Pretorius and Gurbaz lead all-star Amazon Warriors to fifth win in a row

The Guyana Amazon Warriors made a triumphant return home to Providence, continuing their imperious form in CPL 2026 with an eight-wicket victory over the Jamaica Kingsmen. Powered by disciplined bowling from Dwaine Pretorius and explosive top-order hitting led by Rahmanullah Gurbaz, the defending champions sealed their fifth consecutive win of the season with 16 balls to spare. Pretorius and Spinners Stifle Kingsmen Early After Amazon Warriors captain Imran Tahir won the toss and opted to bowl, South African all-rounder Dwaine Pretorius set the tone immediately. Pretorius struck on the final ball of the opening over, trapping Kirk McKenzie in front, before returning in the fifth over to dismiss Keacy Carty in similar fashion. With the Kingsmen restricted to 46 for 2 in the Powerplay, the Amazon Warriors' spin attack took complete control: Khary Pierre removed both Maaz Sadaqat (35) and Usman Khan to break the middle order. Keemo Paul was caught short of his crease and run out. Mohammad Nabi bowled Kingsmen skipper Rovman Powell off an inside edge, leaving the visitors reeling at 87 for 6 in the 14th over. Hassan Khan's Late Counter-Attack Just as Jamaica looked set for a sub-par total, Hassan Khan launched an extraordinary late assault. Sitting on 26 off 18 balls heading into the 19th over, Hassan targeted Tahir, smashing three consecutive sixes off the leg-spinner. He followed up by taking 18 runs off Shamar Joseph's final over, finishing unbeaten on 62 from just 29 balls to hoist the Kingsmen to a competitive 159 for 7. Gurbaz Milestone Highlights Swift Chase Any momentum the Kingsmen gained late in their innings was swiftly extinguished by Guyana's openers. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and 21-year-old local youngster Mavendra Dindyal came out firing, blitzing 65 runs in the Powerplay. Dindyal provided early fireworks with a quickfire 33 off 17 balls, including four sixes, before falling in the sixth over. Gurbaz reached a personal milestone during his knock, becoming the youngest player in history to reach 7,000 T20 runs when he hit 28. He went on to bring up a half-century, scoring 54 off 35 balls to lay a rock-solid foundation for the chase. Smooth Finish Keeps Streak Alive Following Gurbaz's departure at 114 for 2 in the 13th over, Shai Hope (39* off 35) and Shimron Hetmyer (30* off 17) guided the side home without further hiccups. Hetmyer closed out the match in style, hitting the winning runs in the 18th over. Despite playing the fewest games in the tournament so far, the Amazon Warriors remain unbeaten and sit comfortably at second on the points table—just one point behind the Antigua & Barbuda Falcons, who have played four additional matches.