Guyana Amazon Warriors didn’t just get back to winning ways. They slammed the door on any debate about who sits atop the table.
On a sluggish evening in Guyana, with runs hard to come by and nerves never far away, Imran Tahir turned back the clock with a masterclass. His five-wicket haul ripped the heart out of Saint Lucia Kings, set up a modest chase of 120, and laid the platform for a nervy pursuit that only truly relaxed when Quentin Samspon walked in and started swinging.
Tahir tears through the Kings
Saint Lucia Kings chose to bat and, for a brief spell, looked like they had read the pitch perfectly.
Kamil Pooran came out blazing. He lost Tim Seifert early, but refused to blink, carving five fours and two sixes in the Powerplay. With John Campbell bedding in at the other end, the Kings surged to 51 for 1 after six overs. The surface looked truer, the decision to bat sound.
Then the match turned on its head.
Mehidy Hasan Miraz cracked open the innings right after the Powerplay, removing Campbell and snapping a 40-run stand. The dismissal loosened a thread; Tahir yanked it clean out.
The captain trapped Pooran lbw, then pinned Roston Chase in front in quick succession. From 51 for 1, the Kings suddenly looked exposed at 70 for 4, their early momentum shredded by Tahir’s guile and Mehidy’s control.
The collapse accelerated. Mehidy struck again in the 11th over, removing Kemol Savory and Charith Asalanka to leave the innings in ruins. Every over brought a new crisis. Tahir then knocked back McKenny Clarke and Matthew Forde, both bowled, as the Kings slid from wobble to freefall.
By the 14th over, Tahir had his fifth, trapping Joshua Bishop lbw. The figures told their own story; the body language of the Kings told an even harsher one. They were 81 for 9, the innings clinging to life.
Only Obus Pienaar offered resistance. His 35 was more than just a number; it was a rescue mission. He farmed the strike smartly, found a willing partner in Maheesh Theekshana, and together they stitched a 38-run last-wicket stand that dragged the total to 119. When Pienaar finally holed out in the 19th over, it was almost inevitable that Tahir, of all people, would be under the catch.
From the heights of 51 for 1 to 119 all out, the Kings had been out-thought and out-bowled.
A stuttering chase, then Samspon explodes
On a surface growing slower by the minute, the chase was never likely to be a stroll. Guyana Amazon Warriors proved that with every cautious prod in the Powerplay.
They crawled to 23 for 1 after six overs, managing just two boundaries. The scoreboard moved, but only just. The Kings sensed a way back through pressure rather than magic.
After the early loss of Mavendra Dindyal, Glenn Phillips and Shai Hope settled in for the long haul. Their 53-run stand, stretched across 58 balls, steadied the innings but never quite broke the tension. Singles, dots, the odd release shot—this was survival, not domination.
The Kings held their nerve. The required rate nudged, the crowd grew restless, and then came the wobble. Three wickets fell in three overs, and suddenly the game, which had seemed routine on paper, felt anything but. The Kings had a sniff, and for a fleeting spell, they had the Warriors under real pressure.
Then Samspon arrived and tore up the script.
He didn’t prod. He didn’t suss out the conditions. He launched. Five times he cleared the ropes in an unbeaten 37 off just 11 balls, turning a tricky finish into a brutal, decisive burst. Every swing felt like a statement, every six a reminder that even on the toughest surfaces, power can rewrite the narrative in a handful of deliveries.
The chase, once tense and tangled, ended with a surge. The Warriors crossed the line with four wickets in hand, the earlier caution replaced by a blaze of hitting that left the Kings flat.
Tahir’s spell had set the tone. Samspon’s cameo slammed it home. And with that, Guyana Amazon Warriors locked down top spot, looking every bit like a side ready to dictate how the rest of this tournament unfolds.
