CPL 2020: Match 5, BAR vs SLZ, Match Preview, Probable Playing XI and Prediction

The Barbados Tridents will take on the St Lucia Zouks in the fifth match of CPL 2020 on Thursday, 20th August at the Brian Lara Cricket Stadium in Trinidad.

The defending CPL champions Barbados Tridents started their title defence with a victory over St Kitts and Nevis Patriots on Tuesday night. The St Lucia Zouks, however, lost to the Jamaica Tallawahs on Wednesday.

With every game crucial in shaping the final CPL standings, both sides will look for a win in this match.

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CPL 2020 BA vs SLZ: Match Details

Date: 20th August (Thursday).

Time: 7:30 PM (IST), 2:00 PM (GMT), 10:00 AM (Local).

Venue: Brian Lara Stadium, Tarouba, Trinidad.

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Barbados Tridents

The Tridents bowled well in their fist CPL game of the season.

The Tridents recovered well from an early batting collapse against St. Kitts despite Kyle Mayers, who was promoted up the order, playing an important knock. Skipper Jason Holder scored a free-flowing 38 off just 22 balls. But they will need better performances from the likes of Johnson Charles, Shai Hope, and Corey Anderson and from Jonathan Carter who missed out against St. Kitts.

Tridents bowled very well to restrict the Patriots to 147 runs from their allotted 20 overs as they successfully defended their total of 153. Mitchell Santner, Rashid Khan and Holder finished with good bowling figures and didn't concede many runs. Their other two pace bowlers, Kyle Mayers and Raymon Reifer should, however, work on their economy rate.

With their strategy of going in with four spinners working well, the Tridents should stick with the same XI against St. Lucia as well.

Predicted Playing XI:

Shai Hope (Wicketkeeper), Johnson Charles, Corey Anderson, Kyle Mayers, Jonathan Carter, Jason Holder (Captain), Rashid Khan, Ashley Nurse, Mitchell Santner, Raymon Reifer, and Hayden Walsh Jr.

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St Lucia Zouks

Roston Chase batted well for the Zouks.

The Zouks put on a middling batting display in their previous match against Jamaica Tallawahs, with Roston Chase the only player who performed well.

Both the Zouks openers must look to stick around longer and work on their shot-selection. Young Mark Deyal looked promising at number three but perished after scoring 17 off just five balls.

Najibullah Zadran and Chase then stitched together a decent partnership. However, in the absence of a finisher, their scoring rate suffered in the death overs as they ended up 15-20 runs short.

Scott Kuggeleijn was expensive with the ball, and Zouks should consider replacing him with Chemar Holder for the game against Barbados Tridents. Left-arm chinaman Zahir Khan went for runs as well. Kesrick Williams did well to recover from his first-over mauling to bowl a good spell, as did Obed McCoy.

We can expect some changes in the Zouks' playing-XI after their loss to the Tridents.

Predicted Playing XI:

Rahkeem Cornwall, Andre Fletcher, Mark Deyal, Najibullah Zadran, Roston Chase, Mohammad Nabi, Darren Sammy(C), Scott Kuggeleijn/ Chemar Holder, Kesrick Williams, Zahir Khan, and Obed McCoy.

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Match Prediction:

Both sides didn't look very convincing with the bat in their first CPL 2020 games, but it's the Tridents' batting lineup which looks more solid on paper. Moreover, with their impressive spin-bowling unit, they could very well make it win number two in the CPL this season.

Prediction: Barbados Tridents to win.