CPL 2020: Match 11, St Kitts and Nevis Patriots vs Barbados Tridents, Preview- Out-of-breath Patriots seek redemption

Though this is a battle of two bottom-placed teams, it is still exciting in a sense or two.

Published - 25 Aug 2020, 12:58 IST | Updated - 25 Aug 2020, 12:58 IST

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After a dazzling week of cricketing action in Trinidad, the Caribbean caravan will move to Port of Spain. The 11^th match of CPL 2020 is scheduled between St Kitts and Nevis Patriots and the defending champions Barbados Tridents on 25^th August at the Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain.

The Patriots have been shell-shocked after three defeats in a row and are, quite unsurprisingly, placed right at the bottom of the table. The last meeting of these two teams was the first league match for both and the Tridents ended up victorious by 6 runs. Nothing seems to have worked for the Patriots ever since and their dependency on a misfiring opening duo of Evin Lewis and Chris Lynn- both of whom have played reckless cricket and have thrown their wickets after getting off to starts- has only made things difficult.

Denesh Ramdin’s performance from the last game might be a bit of relief, though that’s too little to celebrate for a team brimming with problems. Skipper Rayad Emrit must be disappointed with his unit although his form has been excellent. Other bowlers- Sheldon Cottrell and Sohail Tanvir- have looked good, but so have almost every other teams. Hence, no edge for the Patriots there.

The Tridents’ run has not been great either. The victory over Patriots has been their only victory and they are entering this match after a rough outing against Trinbago Knight Riders. Johnson Charles and Shai Hope hit some form against the Riders but the middle-order failed. The either-or template of the top and the middle order is precisely the reason for their failure. Not to mention a reeling Corey Anderson.

To count the positives, none has been bigger than skipper Holder’s form with the bat. Though the worst part? Holder leaks just as many with the ball as he contributes with the bat. He has played three cameos and has been expensive thrice apart from being tactically cold. Not using an in-form Santner on a turning track; bringing in Rashid at 10, are only a few examples.

The Patriots need serious introspection while the Tridents need to stop making the same mistakes repeatedly. Though this is a battle of two bottom-placed teams, it is still exciting in a sense or two.

Playing combinations

St Kitts and Nevis Patriots

Chris Lynn and Evin Lewis will be on their opening duty and must be determined to provide a solid start. Joshua da Silva has not done what a No. 3 is expected to and the Patriots might want to give Nick Kelly another go. Denesh Ramdin was almost the lone warrior in the last match as Kieran Powell and Ben Dunk, who played a good hand twice before, were dismissed cheaply. Any change in the combination, for now, appears unlikely.

Rayad Emrit was accurate again and bowled at an economy of 3.5 whereas Jon-Russ Jaggesar bagged a couple to make his case stronger after bowling a wicket-less spell in the previous match. Sheldon Cottrell played a dashing cameo with the bat in an almost-did-it attempt for his team, though he lost it completely with the ball much similar to Ish Sodhi, who leaked runs and went wicket-less. Sohail Tanvir has been in decent form and should be in.

Predicted XI- Chris Lynn, Evin Lewis, Joshua Da Silva/Nick Kelly, Denesh Ramdin, Ben Dunk, Kieran Powell, Rayad Emrit, Jon-Russ Jaggesar, Sohail Tanvir, Ish Sodhi, Sheldon Cottrell.

Barbados Tridents

After finally striking good rhythm in the last match, Johnson Charles will want to carry on the same way ahead while Shai Hope, who managed 36 off 39, would want to score with fluency. Corey Anderson’s form has been disastrous of late and the going has got tougher for him. Kyle Mayers has made a couple of contributions, though he missed in the last game.

Jonathan Carter is yet to score in double-digits and is expected to play despite that. Jason Holder has been buzzing with the bat but has been fussing with the ball. He would want to stop gifting away runs to the opposition as much as Raymon Reifer.

Rashid Khan is an automatic choice as is Mitchell Santner. Hayden Walsh Jr bowled only a single over in the last game but should occupy the remaining spot anyway.

Predicted XI – Johnson Charles, Shai Hope, Corey Anderson, Kyle Mayers, Jason Holder, Jonathan Carter, Raymon Reifer, Mitchell Santner, Ashley Nurse, Rashid Khan, Hayden Walsh Jr.