In a dramatic, come-from-behind thriller at Bridgetown’s Kensington Oval on Thursday, the Guyana Amazon Warriors etched their name in Caribbean cricket history, claiming the first-ever Women’s Caribbean Premier League title with a tension-fueled two-wicket win over the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force that went down to the final three balls of the match.
The script for the day was set early when Trinidad and Tobago Red Force skipper Deandra Dottin won the toss and opted to set a target, betting on her bowling unit to defend a competitive total. What followed was a steady, well-constructed innings that saw the Red Force build momentum gradually after a cautious opening. They reached just 27 for the loss of two wickets by the end of the mandatory powerplay, and did not cross the 50-run mark until the 10th over, off 57 deliveries. Opener Sushma Verma anchored the innings with a polished 39 runs from 34 balls, featuring two boundaries and two towering sixes to top score for her side. Late-order hitting added crucial impetus to the total: Marizanne Kapp smashed 25 runs off only 10 deliveries, while Shikha Pandey contributed a quickfire 27 to lift the Red Force to a challenging 145 for six at the close of their 20 overs. For the Amazon Warriors, fast bowler Shabnim Ismail was the stand-out performer with figures of two wickets for just 18 runs, while Shamilia Connell chipped in with one wicket for 18 runs to keep her side in the game.
Chasing 146 runs for victory, the Amazon Warriors got off to a promising start, despite losing opener Eboni Brathwaite for five runs on the final ball of the first over. By the end of the powerplay, they had reached 43 for one, putting them well ahead of the required run rate. But the Red Force bowling attack turned the match on its head soon after, led by Dottin, Pandey and Karishma Ramharack who all claimed two wickets apiece. The chase collapsed spectacularly, with the Amazon Warriors slumping to 71 for six by the middle of the 13th over. The dismissals came quick: opener Tazmin Brits made 22, Erin Burns 12, Realeanna Grimmond two, Shemaine Campbelle nine, and Nadine de Klerk fell for a duck, leaving the tournament’s underdogs on the brink of defeat.
What followed was one of the most remarkable lower-order fightbacks in women’s T20 cricket. Player-of-the-Match Chedean Nation and captain Chloe Tryon refused to let their side’s title hopes die, combining for a match-winning stand that defied the Red Force’s momentum. Nation, playing against her home country teammates, unleashed a brutal innings of 39 not out from just 21 deliveries, smashing four sixes to keep the scoreboard ticking. Tryon was equally clinical, stroking 32 runs from 18 balls, including four fours and one six to bring the Amazon Warriors within touching distance of the target.
Going into the final over, the Amazon Warriors still needed nine runs to win. Nation stepped up to face the first delivery from West Indies teammate Ramharack, and launched it straight over the boundary for six to cut the requirement to three runs. After a dot ball on the second delivery, Nation connected with Ramharack’s third ball, sending it flying over the rope once again to seal the win, sparking wild celebrations from her teammates and fans packed into the Kensington Oval stands. The title win caps a remarkable run for the Guyana Amazon Warriors, who pulled off one of the most memorable comebacks in Caribbean Premier League history to claim the first-ever women’s title.