Barbados Tridents v St Lucia Zouks, Tarouba
Our XI: Andre Fletcher, Rahkeem Cornwall, Johnson Charles, Shai Hope, Mohammad Nabi, Corey Anderson, Rashid Khan, Jason Holder, Zahir Khan, Raymon Reifer, Mitchell Santner
NOTE: We might not always be able to tip you off about late injury (or other relevant) updates, and do wait for the toss before deciding the final XIs.
Captain: Rashid Khan
It is very hard to look past Khan as captain of your fantasy team when Tridents play. He is likely to bowl in the middle and the death. If he does not get wickets, he is likely to control the flow of runs. Tridents could also do with some pinch-hitting and he showed enough of that in the first match.
Vice-captain: Mohammad Nabi
Nabi’s performance as an allrounder is vital for St Lucia’s chances. For starters, he bowls in the Powerplay and is also a handy finisher, so he can earn points in both disciplines. If the pitch takes turn or is slower than normal, Nabi will be a handful. Nabi’s show in his first match was a tad low profile – he bowled just two overs and scored 13 – so he’ll be keen to get into better rhythm.
Hot picks
Shai Hope: His white-ball form has severely affected his Test form, but Hope will be looking to get ready for that T20 World Cup next year and trying to cement his spot in the West Indies T20 squad. Hope has the game to score quick and bat long, and it’s not fair to drop him based on one game.
Rahkeem Cornwall: Cornwall’s partnership with Andre Fletcher at the top is vital to get those flying starts. He is likely to be a hit or miss, but if he gets going, he will give you runs and strike-rate points apart from bowling points. The two added only 15 in the first game but showed glimpses of what could happen if they bat long.
Value picks
Raymon Reifer: Reifer had a great CPL last season, taking 14 wickets at an economy rate of 7.76 and striking every 13 balls. His left-arm angle and slower balls go a long way in getting wickets at the death. The first game did not go his way but he is a value pick who could surprise you.
Zahir Khan: It’s tough to look past the mystery spinner – teams will take time to get used to his spin and reading him from the hand, so it will be a good time to bank on him. He had a poor first game conceding 36 runs in four overs but the Tridents batting line-up is a bit light on power-hitters. Zahir is worth a punt for another game.
Points to note
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Only three overseas players are there in the Tridents squad. Barring any injuries, they are likely to play all the games. So pick all three.
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There are lots of allrounders in this match up – best is to pick all of them to maximise your chances of scoring points.