 Yeah, let's talk some cricket now on the Sports Max zone after squeezing into the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League playoffs, Jamaica Talawaz moved one step closer to the final beating St. Lucia Kings in the Eliminator on Tuesday. The Kings were sent packing after creeping to 125 for nine of their 20 overs led by 40 from Ruston Chase and 19 from Skipper Sikandar Raza. Player of the match Fabian Allen ripped through the Kings lineup grabbing four for 25. Brandon King, who was doubtful ahead of the match because of a groin injury and Raymond Riefer both led the Talawaz run chase with 30 while Alex Hales added 24. Barbadian Seamer Matthew Ford did damage with the ball taking four for 23. But the Talawaz went on to reach 126.45 to win with 16 deliveries to Spear. So we sat at the top of the show, Mariah and Ricardo that the Talawaz are showing themselves to be ready to retain their title having been a little bit dodgy in the group stages. Losing some matches that they would have been disappointed about, but they came good at the right time to make the playoffs and now look strong going in. Yeah, they've come to the party at the right time. They've been playing really aggressive cricket and I love that from them and for them. I will say that in this Talawaz team, we've seen a collective effort. It's not dependent on one person only and I really love that because they're strong with both bat and ball. We saw Chris Green at different points in time getting the wickets for them. Now we have Fabian Allen entering the discussion. We've had Imad Waseem of course getting wickets for the Jamaica Talawaz and with the bat it's anybody's day once they decide to tune up. So I think the Jamaica Talawaz at this point in time is a complete team and all round team and they're looking as the captain said really dangerous. Yeah they're definitely looking really dangerous. This Jamaica Talawaz team and Mariah is right about just the number of players who are stepping up for them. Unlike the game on Sunday where they batted first and piled on the runs. They had to ball first this time around and did a brilliant job of restricting the St. Lucia Kings. Fabian Allen, I love the way he's coming to the party. Fabian Allen is doing at the back end of this tournament what he's in the Talawaz team to do. He's an impact player. He can deliver with a bat. He can deliver with the ball. He can deliver in the field and we've seen all of that this tournament. But at the important moments of this tournament, he's doing it with a greater level of consistency and with greater impact and that's important for the Talawaz. Something that we cannot underestimate from last night's game as well. Sometimes those lower totals can prove challenging because you're not sure how to approach them as a batting side. And yes, you would expect the Talawaz to get 126. Love the celebration Fabian Allen. You would expect the Talawaz to get to 126. But you cannot underestimate what Brandon King and Alex Hales did at the top of the innings. What they did was to take the attack to the St. Lucia Kings. And as far as I'm concerned, almost take the game away from them because of how quickly they scored in the power play. So yes, the Kings were able to get four wickets and the Talawaz were in 90 out for four at one stage. But by then, the work had already been done and it was pretty comfortable for the likes of Raymond Riefer and Iman Wazim to comfortably cruise home. Once you get into a situation in those last 10 overs where you have more balls than runs needed than in T20 cricket. In modern day cricket, it is a cruise. And that's what happened for the Talawaz last night. So overall for me, a quality performance and it sets them up well going into qualifier two on Friday. Yeah, well, two things that the St. Lucia Kings just couldn't manage the Talawaz this season. The Talawaz played undefeated against them all season. And actually were the ones that knocked them out last year in the Eliminator as well. Yes. So the Talawaz will feel confident whenever they see the Kings. And a point was also made that the overseas players for the Talawaz are contributing significantly, more significantly than a lot of other franchises overseas players have been have been so that is another factor that is going the Talawaz way. The overseas players are really playing their part and making making their presence come. Yeah, off the top of my head. I when we think about top performance, a lot of credit goes to those overseas players. Imad with him. We saw him step in as a captain, getting the job done with the bat and the ball. Chris Green has made his presence felt. And as well as Alex Hales, we had Salmon doing some damage to the ball earlier in the season. But the thing thing that I would point that I want to make is that it's a mixed lands because what I like about the international players coming to the Jamaica setup, it's as if they feel really comfortable. They're not outsiders. They've gelled really well. The chemistry between the local and the international players is something that we must make mention of because think about it. They don't play cricket together. You've come into a setup and you know, you have somebody an international player like Imad with him, giving the rules, you know, laying down the set in the field and everything. But nobody's ego is getting in the way. And I love that for the tallowers. Yeah, definitely for sure. And Imad with him has had a good time when he's had the opportunity to captain this tallow aside and talking about the overseas players who have done well. Imad with him has been with this team for a while. And clearly, he is gelled well with this unit as well. But you think about the fact that the number two and number three ballers in the CPL this season are both overseas players and both represent