 - a total that always looked short.
In the chase, Guyana lost Kevlon Anderson early but McDermott ensured there were no nerves. The Australian batter smashed 75 off just 39 balls with ten fours and four sixes.
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Who won the Player of the Match award?
McDermott's 75-run knock earned him the Player-of-the-Match award and put Guyana far ahead of the required rate inside the powerplay. After his dismissal, Shai Hope took charge.
The West Indies batter played a composed innings - finishing unbeaten on 56 from 39 deliveries. Guyana finished the chase in 17.2 overs with 16 balls to spare.
The result was a setback for St. Kitts & Nevis Patriots who had started their campaign with a win against Antigua and Barbuda Falcons a day earlier. With their batting reliant on Fletcher and the bowling struggling for breakthroughs, they will need to regroup quickly before their next match.