With the post-match presentation ceremony now complete, that concludes our coverage for tonight. Thank you for tuning in! We'll be back tomorrow with more CPL action, so be sure to join us. Goodnight!
Imran Tahir: "We knew the toss was going to be a little bit important because of the dew factor. I still think that we bowled really, really well, even though they got 60-65 runs in the last four overs. Because of the conditions, we knew that we might go for a few runs, but I'm really happy with the bowling performance. I'm just a bit disappointed with the way we started the game. I thought we should have gotten this total quite easily, especially with the conditions we had. [Batting Strategy] It is concerning. As I said, we just have to see the new ball off. We always knew that was the plan we had. After the power play, we knew we had some guys coming in, like Moeen Ali. We had a really good plan, but I was just not really happy with the way we started. Going forward, we need to improve on that if we're thinking of getting into the qualifiers. Pretorius batted really well. He never had a chance before because we've been batting so well last year. But we always knew that our batting depth is really, really good. As for Quinton Sampson, the first day I saw him, he hit one of the biggest sixes I've ever seen. He showed good character and is very mentally strong. I don't think he felt any pressure. He's young, and he obviously wanted to finish it in the way he wanted. But he played really well and is improving every game. I'm really happy and pleased with his performance as well. [Guyana Home Leg] Look, we can't wait to get there. Home advantage is there. All the teams in the competition have really good players. But home advantage and playing in Guyana is something special, and we all feel that. We are really excited and looking forward to playing in front of the Guyana crowd."
Rovman Powell: "From a batting standpoint, we lost wickets at a crucial stage of the game. I think we finished well as a group, but at the start of the second innings, I felt as if we were 10 or 15 runs short. We just have to give confidence to the guys. They are world-class players. It's just for them to get one or two more shots in the Powerplay. If we can get one or two more boundaries, that's 50-55 for one. We still have a good amount of games left, and it's just for the guys to take confidence from how we performed tonight and see how we can string some wins together. We bowled too many no-balls, but it was a spirited bowling performance. To take it down to the second-to-last or last ball is a good effort, even with some wet balls. It's always a big advantage in the CPL when teams win the toss. We've seen in Trinidad that once you win the toss, you win the game. I think it's basically the same thing here; teams that bat first here have to really bat well."
Player of the Match, Dwaine Pretorius: "It's really nice to contribute, and we've had a tough start to our power plays in the past few games. So I'm glad we could start it off well today. It's all about the power play. We made it tough for ourselves in the Powerplay, but you could see where the ball got a bit wetter and the wicket started playing a bit better. There wasn't so much turn, so we just tried to take a deep breath, wait for the conditions to change, and then hopefully, take some big overs. We always try to see what we'll be able to score in the last five overs. When the rain break came, we still needed 10 runs an over, so getting to over 10 was always the plan, and then we tried to build some pressure. [On the Crowd] First of all, I just want to thank God for tonight's performance. I'm glad we could win. We're going on with a bit of momentum, and it feels like we've got a lot of support here. Thanks to everyone who came out tonight. This performance was for you guys."
11:40 pm The Warriors have spoiled the Royals' homecoming, and the home team is still waiting to get their first win! Eathan Bosch placed the Warriors in early difficulties, dismissing McDermott and Ali in the second over. Things worsened when Simmonds dismissed Shimron Hetmyer in the next over. However, as with the Royals' earlier innings, one South African and one West Indian batter took on the responsibility of continuing the innings. That combo was Shai Hope and Pretorius. A tough chance was dropped in the 11th over, giving Pretorius a lifeline, but Alleyne injured his shoulder and had to be stretchered off in the process. Pretorius then went into attack gear, scoring 53 runs off 34 balls and forming a critical 89-run combination with Shai Hope.Shai Hope remained unbeaten with 62 runs off 49 balls, while Quinton Sampson scored a brilliant cameo of 33 runs off 20 deliveries. Bosch bagged three wickets and Simmonds got two, but the Warriors' batters thrashed the Royals' bowlers all around the field in the latter overs.
Guyana Amazon Warriors won by 4 wickets
Chris Green to bowl the last over
END OF OVER:19 | 4 Runs | GAW: 160/6 (6 runs required from 6 balls, RR: 8.42, RRR: 6.00)
- Quentin Sampson24 (17b)
- Shai Hope61 (48b)
- Daniel Sams4-0-27-0
- Chris Green3-0-36-1
Daniel Sams to bowl the penultimate over
END OF OVER:18 | 9 Runs | GAW: 156/6 (10 runs required from 12 balls, RR: 8.66, RRR: 5.00)
- Quentin Sampson22 (13b)
- Shai Hope59 (46b)
- Chris Green3-0-36-1
- Ramon Simmonds4-0-27-2
11:08 pm The covers are coming off now. No overs lost, the match will resume anytime soon.
11:03 pm It's drizzling again, and the covers are coming on! The Warriors are 11 runs ahead at the moment.
END OF OVER:17 | 12 Runs | GAW: 147/6 (19 runs required from 18 balls, RR: 8.64, RRR: 6.33)
- Quentin Sampson15 (9b)
- Shai Hope57 (44b)
- Ramon Simmonds4-0-27-2
- Eathan Bosch4-0-35-3
Free Hit
Simmonds in
END OF OVER:16 | 8 Runs 1 Wkt | GAW: 135/6 (31 runs required from 24 balls, RR: 8.43, RRR: 7.75)
- Quentin Sampson6 (5b)
- Shai Hope55 (41b)
- Eathan Bosch4-0-35-3
- Daniel Sams3-0-23-0