Saint Lucia Kings will be up against the Jamaica Tallawahs in their next assignment of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2022 on Wednesday, September 8. The game will be played at Gros Islet, Saint Lucia.
The Kings will be playing at the Darren Sammy Cricket Ground for the first time in nearly three years. Interestingly, the last time they played a CPL game at this venue was against Wednesday’s opponents Tallawahs, on 27 September 2019.
Luck, however, has not been siding with the Kings thus far in CPL 2022 as they missed out on a victory narrowly in their opening two fixtures. Whilst the game went into the final over against the Trinbago Knight Riders, a rain-marred clash against Barbados Royals saw them just fall short.
Skipper Faf du Plessis, who made his first appearance this season against the Royals, chipped in with a blazing 20-ball 47 which includes two fours and four sixes. Despite losing four quick wickets, Du Plessis held his nerve and took the side close to the finishing line in the company of Alzarri Joseph, but eventually fell 11 runs short.
The Kings do have a tricky task in hand as their opponents, the Tallawahs, won their opening two fixtures with ease and are sitting on top of the table. However, this fixture will be the first home game of the season for Faf du Plessis’s men, which can be a confidence booster.
Tim David, who just made it to the Australian T20 World Cup squad, did not bat yet in the tournament, but is in sublime form in this format. He made 405 runs in the T20 Blast 2022 at a strike rate of 174.67 and was explosive in the IPL as well (186 runs at a strike rate of 216.28).
David Wiese is another extremely useful addition to the lower middle-order, who can contribute profusely with the bat and ball. Sri Lankan explosive batter Niroshan Dickwella will be an option to consider as the southpaw is now available for selection.
The bowling department has done a decent job in both the games, restricting oppositions to par scores. Alzarri Joseph, who was also good with the bat against Royals, is currently the leading wicket-taker in the league with six wickets to his credit at an economy of 6.0. Scott Kuggeleijn is proving to be an effective partner, who has picked up three wickets in two games.
The Kings must find a way to restrict Brandon King, who is currently the leading run-scorer in the tournament with 121 runs at a strike rate of 147.56. The Tallawahs’ skipper Rovman Powell too is off to a good start this season with the bat, scoring 74 runs at a strike rate of 139.62.
Meanwhile, the Kings’ batters will be wary of Migael Pretorious, who has snared two wickets in each of the last two matches.
