Bajans are a force to be reckoned with
There’s a running joke among supporters of other teams that Bajans are jinxed. This year, however, they’re showing their resilience and beating everyone so far. Recently they took four points from their games against Jamaica, giving them a perfect two wins out of two matches played. They’ll now be playing Guyana on September 15th and facing St Vincent and the Grenadines on September 19th. If they win these two games, there will only be one game left before the playoffs and Barbados will then have six points on top of second-placed Trinidad & Tobago with five. The only problem is that if Barbados loses this game (or any game) then there will be an extra game before the playoffs where all three teams can battle it out for the one playoff spot.
Andre Fletcher is an X-factor
Barbados batsman Andre Fletcher is capable of breaking all types of records when he bats and proved that again during their 3-wicket win over St Kitts & Nevis Patriots. He smashed 128 runs off 67 balls to make a total of 201 runs off 127 balls. In doing so, he became the first player ever in any form of cricket history to score 500+ runs (600+) during a season. This was also his fourth hundred this season. In addition, Fletcher also joined Windies legends George Headley and Keith Arthurton as only the third man after them with four centuries at the CPL, which makes him one of a very exclusive list that includes Brian Lara, Brad Hodge, and Cameron White.
Bajans can be clinical finishers
With a tight defense and speedy, clinical finishers up front, Bajans showed all other CPL teams that they are the team to beat this season. The scoreline may not have reflected the dominance of this talented side but they will take heart from their four-goal haul against cellar dwellers Guyana Amazon Warriors. This team needs to maintain its focus on staying unbeaten going into crunch matches against Jamaica Tallawahs and St Lucia Zouks next week. The performance by Keemo Paul was inspirational with his goal in the final quarter-hour securing a much-needed win for Barbados. He has been nominated for the West Indies player of the match award alongside two others but remains a favorite with bookmakers as well as viewers alike at home who were enthralled by his energetic play from start to finish.
The franchises that have performed well so far
Barbados have won both of their matches thus far and they’ve done so convincingly. It’s easy to look past them, but if they keep this form up they’ll be a tough match for anyone. While Guyana did take 3 points from them last week, Jamaica was the only other side who put up a fight against them and Barbados still emerged victorious. Trinidad and Tobago are another big threat: with 6 points from their two games, they’re looking for more success. Antigua and Barbuda have also looked strong with 4 points on offer, as well as Saint Vincent Grenadines (2) and Saint Kitts Nevis (1). The franchises yet to face each other will make it difficult to rank them in order of success.
The franchises struggling so far
Out of the ten franchises that started this year’s CPL, eight are yet to score their first victory. The two exceptions are Portmore United and Montego Bay United. This can be attributed to some factors: inexperience, roster mismanagement, and challenges in adapting to local culture. Regardless of the causes, it is up to these teams to get out of the hole they have dug themselves into and start showing some competitive spirit.
Upsets on upsets on upsets!
Ahead of the Caribbean Premier League’s matchday three, it seemed there was only one unanimous opinion – no other side could catch Barbados at this point. But on Friday night, after winning 3-1 over Jamaica, we saw history. Trinidad and Tobago recorded their first victory since making a comeback into domestic football on matchday one. Guadeloupe then followed up that shock result with a 5-2 win over Antigua and Barbada, while Guyana picked up their second point of the season following an away victory against Dominica. It all looks as though no team is capable of going toe-to-toe with this frighteningly powerful side!
