Tahir five-for and Sampson blitz send Guyana top of CPL

What happened

Watch the highlights:

Guyana Amazon Warriors returned to the top of the Caribbean Premier League table with a four-wicket win over Saint Lucia Kings at Providence Stadium. Chasing 120 on a surface that rewarded spin, Guyana reached 122 for six in 18.3 overs. The result completed a sharp response after the Warriors had been beaten by Antigua and Barbuda Falcons the previous night, while Saint Lucia finished its preliminary campaign on eight points from four wins. According to Cricket World and the official CPL match report, the Kings must now wait on other results to learn whether fourth place will be enough for a playoff berth.

Tahir takes control

Saint Lucia chose to bat and made a promising start despite losing Tim Seifert for four. Kamil Pooran attacked his way to 43 from 35 balls, with six fours and two sixes, and the Kings reached 51 for one after the six-over powerplay. The innings then collapsed against Guyana captain Imran Tahir and CPL debutant Mehidy Hasan Miraz. Miraz removed John Campbell for 12 in his first over for the Warriors, while Tahir dismissed Pooran and Roston Chase as Saint Lucia slid from 54 for one to 73 for eight.

Tahir finished with 5 for 17 from four overs and Miraz claimed 3 for 13, also from four. Obus Pienaar provided the only sustained resistance after the collapse, making 35 from 28 deliveries and sharing a 38-run last-wicket stand with Maheesh Theekshana. Romario Shepherd ended the innings at 119 in 18.5 overs when Pienaar was caught by Tahir. Nine Saint Lucia wickets fell for 27 runs between 54 for one and 81 for nine, the decisive sequence of the match.

The chase

Guyana treated the target cautiously and scored only 23 for one in the powerplay. Glenn Phillips made 37 from 40 balls and Shai Hope 21 from 31, their 53-run partnership stabilising the chase before the Kings spinners struck back. Theekshana bowled Phillips, Charith Asalanka removed Hope, and Chase dismissed Miraz to leave the Warriors 69 for four. When Chase later accounted for Shimron Hetmyer, Guyana were 98 for five with the low-scoring contest still alive.

Sampson changes the finish

Quentin Sampson transformed the equation with a burst of clean hitting. He attacked Chase for two sixes and a four from three consecutive deliveries, then finished unbeaten on 37 from only 11 balls. His innings contained five sixes and one four and came at a strike rate of 336.36. Although Matthew Forde removed Shepherd with five runs still needed, Sampson and Dwaine Pretorius completed the chase with nine balls remaining. Chase took 3 for 34, but his final over also supplied the acceleration that broke Saint Lucia’s resistance.

Tournament impact

The victory put Guyana back at the summit with two matches in hand, strengthening its position entering the playoff phase. Saint Lucia’s league programme is over, leaving the Kings dependent on the remaining group results. For Guyana, the larger takeaway was the balance of its match-winners: Tahir and Miraz exploited a sharply turning pitch to dismantle a strong start, then Sampson supplied the power that a measured chase suddenly required.