Caribbean Premier League T20, Jamaica Tallawahs vs St Lucia Zouks: Match Preview, Pitch Report, Predicted XI, Players to watch out for and more

The Jamaica Tallawahs lock horns with the St. Lucia Zouks on the 12th of September at Sabina Park, Jamaica as both sides look to pick up their first wins in the tournament.

The Tallawahs, riding on Chris Gayle’s sublime ton, put up a massive score of 241 in their previous game. However, the Universe Boss’ century went in vain as the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, powered by Devon Thomas and Evin Lewis, hunted down the target with more than an over to spare.

Thus, the Jamaica-based outfit had highlighted their strengths and weaknesses in the course of a single game. For all the flair and power that they possess with the bat, their bowling line-up still looks a little off-colour and unless they rectify that facet, it could haunt them, throughout the tournament.

Yet, having said that, the presence of a certain Andre Russell in addition to Gayle makes them slight favourites on Thursday, especially against a side battling to find the adequate balance between calculation and creativity themselves.

In their opening game, the Zouks failed to chase down an average total of 156, despite being in the ascendancy through the Power Play. On the said occasion, they pressed the self-destruct button and collapsed spectacularly in the middle overs, thereby handing the opposition the advantage.

As for the second encounter, they played out the middle phases a little too cautiously. In the process, they posted a sub-par score on the board, which was ultimately ransacked by the Trinbago Knight Riders.

Thus, the contest on Thursday offers both sides a chance to find tonics to the ailments plaguing them.

While the Tallawahs would hope to stumble upon an adept bowling formula, the Zouks would be looking to mix a bit of guile to the fearlessness they’ve portrayed, in patches.

After all, the Caribbean Premier League doesn’t allow too many opportunities, in light of the frenetic nature of the competition. And, one feels another loss for either would plunge them into a downward spiral with a potential route upwards extremely arduous.

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Match Details

Date: 12th September, 2019

Time: 07:00pm (Local Time); 05:30am IST on the 13th of September, 2019

Venue: Sabina Park, Jamaica

Where to watch: Star Sports Network (India); Live streaming on Hotstar

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Weather Report

A clear day is expected with minimal chances of rain. Thus, a full 40-over match seems to be on the cards.

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Pitch Report

Only a handful of CPL games were played at Sabina Park last year. Yet, in the two encounters that happened, the 170 barrier was breached thrice. Hence, one can expect another pitch conducive to batting on Thursday.

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Predicted XIs

Jamaica Tallawahs

The Tallawahs have lost two games on the bounce and usually, that tempts sides to fiddle with their team combination. However, the hosts don’t have any injuries to worry about, meaning the eleven that featured against the Patriots might just get one final bite at the cherry.

Jamaica Tallawahs XI (Probable): Chris Gayle, Glenn Phillips (wk), Chadwick Walton, Andre Russell, Rovman Powell (c), George Worker, Shamar Springer, Steven Jacobs, Jerome Taylor, Christopher Lamont, Oshane Thomas

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St. Lucia Zouks

The Zouks shuffled their pack for the previous game as John Campbell and Kavem Hodge came into the side. Though the duo didn’t particularly set the world ablaze, they might have done enough to merit a spot in the eleven for the visit to Jamaica.

St. Lucia Zouks XI (Probable): Andre Fletcher (wk), Rahkeem Cornwall, John Campbell, Najibullah Zadran, Daren Sammy (c), Thisara Perera, Andre McCarthy, Kesrick Williams, Obed McCoy, Fawad Ahmed, Kavem Hodge

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Players to watch out for

Chris Gayle

Gayle smashed a hundred in his last match

Chris Gayle announced his arrival on the CPL stage with a scintillating hundred against the Patriots. Though the result didn’t exactly go to plan, there were plenty of positives for the Tallawahs from the match, none more important than the return to form of the Universe Boss.

When the big Jamaican gets going, there are hardly any bowling attacks in the world capable of reining him in. Thus, the Tallawahs would again look towards their talisman for inspiration. And, one feels that Gayle might relish the occasion, considering it demands a substantial innings.

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Rahkeem Cornwall

Cornwall has been in superb batting form

Rahkeem Cornwall made his Test debut for the West Indies in the recently concluded series against India and he gave a decent account of himself. While he didn’t rip through the visitors’ batting line-up, he ensured that they weren’t let off the hook easily.

However, at the CPL, Cornwall has been making a name by indulging in pyrotechnics at the top of the order. So far, the all-rounder has faced 26 balls in the competition, off which he has scored 69 runs at an astonishing strike rate of 265.

Thus, with the Tallawahs’ bowling line-up immensely circumspect, Cornwall might enjoy his time in the Jamaican landscape.

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