Guyana Amazon Warriors 122 for 6 (Sampson 37*, Phillips 37, Chase 3-34) beat St Lucia Kings 119 (K Pooran 43, Pienaar 35, Tahir 5-17, Mehidy 3-13) by four wickets
Forty-seven-year-old Imran Tahir delivered a masterclass in bowling, virtually single-handedly dismantling the St Lucia Kings batting lineup as the Guyana Amazon Warriors returned to winning ways with a low-scoring triumph in Providence. Chasing a modest target of 120, the Amazon Warriors found themselves in a precarious position at 98 for 5, with 22 runs required from the final 17 deliveries. However, a spectacular, unbeaten 37 off just 11 balls from Quentin Sampson—decorated with five sixes and a four—sealed a thrilling victory and handed the Kings their third consecutive defeat.
The victory propelled the Amazon Warriors to the summit of the CPL 2026 standings with 14 points, sitting one point clear of the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons. With two group matches remaining against the Trinbago Knight Riders and the Barbados Tridents before the playoffs, the Warriors are well-positioned to extend their lead at the top.
Opting to bat first, the Kings got off to a solid start, posting 51 for 1 during the powerplay. However, the Amazon Warriors’ bowlers swiftly shifted the momentum. On his CPL debut, Mehidy Hasan Miraz struck in his very first over, while veteran Imran Tahir trapped the in-form Kamil Pooran lbw for 43 off 35 deliveries. Tahir continued his assault in the 10th over, dismissing Roston Chase for just one. The slide intensified as Mehidy claimed two wickets in the 11th over, sending back Kemol Savory and Charith Asalanka to leave the Kings at 72 for 6. Tahir then ran through the lower order, bowling McKenny Clarke and Matthew Forde for ducks in consecutive deliveries before trapping Joshua Bishop lbw with a sharp wrong’un. This performance marked Tahir’s fifth T20 five-wicket haul and his second of the tournament, as he and Mehidy combined for an impressive 8 wickets for 30 runs, conceding just 28 dot balls between them.
The chase began slowly for the Amazon Warriors, who managed only 12 runs from the first three overs before Chase broke the opening partnership. The score crawled to 23 for 1 during the powerplay, and they struggled to reach 50 after 11 overs. The breakthrough finally came when Glenn Phillips ended a 36-ball drought with a powerful log-sweep six off Chase. Phillips attempted to accelerate further, taking on Maheesh Theekshana in the following over, but was ultimately bowled by the same bowler for a 40-ball 37.
The middle order continued to wobble as Asalanka caught Shai Hope behind and Chase dismissed Mehidy Hasan Miraz in the space of five balls, reducing the Warriors to 69 for 4 in the 15th over. With 48 runs needed from 30 deliveries, Nicholas Hetmyer and Sampson launched a counter-attack, smashing Asalanka for a six each in the 16th over. Despite the dismissals of Hetmyer and Romario Shepherd in the 18th and 19th overs respectively, Sampson held his nerve, capping off the chase with a flurry of boundaries—hitting 6, 6, 4, and 6 off the final four deliveries to secure the win.