Motie's four-for puts Amazon Warriors in third successive CPL final

Gudakesh Motie's four-wicket haul thwarted St Lucia Kings and propelled Guyana Amazon Warriors into the final of CPL 2025. It is their third successive title clash, having won the competition in 2023 and finishing runners-up to Kings last year.

Amazon Warriors were helped to 157 thanks to a lower-order assault from Dwaine Pretorius (17 off eight balls) and Romario Shepherd (21 off eight), which helped them take 41 runs in the last four overs. That still looked a par score, at best, with Kings having to chase under lights. But a disciplined bowling show from Amazon Warriors, with just two extras conceded, and Motie's strikes reduced the opposition to 48 for 7, almost a point of no return.

Chasing 158, Kings were rocked thrice in the first three overs with Pretorius dismissing Tim Seifert and Ackeem Auguste, while Shepherd accounted for Johnson Charles. Roston Chase and Aaron Jones consolidated after that and Kings were 37 for 3 after the powerplay - not too far runs-wise from Amazon Warriors' 45 for 1 after six overs.

That is when Motie was introduced and he sliced through the batting in the middle overs. Chase's ungainly heave across the line saw him bowled. On the next ball, Tim David played completely down the wrong line to be out for a first-ball duck. Imran Tahir then got into the act in the next over to castle Jones.

When Kings' captain David Wiese holed out to long-off in Motie's second over, their innings was truly in freefall. That they managed to come close to their target was down to Khary Pierre's maiden T20 half-century. After Kings were reduced to 85 for 8 at the start of the 14th over, Pierre and Tymal Mills hit at least one boundary in the next four overs to give Amazon Warriors a minor scare.

Pierre got to his fifty in 28 balls to get coach Daren Sammy, hoping for a miracle, on his feet. The hopes dipped when Pierre fell next ball, but Mills kept Kings' slim chance alive by taking 13 off Shepherd's last over, the 19th of the innings.

Pierre's stingy spell earlier in the evening had seen Amazon Warriors struggle to force the pace in the middle overs of their innings. While the left-arm spinner went for just 15 runs in the powerplay, Ben McDermott and Quentin Sampson managed to score 29 off the three non-Pierre overs. The brakes on scoring were applied when Wiese had McDermott chop on.

Shai Hope batted through the middle for 32 off 29 balls while the rest of the middle order fell for single digits. When Moeen Ali fell to leave Amazon Warriors 107 for 6, it seemed the night would belong to the defending champions. But a final flourish followed by a batting failure meant they now have to defeat Trinbago Knight Riders in Qualifier 2 on Friday to harbour hopes of an encore.