Guyana Amazon Warriors manager Omar Khan says his team will have no fear when they face defending champions Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) in their forthcoming Hero Caribbean Premier League matchup.
The Warriors became the first team to qualify for the playoff stage after recording six successive wins last week. They will meet the St Lucia Zouks at the Darren Sammy Stadium in St Lucia from 6 pm today looking for win number seven and meet TKR for the first time this season on Monday.
But speaking to Guardian Media at the team’s base at Sandals in St Lucia on Tuesday, Khan said their form this season is such that they fear no one this season.
“It’s not about fearing the TKR, it is about being in the right state of mind to battle when the occasion comes up,” Khan said.
“It’s all about the guys understanding that there is nothing to be fearful about. We need to play fearless cricket, which is what we are doing at the moment. Just go out there, play free cricket, you know your plan and it’s just about executing it. “
He added, “We have a very well balanced team, the batting has been clicking and the difference for us this year has been the quality of our spin bowling. We have brought in Qais Ahmed from Afghanistan and he has really bowled well for us. Add to him the experienced Imran Tahir and Chris Green.
“We don’t have tearaway fast bowlers but in this type of cricket, we have the bowlers who can vary the pace which is what you need and is effective. Romario Shepperd has been good in this regard and we are looking forward to a complete performance when we meet TKR. We have a balanced team and we are confident.”
The Warriors and TKR will play each other at the back end of the competition and there is a distinct possibility they can play each other four times in one week. If they finish in the 1-2 positions at the end of the round-robin phase, then they will meet for a spot in the finals. The winner will go directly into the final and the loser will then play the winner of the match between teams three and four.