*THE CARIBBEAN PREMIER LEAGUE MATCH 2: SAINT LUCIA KINGS VS BARBADOS ROYALS 2023 PREVIEW*
*THE BUILD UP:*
After slipping to a close 11 run loss in the first match of the tournament, the Saint Lucia Kings do not have much time before their next assignment resumes. With less than a day, they were given a task to come up against Barbados to search for a pleasing first win to overcome the worrisome faces which the camp experienced after their season kicked off in a poor fashion and on a bad note.
The Barbados Royals, on the other hand, need to begin with fireworks first up. They did so well last year but ended up crashing out with a final game loss, which came with convinction. That should be enough motivation to set their foot right and make it tight for others. The Barbados have a large number of experienced overseas players in their contingent this time and they would be keen upon topping the hosts and giving them back to back losses to begin with.
*ST LUCIA KINGS PROBABLE XI:*
Faf du Plessis, Johnson Charles (wk), Sean Williams, Roston Chase, Sikandar Raza, Kimeni Melius, Roshon Primus, Alzarri Joseph, Matthew Forde, Peter Hatzoglou, Chris Sole
Roston Chase was a real menace last game. He did not shy away from taking up the role of the premier allrounder and performed the role with perfection. He smashed a powerpacked fifty then backed it up with a three wicket haul, yet his side went down fighting and not gaining any victory success. On the same pitch, his off spin could turn out to be a threat for Barbados who would look to get their campaign up and running as soon as possible and as soon as the time allows. Chase’s CPL form has always been kind to him regardless of his mediocre returns as an international T20 player and that works best for his outfit.
The form of Alzarri should be a huge boosting factor for the Lucia Kings. He was in middling form before this but with him hitting the right straps, it only makes things interesting and it’s a welcome bonus for a strong team like the Kings.
Keep your eyes on Zim superstars Raza and Williams and don’t lose hope on the latter, who’s under appreciated and often goes under the carpet due to the allround brilliance of his teammate. The two when in song are an extremely challenging force to deal with for the opposition and the Kings would that the day is tomorrow.
*BARBADOS ROYALS PROBABLE XI:*
Kyle Mayers, Rahkeem Cornwall, Alick Athanaze, Rovman Powell (c), Jason Holder, Donovan Ferreira, Justin Greaves, Rivaldo Clarke, Obed McCoy, Qais Ahmad, Maheesh Theekshana
There’s always this mysterious bit about Theekshana that grabs my attention and over the years, he has only proven his critics wrong with performances to remember. He would look to start right and tight because spinners who lose their line in the Caribbean tend to leak loads of runs and in critical situations. Run leaking becomes a regularity and it is something that the Srilankan giant these days, would look to avoid. Excited to watch him operate alongside Qais Ahmed who’s another Afghani prodigy- unlucky to be born in the era of Rashid dominance. The way these two operate in tandem could very well decide the fate of this game.
Kyle Mayers, one of the most destructive openers in world cricket right now, has not been at his best lately. However, with home pitches at his disposal and the experience of CPL form backing him, he should look to start nicely and be the aggressor right from the top.
*MY PREDICTIONS:*
*FOR ST LUCIA KINGS:*
Highest run getter- Sean Williams/Sikandar Raza
Highest wicket taker- Alzarri Joseph
*FOR BARBADOS ROYALS:*
Highest run getter- Kyle Mayers/Rovman Powell
Highest wicket taker- Maheesh Theekshana/Obed McCoy
*FOR THIS GAME:*
St Lucia Kings to win