the Jamaica tallowers in a mayor and Chris Green. So that's the type of impact we're talking about with these overseas players and the Jamaica tallowers set up. And then you have Alex Hales with that fabulous century when they needed it on Sunday. Brandon King local now has been consistent all season and Fabian Allen is now coming to the party. And so it's coming together in a really good way for the Jamaica tallowers. But their toughest tests are still to come. And I hope that proves correct. Because if it is still to come, then there's only one match. But if it's are still to come, then they have two and they'll be in the final. Oh, my. It had to be Ricardo. Lance can we continue? The tallowers will of course know their opponents for qualifier to win Ghana, Amazon Wars and bigger. Knight riders clash in qualifier one, which blows off in less than an hour from now. The home team are either six CPL final for a chance to finally lift the trophy. The winners of qualifier one head straight to Sunday's final. While the losers play the tallowers in qualify two on Friday, Ricardo Mariah, can the Amazon Warriors secure their sixth appearance in the final? Well, they're really good at getting to the final. So if you are to ask me on history, then yeah, final seems to be that's where they get to. However, this Ghana Amazon Warriors team, everybody is saying that this is the team that's going to take them across the line. They have a Saeem Ayub who's been really clicking with the bat. He has been brilliant for his team. Shea Hopers. Well, we have to remember that century scored by Shea Hope and they also have players that have been informed because it's one thing to be a big name on paper, but also the Ghana Amazon Warriors have really been clicking. And I think there's an X factor about the team this year. However, they're up against TKR and with TKR they're very, very unpredictable. The names on paper speak for themselves. The players are pure quality. So tonight if it's any CPL match that I'm not missing. So nobody asked me to go out tonight. It's this one. I'm watching this one. I get the feeling that someone has already asked Mariah to go out and that's for a way of telling them absolutely not. Shea Hope, 407 runs for the season. Ayub 357 runs as Mariah pointed out, and they are very important to this Warriors setup. But the Trinbega Knight Riders who I picked from some time ago to go all the way in this season's CPL. For me with the Knight Riders, there is just so much quality there, so much experience there. And when it comes to the Knight Riders, I don't even look at the numbers, because I know that they have a number of match winners in that team. Just take your pick what is going to be Pollard or it's going to be Nicholas Peran or it's going to be Andre Russell. It's going to be Sunil Narayan. They have players that on any night can turn up to the party and take the game away from their opponents. Question is, will they click for another tour of three games to get the job done? They certainly have what it takes to do so, though. Yeah, the fact is, I like I've always liked the TKR, but I'm seeing in the Amazon Warriors game this season, particular season, something that I hadn't seen before. And we've seen them win consistently before and not winning the final. But there's something about their game this year that tells me that they have what it takes to go all the way to win the final. I'm not sure who's going to win tonight. I believe that the loser of tonight's game though will beat the Talawatts. That's my feeling. And the teams that are playing tonight are going to play in the final on Sunday as well. We see you don't have the Talawatts in the final. Pardon? Do you have the Talawatts in the final? No, that's what I'm saying. The Talawatts, the Talawatts will lose qualifier to whoever it is. If there was a Warriors lose the TKR tonight, I think the Warriors will beat the Talawatts. If the TKR lose to the Warriors tonight, I think TKR will beat the Talawatts. Okay. But that's a fair assessment, Lance and Mariah, because in truth, the Knightwriters and the Amazon Warriors have been by some distance, in my opinion. The best teams, this term. The top two teams this campaign. Having said that though, I think, and I'm not disagreeing with you in relation to whoever loses tonight may well beat the Talawatts on Friday. But I think they will get as tough a challenge from the Talawatts as they have gotten for previously. Well, they'll get a tougher challenge from the Talawatts than they have gotten this season. Whoever it is that loses tonight's match. And so I would say go out and try and get the job done tonight, because although you're going to Friday as favorites, it will not be easy because this is not the same Talawatts team that played midway through the preliminary stage of the competition. T20 cricket is a lot about momentum. There's a momentum factor in a T20 game that, you know, things go wrong for you in two or three overs, and you find it difficult to get yourself back, and your job is derailed. So, you know, while I feel that the TKR and the Amazon Warriors are both better than the Talawatts, I'm not going to sit here and say I'd be shot if the Talawatts beat both of them and win the title, because that's how T20 is. Correct. Yeah, for sure. Well, that match is coming up tonight. The Trinbega Nightriders versus the Ghana Amazon Warriors immediately after the zone. And coming up on at the track on Thursday on the Sportsmax zone, young Trinidad and Tobago Jockey Kimmel Santo, winning the British Columbia-Darby at Hastings Race Track in Canada for his biggest career triumph, plus another massive stakes win in the USA for Barbadian trainer, Satvin Joseph Jr., and the latest stories from Jamaica and Barbados. All this coming up on at the track Thursday during the Sportsmax zone.