Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard clash against each other as Jamaica Tallawahs take on Barbados Tridents in the Caribbean Premier League at the St Kitts' Warner Park Cricket stadium in Basseterre on Monday.
The two had locked horns against each other earlier and on that occasion Gayle's Tallawahs prevailed. Pollard's Tridents will seek revenge as they look to notch up a second win in a row after beating Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel a few days ago.
Neither Barbados Tridents nor Jamaica Tallawahs are clear favourites going into the match. The Tridents, however, have some momentum going into the game. On Friday they beat Dwayne Bravo's Red Steel quite convincingly.
This too was a return match. Barbados would be hoping for more success in another return encounter. The Tridents will face the Tallawahs with more confidence than they did the last time. On that occasion the bowlers did well but the batsmen floundered as they could not chase a score of 147.
Currently in third place, the Tridents, in their previous game, were nothing short of tremendous as they hammered Red Steel. Batting first they put up a good score of 174. Skipper Pollard, with a fiery late surge, put together a more than useful 34 off only 15 deliveries. Quite noticeably he has started to bat at number 6.
This means the bowlers from the opposition have to contend with his hugely destructive ability right in the end. So far, Pollard batting that lower down has paid off. In an earlier match against St.Lucia Zouks he won the game for the Tridents in the last over.
Left-hander Raymon Reifer was amongst the runs too as he made a very handy 65 not out and stayed till the end. Shoaib Malik , who's been the rock for the Barbados batting lineup, chipped in with 35 runs. He will be the key yet again.
Amongst the bowlers, Jason Holder stood out as he scalped four wickets. Barbados fans would be happy he did well as Ravi Rampaul, the other pacer, has been in good form. The team would be hoping they come good against the Tallawahs too.
The Tallawahs, in first place, were surprised by Darren Sammy's St.Lucia Zouks in their last game. They struggled to play Mervin Matthew who bagged three wickets. Batting first they could onky get to 143. In the game against the Tridents the bowlers had defended 147 but here there was no repeat. Captain Chris Gayle could only manage three as the rest of the batting lineup, with the exception Chadwick Walton, floundered. The Tallawahs would be hoping, the loss to the Zouks is an aberration.
Barring another defeat by Red Steel, the Tallawahs have done well in the tournament. The batting, however, does have few problems here and there. They are perhaps a little too reliant on Chris Gayle.
They can expect few more contributions from the middle order. On a few occasions this tournament the bowling has had to bail them out. The good form of Chadwick Walton though augurs well for them. For the bowlers, pacer Jerome Taylor has done well and would look to continue his good form. Veteran spinner Daniel Vettori has brought all his experience into play, while Andre Russell has chipped in as well.
Going into the game, the teams seem evenly balanced with a good set of bowlers and explosive batsmen like Gayle and Pollard in either team. The Jamaica Tallawahs would like to get back to winning ways while Barbados Tridents want more victories under their belt.
Where to Watch Live
The game will start at 4 pm local time (1:30 am IST) with coverage on Sony Six in India. The match is available live online HERE. US viewers can catch the action on ESPN3, with the option to live stream HERE.
