Key Points

Put in to bat, Warriors' innings seemed to be stalling at 116 for 6 in the 16th over. But a blistering lower-order assault from Romario Shepherd (21 off 8) and Dwaine Pretorius (17 off 8) lifted them to a competitive 157, with 41 runs coming in the last four overs. Shai Hope's anchoring 32 off 29 kept the innings together after Moeen Ali's dismissal left the middle order exposed.

The Kings' reply quickly unraveled. Pretorius struck twice in the opening exchanges, removing Tim Seifert and Ackeem Auguste, while Shepherd dismissed Johnson Charles to leave them reeling at 3 for 3 inside three overs. A mini-recovery from Roston Chase and Aaron Jones steadied matters to 37 for 3 after the powerplay, keeping them close to Warriors' 45 for 1 at the same stage.

Motie then ripped through the heart of the innings. Chase was bowled trying an across-the-line heave, Tim David fell first ball, and Jones was cleaned up by Imran Tahir. When Kings' skipper David Wiese holed out to long-off in Motie's second over, the scoreboard read 48 for 7--a near-impossible position.

Yet there was late defiance. Khary Pierre, who had earlier choked Warriors with a spell of 1 for 15 in the powerplay, played the innings of his life. He smashed his maiden T20 half-century, reaching 50 off 28 balls, while Tymal Mills provided support. Their hitting briefly raised Kings' hopes, with Mills plundering 13 runs off Shepherd's final over to take the chase into the last stretch.

But Pierre's dismissal at 85 for 8 ended the miracle bid, and despite Mills' fight, Kings finished short. The loss leaves them needing to beat Trinbago Knight Riders in Qualifier 2 to keep alive their hopes of defending the crown.

Brief scores: Guyana Amazon Warriors 157 all out in 19.5 overs (Ben McDermott 34, Shai Hope 32; Tabraiz Shamsi 3/33, David Wiese 2/14) beat St Lucia Kings 143 all out in 19.1 overs (Khary Pierre 50, Tymal Mills 30; Gudakesh Motie 4/30, Imran Tahir 2/22) by 14 runs.

- IANS