Tahir’s five-wicket haul and Sampson’s late fireworks put Amazon Warriors on top

Imran Tahir produced a stunning five-wicket haul before Quentin Sampson unleashed a spectacular late assault as Guyana Amazon Warriors defeated St Lucia Kings by four wickets in a low-scoring CPL 2026 clash in Providence.

St Lucia Kings were bowled out for 119 after making a promising start. Mehidy Hasan Miraz, making his CPL debut, and Tahir combined to claim eight wickets for just 30 runs. Tahir finished with 5 for 17, while Mehidy returned 3 for 13.

The Kings reached 51 for 1 during the powerplay but quickly lost momentum once the Amazon Warriors’ spinners took control. Tahir removed Kamil Pooran for 43 before dismissing Roston Chase in his next delivery. Mehidy then struck twice in the 11th over as the Kings slipped from 64 for 4 to 72 for 6.

Tahir completed his five-for by running through the lower order, including dismissing McKenny Clarke and Matthew Forde for ducks before trapping Joshua Bishop lbw with a wrong’un.

The Amazon Warriors initially struggled in the chase, reaching only 23 for 1 in the powerplay and remaining below 50 until the 12th over. Glenn Phillips eventually provided momentum with a six but was later dismissed for 37 from 40 balls.

The hosts were reduced to 69 for 4 in the 15th over and still required 48 from the final 30 deliveries. Shimron Hetmyer and Sampson then shifted the momentum with successive sixes.

Although Hetmyer and Romario Shepherd fell late, Sampson kept his composure and finished unbeaten on 37 from just 11 balls. His explosive innings featured five sixes and a four, including a remarkable sequence of 6, 6, 4, 6 from the final four balls he faced.

The victory lifted Guyana Amazon Warriors to 14 points and confirmed their position at the top of the CPL 2026 league table, one point ahead of Antigua and Barbuda Falcons. They still have two league matches remaining before the playoffs.

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