CARIBBEAN T20 LEAGUE 2021, MATCH 1: GUYANA VS. TRINBAGO | PREDICTION, PLAYING 11 AND FANTASY CRICKET TIPS
Preview
Guyana will take on defending champions Trinbago in the opening match of the season at the Warner Park in St. Kitts on Thursday morning.
Both teams have been very consistent in reaching the knockouts stages of the tournament in all eight seasons so far. Guyana will look to end their 5-time runners-up jinx with their first title and will like to start this season with a victory. They lost in the semifinal stage of the last season.
On the other hand, Trinbago will look to continue their 12-match-long winning streak here. They defeated St Lucia to clinch the title for the fourth time last season and will be aiming for their 5th title.
Match Details
- Match: Guyana vs. Trinbago, Match 1
- Venue: Warner Park, St. Kitts
- Date & Time: Aug. 26, 2021, at 7:30 PM IST/10 AM Local
Probable Playing XI:
Guyana
- Brandon King, Chandrapaul Hemraj, Mohammad Hafeez, Nicholas Pooran (C & WK), Shoaib Malik, Shimron Hetmyer, Romario Shepherd, Odean Smith, Naveen-ul-Haq, Ashmead Nedd, Imran Tahir
Trinbago
- Lendl Simmons, Tim Seifert, Darren Bravo, Colin Munro, Kieron Pollard (C), Denesh Ramdin (WK), Isuru Udana, Sunil Narine, Akeal Hosein, Jayden Seales, Ali Khan
Weather Report
- The weather is expected to be mostly fair in Basseterre, with some cloud cover during the match. The temperature will be around 30 degrees during the game.
Pitch Report
- The pitch at Warner Park is generally a good playing surface. The batters are likely to have a great time as the ball comes onto the bat quite easily. The surface will not allow a lot of assistance to the bowlers. However, pacers have been more successful at this venue than spinners and are likely to take more wickets here. The average first-innings score in the last five T20 played here has been 180 runs.
Toss
- The team batting first at this venue has won 1 of the last 5 matches played here. So expect the team that wins the toss to opt to bowl first and stand a better chance at winning. A first-innings score of around 190 runs can be a competitive one on this surface.
Top Fantasy Picks
Wicketkeeper
- Nicholas Pooran showed signs of returning to form with a couple of 30s and a 60 in his last five T20I innings against Australia and Pakistan. Last season, he scored 245 runs in 11 matches at a strike rate of 123.73, including a high score of 100*.
Batters
- Shimron Hetmyer is a dangerous and powerful hitter who can clear the boundaries at will. He had a good last season in the league and ended up as the fourth-highest run scorer, with 267 runs in 11 matches at an average of 33.37 and 3 half centuries.
- Lendl Simmons is in good form, scoring 165 runs in five matches against Australia including a high score of 72. He was the leading run scorer in the league last season, making 356 runs in 11 matches at an average of 39.55, including 3 half centuries.
All-Rounder
- Mohammad Hafeez brings more balance to the Guyana line-up, providing a sixth-bowling option as well as bringing vast experience in the middle order. He has been performing well recently, with 190 runs and 7 wickets in his last seven T20s.
Bowlers
- Naveen-ul-Haq is the leading wicket taker in the T20 Blast 2021, with 26 wickets in 14 matches at an economy of 8.67 and best figures of 3/26. Last season, he took 11 wickets in 10 matches at an average of 19.2.
- Jayden Seales was impressive with his fierce and accurate bowling in the recent Test series against Pakistan, where he picked up 11 wickets in 2 matches. Last season, he took 8 wickets in 6 matches at an average of 17.87.
Howzat Dream Team
- Wicketkeeper: N Pooran
- Batters: B King, S Hetmyer, C Munro, L Simmons
- All-rounders: M Hafeez, S Narine
- Bowlers: I Tahir, Naveen-ul-Haq, A Khan, J Seales
- Captain: C Munro/L Simmons
- Vice Captain: N Pooran/M Hafeez
NOTE: The Howzat dream team above is just a suggestion. You can make your fantasy 11 and play fantasy cricket matches. Also, don’t forget to make any necessary changes to your team once the actual playing 11 is announced by each team (30 minutes before the start of the match) as some players you have selected might not be part of the team suggested.
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