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[Saba Sports News] Veteran spinner Imran Tahir credited Ravi Ashwin for his belief that Tahir would lead Guyana Amazon Warriors (GUY) to victory in the 2023 Caribbean Premier League (CPL). GUY, under Tahir’s leadership, secured their first CPL title with a nine-wicket win over Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) at Providence Stadium in Guyana on September 24.
Tahir expressed gratitude to the experienced Indian off-spinner for his unwavering confidence in his captaincy abilities. Despite facing mockery when appointed as the Warriors’ captain, Tahir proved his leadership prowess.
“Many thanks to Ravi Ashwin. Before the start of the season, he told me that I could do it and win the CPL. Many people made jokes when I was made captain,” Tahir stated after the victory.
In the final, Guyana Amazon Warriors won the toss and chose to bowl first, limiting Trinbago Knight Riders to a mere 94 runs. Dwaine Pretorius played a pivotal role for the winners, taking four wickets for 26 runs and earning the Player of the Match award. Imran Tahir and Gudakesh Motie delivered economical spells, securing figures of 2/8 and 2/7, respectively. Romario Shepherd and Ronsford Beaton also claimed one wicket each. Keacy Carty top-scored for the Kieron Pollard-led side with 38 runs.
Amazon Warriors, backed by a home crowd, made a strong start. Despite losing opener Keemo Paul (11) early, they successfully chased the target in 14 overs. Saim Ayub and Shai Hope led the way with unbeaten scores of 52* and 32* runs, respectively.
Shai Hope emerged as the tournament’s leading run-scorer, amassing 481 runs from 13 games at an average of 53.44 and a strike rate of 140.23, including a century and four fifties. Ayub, from the Warriors, was the second-highest run-scorer with 478 runs in 13 games. Pretorius finished as the league’s top wicket-taker with 20 wickets and an excellent economy rate of 7.10.