Shimron Hetmyer scores a blazing 79 not out from 45 deliveries to help Guyana Amazon Warriors register a comfortable win in the Caribbean Premier League 2018.
Chris Gayle smashed a 65-ball 86 but it wasn't enough as Guyana Amazon Warriors defeated St Kitts and Nevis Patriots by six wickets in the Caribbean Premier League 2018 on Friday.
Skipper Gayle's effort took his team to 146/5 in 20 overs, but Warriors' Shimron Hetmyer scored a blazing 79 not out from 45 deliveries to finish the T20 game with 3.3 overs to spare.
Warriors' skipper Shoaib Malik was a happy man at the end of the contest. "The pitch wasn't easy to hit boundaries; but Chris batted superbly to bat till the end. I have very high hopes from Hetmyer and Rutherford, who will represent their country as well of they keep playing like this. You just go out there and give it your best shot and the results will take care of itself," said the Pakistan international.
Gayle, on the other hand, rued the lack of runs by his team. "I have the advantage having played ODIs here to know how the pitch would behave. They didn't give me a lot of free deliveries as well to get away. The target was to get 150-160 first and then take it from there. But in the bowling, despite getting two early wickets, we gave away too many easy scoring opportunities. And then the dew came in and made it difficult, which we always knew would come down in Guyana.
"It is important to pick up some wins on the road, but this is the first game for us and I can't fault the boys for the effort. Some of the guys are playing for the first time and like I said our CPL starts only in the second game. I am doing my bit of preparation and am enjoying my moment with the youngsters and having a good time," said Gayle.
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Hetmyer, of course, was declared the Man of the Match for his effort with the bat. "My family and my girlfriend have always been there for me. It wasn't that hard in the middle but I kept losing a few partners. When Green came out, I told him to stick around and take it from there even if we needed a few big shots towards the end. My favourite shot at the moment is the late dab behind point. The dew just worked for me with the pace some of the guys bowled at and it helped the pitch as well for batting," said the 21-year-old.
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