Hope, Pretorius keep Amazon Warriors in play-off race

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC):

Superb knocks by Shai Hope and Dwaine Pretorius pushed the struggling Barbados Royals to yet another loss, but kept the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the hunt for a play-off berth when the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League continued here on Thursday.

Hope and Player of the Match Pretorius both scored half centuries as the Amazon Warriors staged a remarkable recovery to overhaul the Royals’ total of 165 for six, finishing on 170 for six in 19.4 overs at Kensington Oval.

It moved the Amazon Warriors up to fourth place on six points from their five games, one point behind third-place Antigua & Barbuda Falcons who have played eight games, while the Royals remain in last place without a win in five matches.

The win was set up by an 89-run partnership between Hope and Pretorius, that rescued their team from a precarious position of 30 for four.

Royals’ pacers Eathan Bosch (3-35) and Ramon Simmonds (2-27), wrecked havoc on the Amazon Warriors’ top order, with the former dismissing Ben McDermott and Moeen Ali in the second over of the innings, while Simmonds grabbed the prized scalps of Shimron Hetmyer and Hassan Khan.

While Hope was fluent from the start, Pretorius started shakily, scoring 12 runs from his first 19 deliveries.

The outcome might have been much different had Kadeem Alleyne held on to a catch offered by Pretorius, running back from extra cover when he was 12, but the ball popped out of his hands and on to the turf.

It proved to be the turning point of the match, as Pretorius hit Jomel Warrican and Chris Green for sixes in successive overs.

He then hit Warrican for back-to-back boundaries to move to 36 off 27 balls, and followed it up by whacking Green for two more sixes in the ensuing over to bring up his half century off 32 balls.

However, shortly afterwards Green had him caught on the square leg boundary for 53, which included four sixes and two fours, to leave the Amazon Warriors 119 for five at the end of 14 overs.

They suffered another setback when Romario Shepherd was back in the pavilion for just one, but Hope, who brought up his half century off 39 balls, found a useful partner in Quentin Sampson, who scored an unbeaten 33 off 20 balls.

The Warriors needed six runs off the last over and Sampson ended it in fine style by hitting Green over the boundary ropes with two balls remaining in the match.

Hope finished on 62 not out off 49 balls with five fours and one six.

Earlier, the Royals needed whirlwind knocks from captain Rovman Powell and Rassie van der Dussen, to get up to their eventual total after suffering a top order batting collapse that saw them crumble to 69 for five in the 12th over.

Powell and van der Dussen belted 82 runs in eight overs to give the home fans something to cheer about.

Powell ended on 50 not out off 28 balls with six sixes, while van der Dussen hit 45 from 37 balls.

Gudakesh Motie led the way for the Amazon Warriors with 2-16 from his four overs.