Warriors pip Red Steel to advance to second semi-final

Marchant de Lange's 4 for 23 and an unbeaten 65 from Lendl Simmons led Guyana Amazon Warriors to a seven-wicket win over Trinidad & Tobago Red Steel in the last league match of the Caribbean Premier League 2015. Both teams finished on 11 points, but a better net run rate helped Amazon Warriors finish in second place, ensuring their spot in the second semi-final where they will play the winner of the knockout match between Red Steel and Jamaica Tallawahs. Barbados Tridents, who topped the league table, are in the final.

A win over Amazon Warriors would have taken Red Steel into the final, but de Lange inflicted damage on those plans when he broke through the top order with three wickets in his first two spells, after Red Steel opted to bat. He had Jacques Kallis caught behind for 3 in the second over, Javon Searles was caught on the leg side for 6 and Darren Bravo was also out caught behind for 3.

In the midst of the wickets, Cameron Delport kept the scoreboard moving along and by the time he was dismissed in the 10th over, he had contributed 44 to the side's total of 65. Red Steel did not recover from the poor start and were stifled by the Amazon Warriors spinners - the second half of their innings saw them add only 50 runs to the scoreboard. De Lange returned for the final over, and dismissed Kevon Cooper to take his fourth wicket, limiting Red Steel to 117 for 8.

Simmons powered Amazon Warriors to a strong start, hitting a four and a six off Samuel Badree in successive overs, before taking 15 runs off Derone Davis in the fourth over. The side scored 47 in the Powerplay, with Simmons making 41. The opener had a reprieve in the eighth over, when the third umpire ruled that a return chance to the bowler Johan Botha was not out. Their start ensured that Amazon Warriors kept pace with the required equation and did not slow down despite the wickets of opener Assad Fudadin and captain Denesh Ramdin in successive overs.

A 52-run partnership for the third wicket between Brad Hodge and Simmons put the side on the brink of a win. Hodge hastened the result, with successive sixes off Cooper, before his dismissal for 33, and Amazon Warriors reached the target with three overs to spare.