Zampa stars as Warriors claim thriller

The match in a tweet: What a thriller! Guyana sneak home with one ball to spare as Zampa stars with the ball, Smith takes charge with the bat and Mohammed produces a big finish.

The result: St Kitts and Nevis Patriots 9-164 lost to Guyana Amazon Warriors 6-165 (19.5).

The ending: With seven runs needed from the final over, Krishmar Santokie did well to allow just one run from the first two balls before executing a sharp run-out at the non-strikers end with the third. With two runs required from two balls, he almost had another wicket when Jason Mohammed skied a ball to the deep, but Faf du Plessis put down the chance as Guyana sealed victory.

The Aussies: St Kitts batsman Brad Hodge come in at a difficult time for the hosts, who had just lost two wickets in as many balls, thanks to the run out dismissal of Jonathan Carter, who departed for a diamond duck. But there’s nothing the Aussie veteran enjoys more than a bit of pressure and again he thrived, steadying the ship with four boundaries and one maximum before falling to countryman Adam Zampa for a 32-ball 38.

Guyana spinner Zampa was brought on in the eighth over and made a miserly start, leaking just three runs from his first over. He then nabbed the big wicket of Faf du Plessis with his second over, just when the South Africa star was ready to launch. Zampa copped some punished in his remaining two overs, targeted by Devon Thomas and Thisara Perera, to finish with figures of 3-34.

Chris Lynn took a brilliant catch (see below) but didn’t have the same impact with the bat, caught short of his crease on nine by a very sharp piece of fielding from Faf du Plessis.

The hero: When Guyana opener Dwayne Smith holed out with his team 2-91, there was still plenty of work to be done. That task become harder after Lynn departed but former Windies ODI batsman Jason Mohammed was unfazed, producing a match-winning 40 not out from 28 balls to guide the Warriors home.

The support acts: Left-armer Sohail Tanvir made an immediate impact for Guyana, removing Simmons with a wicket-maiden opening over and despite some wayward bowling early – he bowled three wides – he recovered well, adding another three wickets to his tally including the dangerous Carlos Brathwaite to finish with 4-20.

Then, Guyana opener Smith powered his way to a half-century and looked set to single-handedly tear the game away from St Kitts, racing to 62 from 36 balls before holing out to du Plessis. Despite the disappointing finish, his knock provided plenty of entertainment, including five huge sixes.

The International stars: St Kitts skipper du Plessis came to the crease earlier than hoped after Lendl Simmons fell in a wicket-maiden opening over, but he immediately looked comfortable, striking a boundary of the second ball he faced. He made a promising start, reaching 30 from 28 deliveries, but would rue not going on with it after being well caught by Martin Guptill off the bowling of Zampa in the 10th over.

South Africa spinner Tabraiz Shamsi was superb, allowing just 16 runs from his four overs while also snaring the wicket of Anthony Bramble.. although that decision wasn’t entirely clear cut (see below).

For Guyana, opener Martin Guptill also failed to make the most of a promising start, sharing a 62-run opening stand with Dwayne Smith before being dismissed for 22.

The no-ball: Shamsi thought he had nabbed a crucial wicket for the Patriots when he had Anthony Bramble caught in the 17th over. But he was forced to endure a nervous wait as the third umpire checked for a front foot no ball. The commentators were initially convinced the Protea had overstepped, but closer examination showed a slither of his heel may have been over the line, and Bramble was sent on his way.

The catch: Chris Lynn is no stranger to some fancy work in the field and he was at it again on Friday, sprinting around the boundary and leaping into the air to take an excellent catch off a Thisara Perera shot that had looked destined to go over the rope for six. It halted the Patriots’ momentum with nine balls remaining, helping keep the total to a manageable 9-164.

The next stop: St Kitts will be back in action on Saturday, July 2 (Sunday 2am AEST) when they host Jamaica, while Guyana will travel to Pot of Spain to play the Trinbago knight Riders later the same day (Sunday 11am AEST).