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The Jamaica Tallawahs came to Florida unbeaten and on top of the table. Two losses in two games here have left them in the middle of the pack and vulnerable to the team below them. They will be taking on the Barbados Tridents, a side that has just played two matches in the Caribbean Premier League till now. One win and one loss have meant that the Tridents are still very much in the infancy of this year’s campaign and they would love to get a win over the struggling Tallawahs as well.

Can Andre Russell and his men find peace in their new home or will the Tridents light up Florida?

JT VS BR TEAM PREVIEWS

JAMAICA TALLAWAHS

It is no secret that the Jamaica Tallawahs are not happily playing their home matches in Florida. They have lost five of the last six matches played here and have complained about the lack of home support they receive at the venue.

The Tallawahs were outplayed pretty comprehensively by the Guyana Amazon Warriors and lost narrowly off the last ball against the Trinbago Knight Riders. It was not a performance that deserved a victory to be honest but once the Tallawahs were defending three off the last ball, they would have expected to win.

They are going to be up against a pretty strong team in this match as well and will need to find a way of winning in Florida.

Like most sides in this tournament, the Barbados Tridents are a strong batting side as well. This will put the onus on the Tallawahs to get their batting act together. Batting first in their last match, they could only get to a par total of 182.

The Tallawahs have two of the most ferocious hitters in the Caribbean right now, Andre Russel and Rovman Powell, but they are no good in the dugout. They collectively faced four deliveries in the last match.

It is understandable to see players like David Miller go ahead with these two but Steven Taylor? That has to be rectified. The bowling tactics in the last match were also baffling. Adam Zampa bowled one over in the entire match when he has been the best bowler in the side so far.

Kishar Santokie has been a disappointment as well but Imad Wasim, Oshane Thomas, and Russell have been pretty good. Overall, the Jamaica Tallawahs are struggling with their tactics and using their resources in the best manner possible.

BARBADOS ROYALS

Several very good batsmen in this Trident’s side will fancy the small boundaries at Lauderhill. Dwayne Smith got runs in the last game, Martin Guptill has been brilliant in the last few weeks for Worcestershire, and a very strong middle order is present to follow.

We are very interested in seeing what impact Hashim Amla and Steve Smith have in this tournament. Amla is a very good limited overs player but his batting prowess has been on the wane somewhat. Steve Smith is the best batsman in the world alongside Virat Kohli and he needs to come in a bit earlier to get the maximum scoring opportunities.

Nicolas Pooran is a handy batsman but sending him above Steve Smith is just incomprehensible. Even Shai Hope or Jason Holder would be hoping to come in above Pooran and get more deliveries to face

Overall, though, the Barbados Tridents are an excellent batting side filled to the brim with match-winners.

The Tridents have been a little let down by their bowling so far. Mohammad Irfan has gone for plenty of runs in his two appearances while Jason Holder, Wahab Riaz, and Ashley Nurse have been pretty ineffective as well.

Riefer got a five-for in his first match but went for 67 in his next.

This Trident’s bowling side is pretty fragile at the moment and needs something special to get in shape. Maybe Wahab Riaz with the new ball instead of Mohammad Irfan could be a much better option thanks to his extra pace and ability to surprise the batsman but that is not a role he seems comfortable with.

Either way, the Tridents need to provide enough runs to account for the largesse shown by their bowlers.

PITCH AND CONDITIONS

The weather forecast is for a humid day with some showers in the morning but a clear evening to look forward to. We should have a full match without any trouble. The pitch has been good for batting, plenty of sixes are hot on this ground, and the same is expected in this match as well.

We think 180 is a par score on this ground and the two strong batting sides would probably want more batting first.

TODAY MATCH PREDICTION

Jamaica Tallawah – 60.4% 

Barbados Royals – 39.6%