CPL 2020: Guyana Amazon Warriors vs Barbados Tridents (GUY vs BAR) Game Plan: Leggies vs left-handed power-hitters and the Brandon King threat

The CPL 2020 has sparked some interesting T20 match-ups. Here, we take a look at the key game plans and tactical thinking that could play a role in the Guyana Amazon Warriors vs Barbados Tridents (GUY vs BAR) game in CPL 2020. The big run machines The CPL has seen some slow, low tracks this […]
 
?width=963&height=541&resizemode=4
CPL 2020: Guyana Amazon Warriors vs Barbados Tridents (GUY vs BAR) Game Plan: Leggies vs left-handed power-hitters and the Brandon King threat

The CPL 2020 has sparked some interesting T20 match-ups. Here, we take a look at the key game plans and tactical thinking that could play a role in the Guyana Amazon Warriors vs Barbados Tridents (GUY vs BAR) game in CPL 2020. 

The big run machines

The CPL has seen some slow, low tracks this season but we have had two batsmen apiece from Barbados Tridents and Guyana Amazon Warriors in the top half of the highest run-scorers list. Shimron Hetmyer has been a star for the Warriors while Nicholas Pooran, with his century against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in their last game, has also catapulted into the top half of the table. 

CPL 2020: Guyana Amazon Warriors vs Barbados Tridents (GUY vs BAR) Game Plan: Leggies vs left-handed power-hitters and the Brandon King threat

For the Tridents, Johnson Charles has been a stable, attacking presence at the top. Kyle Mayers, who has been around for a while in the CPL, has also had good returns in this year’s edition with his last couple of knocks making him a potent threat in the Tridents batting. 

 

In our earlier game plan, we discussed about Johnson Charles. Here we dig into the three other big run-scorers in these two teams.

CPL 2020 Guyana Amazon Warriors vs Barbados Tridents (GUY vs BAR) Game Plan 1

Shimron Hetmyer – go big or go home vs leggies

Shimron Hetmyer is one of the most attacking batsmen around in T20s. The southpaw has a special liking towards leg-spinners with a memorable showing against Rashid Khan, who will be up against him for the Barbados Tridents in this game, in the Indian Premier League in 2019 for Royal Challengers Bangalore.

Particularly fond of the slog sweep, Hetmyer has peppered the cow corner boundary against leg-spinners and will be expected to take full toll of Rashid again. However, Hetmyer’s brisk scoring has come at a price. Rashid has had considerable success against Hetmyer if you discount that one game in the IPL. Hetmyer has the third fastest scoring rate by batsmen against Rashid, but again most of it is down to that one game. 

 

Dismissing him thrice with googlies – twice in the T20I series against West Indies in Lucknow last year – Rashid will probably be a good match-up to have against Hetmyer despite the risk factor.

Leg-spinners in general have had success against the left-hander too which is slightly surprising given that they turn the ball into him. However, notably, the googlies have dumbfounded Hetmyer.

CPL 2020: Guyana Amazon Warriors vs Barbados Tridents (GUY vs BAR) Game Plan: Leggies vs left-handed power-hitters and the Brandon King threat

The battle between Rashid Khan and Shimron Hetmyer will be one to watch out for in today’s GUY vs BAR game

YuzvendraChahal, Fawad Ahmed and mystery spinner, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman have all had success against Hetmyer in the shortest format of the game. 

CPL 2020 Guyana Amazon Warriors vs Barbados Tridents (GUY vs BAR) Game Plan 2

Kyle Mayers and the spin issue

Kyle Mayers has been a revelation in this CPL with his big-hitting aiding a Barbados Tridents line-up that seems woefully short of one big name in the batting line-up. 

While they bat deep, there’s a reputed batsman who strikes fear in the minds of opposition bowlers that is evidently missing in the Tridents line-up. 

Mayers has filled this hole with his batting this CPL and is Tridents’ highest run-scorer and the third best overall with 205 runs. While his overall strike rate of 125 is far from impressive, it is still compelling considering the kind of wickets the CPL has dished out.   

However, the stat is misleading as Mayers has mostly taken toll on the quicker bowlers while struggling against the spinners as the wide chasm between his numbers show. Against a team that has a plethora of spin options up their sleeve, Mayers is a sitting duck. If your eyes are on fantasy cricket too, here’s one worthy player to avoid for this game.

CPL 2020 Guyana Amazon Warriors vs Barbados Tridents (GUY vs BAR) Game Plan 3

The Brandon King factor

He’s had a dismal start to the CPL this time around with 60 runs in seven matches at an average of 8.57! 

But King might still play this game although the Warriors have a possible power-hitting top-order option in Sherfane Rutherford waiting in the wings. This is primarily because of how exceptional he has been against the Tridents in the CPL. 

Aside from making nearly more than double the runs he has against any other franchise, King has also scored at his quickest against the Tridents.  

 

While King has fallen to pacers in five of his seven innings in CPL 2020, there might be a temptation to throw some conventional off-spin at him early on. Ashley Nurse has dismissed him twice in 13 balls. 

Although the Tridents found success with Mitchell Santner (and Joshua Bishop) and left-arm spin in the powerplay, it might not be a good option against King who scored at frenetic pace against left-arm spinners who turn the ball away from him in the 2019 CPL. 

ALSO READ: CPL 2020 – Jamaica Tallawahs vs Trinbago Knight Riders (JAM vs TKR) Game Plan: The TKR spin threat and below par powerplay batting

On the contrary, pace and off-spin aren’t really his strength and the Tridents could expose that although they might want to be careful with how they use Jason Holder. Last season, enroute a breathtaking 132*, King slammed Holder for a six and three successive fours in the second over of the innings. This year, King has never batted outside the powerplay overs so far.