After winning their opening game of the tournament, the Zouks were on a downward spiral, losing three successive games. However, in their backyard, they turned things around for themselves to win three games of the four to break into the top three. Darren Sammy has proven his worth as a leader, and a player, with useful knocks, especially at home, on the ground that was named after him.
The Tallawahs on the other hand, are sitting pretty at the top of the table with 13 points, having lost just one game of the eight they've partaken in. Chris Gayle has led from the front and has given his team consistent starts. However, his last three innings in the competition have fetched him 9 runs in all. But with a team studded with stars, it comes as little surprise that they crossed the line as many times as they did.
After a quiet start to the tournament, Kumar Sangakkara finally seems to have found rythym, with two half-centuries in the last three games. Andre Russell's all-round prowess has also held them in good stead. What could be intimidating for oppositions is not just the four-match winning streak that Tallawahs are on, but the margins of their victories - five wickets, 108 runs, 19 runs and 36 runs.
If the Zouks are to cause an upset and clip their opposition's wings, they will have to come up with something special. And being the only side in the competition to not have played the Tallawahs, they could just as well cause a surprise upset, and in the process, also strengthen their bid to seal a playoffs spot; one win should get them through.
Both teams will be excited to play their final two two games of the competition in the USA, with Gayle having previously expressed his support. From the two games that have been played in Florida so far, the pitch seems to aid run-scoring, which will favour Jamaica, given the range of hitters in their side.
What: Jamaica Tallawahs vs St Lucia Zouks, 27th Match, Caribbean Premier League.
When: July 30, 12:00 PM Local time (9:30 pm IST).
Where: Central Broward Regional Park Stadium Turf Ground, Florida.
Team news:
Jamaica Tallawahs: Dale Steyn has heeded to the call of the South Africa national side for international commitments.
St. Lucia Zouks: Zouks have played a couple of game without their South African stars David Miller and Morne Morkel. They might go in with the same side, despite the three-wicket loss to Guyana in their last game.
What they said:
Chris Gayle: "To win four games at home is fantastic. The crowd has been great on all four days. Now we move on to Florida and look to carry forward the momentum. The pressure is taken off, but still two games to play."
Darren Sammy: "We have got Tallawahs in Florida twice, win one of them and we are through. We are confident, we're in a good space now."
Teams (from):
Jamaica Tallawahs: Timroy Allen, Jonathan Foo, Imad Wasim, Andre McCarthy, Garey Mathurin, Alex Ross, Kumar Sangakkara, Oshane Thomas, Kesrick Williams, Nkrumah Bonner, Chris Gayle(c), Jon-Russ Jaggesar, Rovman Powell, Andre Russell, Shakib Al Hasan, Chadwick Walton
St. Lucia Zouks: Johnson Charles, Derone Davis, Andre Fletcher, Delorn Johnson, Eddie Leie, Kyle Mayers, Darren Sammy(c), Shane Watson, Keron Cottoy, Fidel Edwards, Michael Hussey, Nitish Kumar, Keddy Lesporis, Gidron Pope, Shane Shillingford, Miguel Cummins, Denesh Ramdin, Kristopher Ramsaran, Grant Elliott, Jerome Taylor
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