Powell warns of ‘must-win’ situation in final Kingsmen game

JAMAICA Kingsmen Captain Rovman Powell said his players must now treat their final Caribbean Premier League (CPL) preliminary round game as a must-win match, after an eight-wicket defeat to Guyana Amazon Warriors at Providence on Friday night left their play-off hopes hanging by a thread.

Sent in to bat, the Kingsmen stumbled to 87-6 in the 13.5th over before a late fightback lifted them to 159-7 from 20 overs. The recovery was built around Hassan Khan who top-scored with an unbeaten 62 from 29 balls. The right-hander, who smashed six sixes and two fours, shared a crucial 55-run stand for the seventh wicket with Odean Smith who made 13.

Earlier, Maaz Sadaqat made 35 from 34 balls but the middle order collapsed against Guyana’s spinners. Dwaine Pretorius and Khary Pierre took two wickets apiece for the home side.

Powell admitted the total was competitive at the halfway stage, but praised Guyana’s execution.

“To be honest, I think at the halfway stage I was pretty pleased, especially when we lost those wickets in the middle overs. Credit to Hassan, he played a tremendous innings for us, and I think it’s just a case of some fine margins,” Powell said in a televised interview.

In reply, the Amazon Warriors made light work of the target, cruising to 160-2 in 17.2 overs. Rahmanullah Gurbaz set the tone with 54 from 35 balls, while young Mavendra Dinyal blasted 33 from 17. Shai Hope finished unbeaten on 39 and Shimron Hetmyer ended on 30 to see Guyana home with 16 balls to spare.

Asked if his bowlers could have done more to defend 159, Powell pointed to the power play and Guyana’s batting strength at home.

“I think, in hindsight, maybe we could have shifted things around a little bit, but credit has to give to Gurbaz and the youngster; they batted well in the power play. We also know if we cannot find the wicket of Shimron Hetmyer and Shai Hope it would be difficult to contain them in Guyana. Guyana is always a difficult place to play,” he said.

Powell explained why Providence is such a tough venue for visiting teams.

“When you look on the Guyana team, they are designed for the passersby. They pick their team based on their own conditions, to be honest. Three quality spinners, they always have that. And Pretorius is one that always takes wickets in the power play — his line is very good in Guyana — and for the majority of the games he plays, you know, credit has to be given to him. This seems like a well-rounded team,” he said.

Powell also noted how conditions changed under lights.

“It changed a lot. We wanted to win the toss and bowl because we know that it would get increasingly wet and batting would become a little bit easier in the second innings. But having said that, I think the guys have to give credit to the Guyana team that played well tonight,” Powell stated.

With the loss, Jamaica now head to Barbados on Saturday, September 12, needing a win to keep their campaign alive.

“Yeah, I think now we are faced with a must-win game. If we are to progress further in the competition we must win in Barbados. But it’s an opportunity for us. We have a few days to sit down, come up with different plans.

“I think we’re still in a good place. Once as a team your destiny or your fate is in your hands, then you take that at any time,” Powell said.

On the overall effort, he remained upbeat.

“Each and every game we have people standing up, and that’s a good thing for us as a team. It is just for us collectively to put it together, instead of [only] one or two guys chipping in. The guys are working hard. It is nine games into a long competition and we have some time in Barbados where we can sit down, rest our legs a little bit, and come fresh for our final game,” Powell said.