Hosein, Hales, Munro help Knight Riders consolidate CPL top spot

A dominating, all-round show from Trinbago Knight Riders took down an abject Guyana Amazon Warriors to consolidate their position at the top of the points table with their fourth straight win in CPL 2025.

Akeal Hosein started the damage with the new ball early on to help restrict the Amazon Warriors to 163 before openers Colin Munro and Alex Hales put on a century opening stand, and Andre Russell put in the finishing touches. Imran Tahir's four-for caused a flutter or two but in the end the win was almost academic.

Amazon Warriors would have given a stronger fight had they not put down three catches and if Tahir got a little support from his bowlers who all failed to contain TKR's batting might. They are fourth on the points table with just four points, but with at least two games in hand compared to the teams above.

TKR cashed in on their decision to bowl by landing three blows in the powerplay which reduced the opposition to 37 for 3. Shai Hope led Amazon Warriors through these troubled waters but saw Hosein strike twice more at the other end, to remove Hassan Khan and Shimron Hetmyer in the space of three balls. That left the score on 70 for 5 after nine overs. Soon Romario Shepherd lost his stumps to Sunil Narine and Hope was out, hit wicket, for 39 off 29, and Amazon Warriors were 109 for 7. They managed a late surge through 21 runs from Dwaine Pretorius and three sixes from Quentin Sampson which led them past 150 and to a competitive score.

Hales and Munro, though, were hardly troubled by that. They took the bowlers downtown, swept away the spinners for boundaries and cut and pulled with freedom to bring up a century stand in just nine overs. Munro's fifty came off 25 balls and Hales' off 26 even though Hales was clearing the ropes more regularly.

TKR's brief wobble came after the halfway mark when Tahir struck three times in an over, accounting for Munro for 52, and Nicholas Pooran and Keacy Carty for ducks. Amazon Warriors had already put down catches of Munro and Hales by then, and they would have effected a run out immediately after Tahir's triple-wicket over when there was a mix-up between Hales and Pollard and Hales slipped in the middle of the pitch, but Hassan Khan missed the stumps at the striker's end and the back-up fielder at midwicket failed to collect the ball cleanly.

Hales also went past 14,000 T20 runs and since TKR's asking rate after those wickets was just over five an over, they got to the target with 16 balls to spare, thanks to three sixes from Russell.