AT THE HALFWAY MARK
Oh, how the days–and cricket balls-have flown! It seems like this year’s tournament only began a mere heartbeat ago and yet here we are after day 9. Now that each team has played at least 5 games; we have effectively gotten past the midpoint of the competition. We also have a much better idea of what each team’s strengths and weaknesses are, as well as their form. What have the early frontrunners been up to? Are the initial stragglers still languishing at the bottom of the standings? Have the mid-table teams risen or fallen? Questions, questions, and all of them pertinent and in need of answers. Luckily for you, dear reader, that’s where I come in. A quick pause to refill my coffee, and away we go.
SPEED BUMPS AND BOOSTERS
The Patriots did all the early pace-setting as they racked up 5 wins on the trot. This included a remarkable victory over the Royals thanks to a last-ball six by “Sergeant” Cottrell, of all people. Then, they ran into the Saint Lucia Kings in the 15th match of the tournament and the Kings ran riot. They plundered 224 runs off their 20 overs, then destroyed the Patriots batting for a paltry 124. The Kings returned 24 hours later to prove that this was no mere fluke victory. This time they bundled out the Patriots for 118 and chased that down with more than 4 overs to spare. The men from Saint Lucia have strapped on the rocket boosters and jumped into 2nd spot with 3 straight wins. Meanwhile, the home Patriots have hit their first big speed bump on the road to a second final with consecutive losses.
WHEN IT’S NICE, DO IT TWICE.
In the early days of CPL 2021, some batters got close to this season’s first century. Tallawahs’ Lewis and Kings’ Chase and Fletcher all had 80+ scores, but that first ton seemed unreachable. Until matchday 8 came around. In their first rout of the Patriots, Saint Lucia skipper Faf du Plessis beat the bowling from pillar to post. His unbeaten 120 came off 60 balls with 13 fours and 5 sixes at a strike rate of 200. The South African maestro had thrown down the proverbial gauntlet. Enter one Chandrapaul Hemraj of the Amazon Warriors in the night match on the very same day. Warriors bowled first and restricted the Royals to 130, leaving their own batters with a fairly straightforward run chase. Hemraj blitzed an unbeaten 105 off 56 deliveries with 14 fours and 5 sixes. Who says lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same spot? Not the CPL!
SLEEPING GIANTS AND TABLE PROPPERS.
TKR, oh TKR, wherefore art thou, TKR? The defending champs have yet to truly turn up at CPL 2021. Their 50-50 win/loss record after 6 games is a far cry from their perfection at this stage last year. The bowlers have delivered, taking the most wickets by any team. The batters, however, are a different matter altogether. Thus far, they have fluffed their lines twice when chasing modest totals to lose by 9 and 5 run margins. The most glaring example of their inconsistency, however, has to be failing to score SEVEN runs for a super-over victory. Somewhere in New Zealand absent Head Coach McCullum is missing large chunks of his hair and sanity. Barbados Royals simply look lost. 7 current or former WI players and 4 foreigners with top-level International resumés give this squad experience galore. Without proper leadership, they are destined to remain table proppers.
TALLAWAHS AND WARRIORS STALLING.
What a pair these teams make. The Warriors have gotten to the most CPL finals of any franchise but are yet to win a title. Jamaica’s Tallawahs have one of the most stacked line-ups in terms of power hitters. Both find themselves adrift of the top spots, separated by just 2 points on the table. The Tallawahs flattered to deceive in their record-setting opening victory, picking up just one more win since then. South African Pretorius leads their wicket takers with 11 scalps, but no one else has gotten to 5. For all their power, only two of their batters are among the top 20 run scorers thus far this season. Warriors just can’t seem to get the right combination consistently. They pulled off a super-over heist, crashed for 98, then won by 9 wickets inside 15 overs. Head Coach Griffith must be very sleep-deprived by now.
TAKE NOTHING FOR GRANTED.
The Patriots, with 10 points already in the bag and atop the table, seem assured of a playoff spot. Their final 2 games will be against TKR, however. Any resurgence from the defending champs will further dent the Patriots’ confidence. Spots 2 thru 4 in the playoff race remain up for grabs. The surging Kings look to be in a great position with arguably the easiest remaining schedule. TKR, if they can just deliver that breakthrough performance, will fancy going on a run of their own. The combined experience of Hafeez, Malik, and Tahir makes it impossible to ever truly right off the Warriors. As for the Tallawahs, opponents can restrain Russell’s muscles for only so long. When he fires, the Tallawahs will become an entirely different beast to deal with. It would take a brave soul to predict results now. Me? I’m gonna sit back and enjoy the show.
