GEORGETOWN, Guyana – Barbados Royals captain Kyle Mayers has hailed his side’s resilience while opposite number Rovman Powell says his Jamaica Tallawahs are champing at the bit, ahead of Friday’s Caribbean Premier League final.
HAND ON THE PRIZE: Captains Kyle Mayers (left) and Rovman Powell pose with the CPL trophy ahead of the final.And with both sides reaching the championship game on the back of strong performances, both Mayers and Powell expressed confidence ahead of the contest at the Guyana National Stadium, which will bring the curtain down on the tenth edition of the month-long Twenty20 campaign.
“There’s always room for improvement. I think batting-wise we can be much better although we had a great score [in the qualifier],” said Mayers.
“But just conditions-wise, I think once we assess the conditions as fast as we’re supposed to, I think this team is a good team. We’re very resilient.
“Even though we lose some wickets early or we get runs scored on us early in the power-play, the guys are always willing to come back, having that never-say-die attitude. I think that’s what’s been going well for us.”
Though both sides are evenly matched in terms of personnel, Royals will perhaps start as favourites simply based on their form during the group stage.
There, they lost just two games in ten to finish top of the standings on 16 points, and then produced a dominant performance in the first playoff game by crushing Guyana Amazon Warriors by 87 runs to reach the final.
Mayers, who took over the captaincy when South African David Miller departed for international duty, has been at the forefront of his side’s success, scoring 337 runs with three fifties at an average of 30 and a strike-rate of 133.
Conversely, Powell has had a similar impact for Tallawahs with 267 runs at an average of 33, a strike-rate of 124 and two half-centuries.
He helped Tallawahs to end fourth in the standings on the ninth points and sneak into the playoffs, and said they were now anxious to face Royals.
“I think the guys are feeling really upbeat. Barbados is a very strong team and possibly the best team in the CPL so far,” Powell said.
“So the guys are upbeat about facing the best team in the CPL and are looking forward to the challenge.
“Now for us to be in the final, for me to captain the team to the final [and] maybe – just maybe – [win] a CPL championship, would go well for me personally and would go well for the franchise.”
Tallawahs won the inaugural tournament in 2013 and added to that in 2016 while Royals – then Tridents – are two-time champions, having tasted success in 2014 and 2019.
