CPL 2020 | Jamaica Tallawahs vs St Lucia Zouks - Statistical Preview

By1XBet, SportsCafe Editor

09/06/2020

The penultimate game of the entire competition, Jamaica Tallawahs will lock horns with St Lucia Zouks to decide who they would be facing in the semi-final of the competition. While the Tallawahs sit fourth on the table, with seven points, the Zouks sit pretty at third, with five wins.

Form Guide

Jamaica Tallawahs - L NR L W W

While the Tallawahs flying season was halted by a loss against the in-form and favourites Trinbago Knight Riders, they are on the right track to reach the semi-final stage of the competition. The Tallwahs walk into the contest on the back of a seven-wicket loss against the Tridents, where their bowling attack did not arrive at the party. However, their batting clicked as Jermaine Blackwood and Andre Russell put on a show in the 20-over contest, with 74 and 54 runs respectively. However, against the Zouks, they would be facing a tougher side, who are in prime shape and form.

St Lucia Zouks - L L W W L

The Zouks, on the other hand, are on the back of a screaming loss against the favourites, Trinbago Knight Riders. While their bowling did not click, conceding 175 runs against the mighty Reds, their top-order created something out of the contest, with Mark Deyal and Andre Fletcher scoring 40 and 42. However, the rest of the batting unit looked fragile, which is exactly where the Tallwahs would be aiming to expose them on Sunday.

Key Batsmen

Jamaica Tallawahs - Andre Russell

While Andre Russell hasn’t done much with the bat in the early half of the competition, he has come to the fore in the recent weeks, where he has looked in the prime nick. In the last two games, the lanky all-rounder has scored 54 and an unbeaten 50, before which he scored 23 and 52. In hindsight, the franchise might have good batsmen in the form of the Kiwi batsman Glenn Phillips and fellow Windies batsman, Jermaine Blackwood but the responsibility would lay on the shoulders of Russell to get them over the line.

St Lucia Zouks - Andre Fletcher

‘Fletch’ the run machine would be vital to the Zouks chances against the Tallawahs. While his side may be placed third on the table, Fletcher’s form coming into the game is certainly far better than that. In just his last encounter, he top-scored for the franchise, with a 27-ball 42, scoring one boundary and three monster sixes. Going into the semi-finals, the Zouks would be hoping that Fletcher’s blade gets heated up as the tournament has certainly started heating up.

Key Bowlers

Jamaica Tallawahs - Mujeeb ur Rahman

It's obvious that the Afghan spinner, Mujeeb ur Rahman is the key bowler for the Tallawahs, who are just one step away from reaching the semi-final stage of the competition. He’s already picked up 13 wickets in the tournament, at an average of 13.15. Moreover, he’s on the back of a three-match wicketless streak which only would prompt him to come back into the wickets column this time around. Prior to his wicketless streak, the off-spinner had picked up 10 wickets in the previous four encounters.

St Lucia Zouks - Mohammad Nabi

While it has pretty much become clear that the competition and the conditions are favouring the slower bowlers, Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi would be the best bet to come out as Zouks’ top bowler in the final clash of the competition. Why you may ask? To simply put in context, the off-spinner has 11 wickets in the tournament and has been in sublime form. Against the Patriots earlier in the league, he picked up the Man of the Match award, for his spell of 5-15, opening the bowling for the Zouks. A similar ploy could be employed on Sunday, so wait and watch as Nabi unfurls his off-spinners.

1XBET PREDICTIONS

While both sides walk into this encounter on the back of a loss, one thing that has not changed in the tournament is the slower nature of the pitch. The conditions have been topsy-turvy becoming tough for the batsmen, who have been unable to score heavily in the tournament. So in retrospect, a total of under 283.5 would be the order of the day, with 1XBet predicting a 1.84X return.

Predicted XIs

Jamaica Tallawahs: Glenn Phillips (wk), Nkrumah Bonner, Jermaine Blackwood, Asif Ali, Rovman Powell (c), Andre Russell, Carlos Brathwaite, Veerasammy Permaul, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Sandeep Lamichhane, Fidel Edwards

St Lucia Zouks: Kimani Melius, Andre Fletcher, Mark Deyal, Najibullah Zadran, Roston Chase, Mohammad Nabi, Darren Sammy(C), Scott Kuggeleijn, Kesrick Williams, Zahir Khan, and Leniko Boucher.

Venue: Brian Lara Stadium, Tarouba, Trinidad

When to Watch: Sep 06, 11.45 PM IST

Where to Watch: Star Sports Network and Fan Code