St Lucia Zouks vs Barbados Tridents, Caribbean Premier League T20 2020, Today Match Prediction 20 Aug 2020

sz vs bt Match Prediction & Analysis

It is the 5th game in the Caribbean Premier League 2020 and St Lucia Zouks would be up against the defending champions Barbados Tridents. The Zouks are coming into the game having lost their first encounter against the Jamaica Tallawahs where they failed to defend a decent total. The Tridents, on the other hand, won a thriller against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots and this will add to their confidence going into the game.

Barbados Tridents have won 10 games against the Zouks in the past and have lost against them on just four occasions. The team is well-balanced and has a batting line-up that bats deep. The Zouks have their problems with the bowling which isn’t looking in great form at the moment. It remains to be seen if Zouks are able to recover from their loss in the first game and come up with a winning performance.

TEAMS PREVIEW

St Lucia Zouks Preview

Darren Sammy would be terribly upset with his bowlers who failed to defend a sizable total in the last game against the Jamaica Tallawahs losing by 5 wickets in the end. Sammy would want his side to bounce back strongly and not repeat their poor show in the first half like in the last season. They are up against a team against whom they don’t have the best of records and shall look to improve that.

Openers Andre Fletcher and Rakheem Cornwall failed to provide a good start in the last game and shall aim to do so in this one. Mark Deyal, Roston Chase and Najibullah Zardan look in rock-solid form and they will have to repeat their performance in the next game. Sammy, Mohammad Nabi and Scott Kuggelejin can hit the ball hard and they will look to make the most out of their abilities in the next game.

It is in the bowling department that the side will need to make improvements and hope for a good start with the new ball from Scott Kuggelejin and Zahir Khan. Obed McCoy and Mohammad Nabi need to show their experience in the next game. Kesrick Williams and Cornwall will be expected to play the containing role well in this game.

St Lucia Zouks Predicted Playing XI:

Daren Sammy (c), Andre Fletcher (wk), Rahkeem Cornwall, Kesrick Williams, Obed McCoy, Najibullah Zardan, Mohammad Nabi, Scott Kuggelejin, Zahir Khan, Mark Deyal, Roston Chase

St Lucia Zouks Actual Playing XI:

Obed McCoy, Saad Bin Zafar, Mark Deyal, Daren Sammy, ADS Fletcher, Kesrick Williams, Scott Kuggeleijn, Roston Chase, Rahkeem Cornwall, N Zadran, Mohammad Nabi

Barbados Tridents Preview

It was surely not the most convincing start for the defending champions against St Kitts and Nevis Patriots but skipper Jason Holder wouldn’t complain about earning the first points in the season. The side looked scratchy with the bat and they will need to make amends before the next game. They have a good record against Zouks and would look to maintain the status quo.

The side will expect good start from Johnson Charles and Shai Hope as the duo missed out in the last game. Corey Anderson too went for nought and shall be looking to contribute in this game. Kyle Mayers and Holder are looking in good form and they will look to continue with the good show. Jonathan Carter, Rashid Khan and Raymon Reifer with their hitting abilities down the order make Trident’s batting line-up look strong.

It was a good show from their bowlers in the last game where they successfully defended a small total. Skipper Holder, Mitchell Santner and Rashid Khan were on the top of their game bowling their side to a win. Tridents would, however, look for a better start with the new ball from Kyle Mayers. Hayden Walsh who was one of the biggest finds of the last season will also look to improve his show in this game.

Barbados Tridents Predicted Playing XI:

Jason Holder (c), Johnson Charles, Shai Hope (wk), Corey Anderson, Kyle Mayers, Jonathan Carter, Mitchell Santner, Ashley Nurse, Raymon Reifer, Rashid Khan, Hayden Walsh

Barbados Tridents Actual Playing XI:

Mitchell Santner, Johnson Charles, Ashley Nurse, Hayden Walsh Jr, Kyle Mayers, Jonathan Carter, Raymon Reifer, Rashid Khan, Corey Anderson, Shai Hope, Jason Holder

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The conditions are likely to be overcast at Trinidad on August 20 and we might also see some rain during the game. The track has so far been on the slower side which has made it difficult for batsmen to hit the ball. Batsmen will need to get their eyes in to play those big strokes and small scores are defendable here. The side batting first shall feel comfortable with a score in excess of 160 runs.

Venue Details

The shorter boundaries at Brian Lara Stadium, Tarouba, Trinidad offer plenty of scoring opportunities to the batsmen but the track being slightly slow often creates doubts in the minds of batsmen. Fast bowlers have to pitch the ball in the right areas to do well at this venue. Spinners have always enjoyed bowling here as there is sharp turn and bounce on offer.

Toss: To Bowl

We haven’t yet seen any big-hitting in the three games that have been played so far in the series. The wicket hasn’t been the best one to bat on and put doubts in the minds of the batsmen. Chasing a score here has its advantage as the team can pace their innings. Hence we expect the side winning the toss to bowl first in this game.