This is now a do-or-die situation for St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. They have already lost 5 games in the tournament and they can’t afford another defeat as that would mean they would be out of the playoffs race.
Guyana Amazon Warriors, who had started the tournament with a bang, have now lost 4 out of their last 5 games and they are desperate to get back to the winning ways as well. They are not quite at the brink as St Kitts, but they are also lagging behind in the playoffs race.
Here are our fantasy cricket tips for game 20 of CPL 2020 –
Pitch Report
This has been a low scoring tournament so far as the pitches at both the venues have been really low and slow. The surface at the Queen’s Park Oval was expected to be a bit better and conducive to stroke-play, but none of the batsmen has found it easy to time the ball sweetly on a consistent basis.
The power players have still been able to force the ball over the fence on a few occasions, but the players, who rely on their timing, have really struggled to score fluently at Queen’s Park Oval
Predicted playing XI of both teams
St Kitts and Nevis Patriots
Evin Lewis, Chris Lynn, Ben Dunk, Denesh Ramdin, Nick Kelly, Joshua da Silva, Rayad Emrit (C), Sohail Tanvir, Ish Sodhi, Jon-Russ Jaggesar and Imran Khan
Guyana Amazon Warriors
Brandon King, Chanderpaul Hemraj, Shimron Hetmyer, Ross Taylor, Nicholas Pooran, Sherfane Rutherford, Chris Green (C), Keemo Paul, Imran Tahir, Ashmead Nedd and Naveen-ul-Haq
Top picks
Although Chris Lynn got out in the single digits again in the last game, he is still a very tempting option to have in the fantasy XI. Before being cleaned up by Fidel Edwards against Jamaica, Lynn launched one straight down the ground for a huge six which suggests his form is good, it’s just a matter of him getting through the new ball.
Brandon King is another opener whose tournament is going more or less like Chris Lynn. He has also timed the ball well, but has just not extended his stay at the crease long enough. But, again King is someone who can take the game away from the opposition single-handedly if he bats for a proper length of time.
Nick Kelly is not a power player by any stretch of imagination, but he has got a lot of shots in his repertoire. He is an organized batsman who can play with the straight bat on both sides of the wicket, but he can also innovate and use the area behind the keeper to good effect. He is capable of playing the scoops and the laps through the area between the keeper and the short fine leg.
Imran Tahir is a straightforward pick as he is always in the game with his stock leg spinner and googly, but the surprise pick would be the off spinner Jon-Russ Jaggesar. The 34-year old, whose action resembles a little bit with that of the Sri Lankan legend Muttiah Muralitharan, has caught a lot of eyeballs this season as the batsmen have not found it easy to hit him for boundaries.
Captaincy pick: Chris Lynn
Vice-captaincy pick: Brandon King
Fantasy XI: Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Brandon King (VC), Chris Lynn (C), Ben Dunk, Nick Kelly, Chris Green, Sohail Tanvir, Imran Tahir, Naveen ul Haq, Jon-Russ Jaggesar
