St Lucia Kings want to go the distance in CPL

ST Lucia Kings captain Faf du Plessis knows there is a lot of buzz around the country now after the recent success of St Lucian sprinter Julien Alfred at the Olympic Games and felt that "optimism" during their matches played at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St Lucia.

The Kings will play defending champions Guyana Amazon Warriors in qualifier one at the Guyana National Stadium in Providence, Guyana on October 2 at 7 pm. The winner of the match will advance to the final on October 6, also in Providence.

The loser will have a second chance of making the final when they face the winner of the eliminator in qualifier two on October 4. The eliminator between Trinbago Knight Riders and Barbados Royals was held in Guyana after press time on October 1.

Alfred won gold in the women's 100-metre event and silver in the 200m event at the 2024 Paris Olympics in August. It was the first time a St Lucian athlete earned a medal at the Olympics. Alfred, affectionately called "Ju Ju," has been celebrated since the Olympics, receiving an assortment of gifts and a national holiday to celebrate her achievement.

"What's it called? The Ju Ju fever," du Plessis said at a media conference in Guyana on September 30. "Sitting on the outside of the CPL when I was watching the Olympics and saw someone from St Lucia winning a gold medal, there was definitely a smile because you feel associated with the island and even the Caribbean, so that was good to see."

He said earlier in the tournament the Kings felt that energy during their matches at home. "We felt that when we were in St Lucia as well, there is a real optimism around our performances and everything she (Alfred) has achieved."

Du Plessis said 2024 has been one of the most successful seasons in terms of the number of wins the Kings have earned in the preliminary phase, but the job is not complete. "We are all proud of that and of our performances this season, but we understand that it does not mean much if we can't go all the way."

The Kings have never won the CPL, which began in 2013.

The Guyanese fans are among the most exuberant in the competition and du Plessis is anticipating it.

"Great occasion. Obviously a nice crowd will be awaiting in that match, so the boys are really keen to play that match."

Amazon Warriors have been looking dangerous at home and skipper Imran Tahir is thankful for the support.

"Grateful to the (home) crowd. Their support has been amazing as always," he said.

Tahir is satisfied with the type of cricket his players have delivered. "Just really happy for the players. The brand of cricket that we played and the character they have shown in the last few weeks (has been commendable). I really look forward to the challenge. This is the crunch time of the competition."

Amazon Warriors won their first title last year. "Our team gelled really well together last year and we knew we had to do a lot of hard work to win a competition like this where teams are really strong and you play against very good opponents."

Tahir knows going back-to-back is always a tough task. "Coming back and defend the title is a bigger challenge, but we are up for a challenge again. We have been playing some good cricket and really confident...(hope to) make Guyana proud and make every Guyanese (happy) supporting us from all over the world."