We have another double header in the Caribbean Premier League on Sunday on what is the final day of CPL 2020 at the Queens Park Oval in Trinidad. The first of the two matches sees the Barbados Tridents taking on the St Lucia Zouks.
The defending champions Barbados are in real need of a win here after an agonising defeat to Trinbago on Saturday. The Zouks are going along nicely and have the chance to strength their semi-final claims with victory in this one.
Barbados Tridents
For around 35 overs of their match against the Trinbago Knight Riders, the Barbados Tridents had everything under control but five overs of brute force and power from Kieron Pollard ripped their hearts out, and now they will have a devils own job to get themselves back up for this match less than 24 hours later. That loss was significant as they would have put a bit of a buffer between them as the two chasing sides for a semi-final spot. As it is they’ll need to create that gap all over again.
Other than finish their innings slightly better it is hard to see what more Barbados could have done and while losing to the Knight Riders isn’t going to stop them in their tracks, losing from a seemingly unassailable position surely will. It will take a great effort from Jason Holder to get his troops going again here. One thing he might think about doing is saving an over of Rashid Khan for the death overs in case a blitz like that comes their way again.
St Lucia Zouks
The St Lucia Zouks head into this match in a decent position with four wins from their six matches, including a thoroughly convincing win over the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots last time out. That means that if they win two of their last four they will definitely be in the semi-finals but the inconsistencies of others could see them make it through with one more win. Either way if they come out on top in this match they will head back to Brian Lara Academy in a very strong position.
The Zouks have been one of the more intelligent sides in the competition this season. That shouldn’t surprise us too much. In Daren Sammy they have probably the best captain in the tournament while Andy Flower is an excellent coach. They are quick to evaluate decisions and when they get on top of a side they rarely let up. If there is a concern it comes in that light batting they have but that lack of depth hasn’t hurt them much so far.
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Key Men
Jason Holder needs to deliver a big performance for the Barbados Tridents here. His batting and bowling will be important not just for the state of the game but also to rouse his troops into action to back him up. If he can play well it might put Saturday’s demise behind them.
It is hard to envisage a time when Mohammad Nabi isn’t going to be key for this St Lucia Zouks side but if he isn’t a key man after a five wicket haul he never will be. That was only against the Patriots but if he can keep Johnson Clarles and Kyle Mayers quiet, and better still get them out, the Zouks will be well on their way to winning.
Betting
I backed Barbados Tridents outright but I can’t ignore the value on the St Lucia Zouks here. I repeatedly bang on about how hard it is for teams to back up a performance in T20 cricket the following day and that is already holding sway in this tournament. Both teams who have played in successive days against a team who had the previous day off have lost and that is absolutely no surprise to me. That is immediately against the Barbados Tridents here but they didn’t just play and lose on Saturday, they lost in a really rough way.
It would be a special performance from the Tridents here if they are not flat. If they can put in a strong performance then fair play to them but they’ve already lost to the Zouks this season when they were fresh, albeit in a rain-affected match, but they were well behind when the rain came. Barbados have all-rounders coming in pretty early in their batting innings which is always hit or miss. There is more proper batting in this St Lucia side and while they might lack a Rashid Khan with the ball, they have wicket takers in their own right. I can’t get over the schedule issue though so it is the Zouks for me.
Tips
WON – Back St Lucia Zouks to beat Barbados Tridents for a 3/10 stake at 2.25 with Betfair
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