GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) —Red-hot Guyana Amazon Warriors brushed aside two-time reigning champions Trinbago Knight Riders by seven wickets in the final preliminary game of the Caribbean Premier League, becoming the first-ever side to post a perfect record in the league phase of the tournament.

Chasing 144 at the National Stadium here, Amazon Warriors reached their target in the penultimate over, to notch their 10th win in as many matches, and set up a meeting on Sunday with second-placed Barbados Tridents for a place in next Saturday’s final.

Trinidadian left-hander Nicholas Pooran guided Amazon Warriors home with an unbeaten 54 off 35 balls while in-form Jamaican opener Brandon King struck 33 and captain Shoaib Malik, 28 not out.

TKR, meanwhile, slumped to their fourth straight defeat to extend their winless run to six matches, and have now not tasted victory in three weeks.

They will take on St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in Sunday’s eliminator for a place in next Tuesday’s semi-final.

Sent in, TKR were restricted to 143 for five off their 20 overs with Colin Munro stroking 43 off 40 balls while captain Kieron Pollard slammed an unbeaten 36 off 27 deliveries and opener Lendl Simmons, 30 off 24 balls.

Part-time left-arm spinner Chandrapaul Hemraj, who finished with three for 15 from his three overs, removed the top three to reduce the visitors to 41 for three in the seventh over.

And when Darren Bravo (9) skied off-spinner Shoaib to long on in the 11th over, TKR were in further trouble on 63 for four.

Pollard, who lashed four fours and a six, then shepherded the innings first in a 39-run stand with Munro who counted a couple of fours and sixes, and then with New Zealander Jimmy Neesham (12 not out) in an unbroken 41-run, sixth wicket stand.

In reply, King struck seven fours in a breezy 23-run knock as he energised an opening stand of 35 with Hemraj (12) before the hosts lost three wickets for 24 runs, to decline to 59 for three in the ninth over.

A 25-minute rain break further increased the tension but on resumption, Pooran and Shoaib hardly put a foot wrong in an unbroken 85-run, fourth wicket partnership to see Amazon Warriors home.

Pooran counted five fours and three sixes while Shoaib faced 29 balls and struck two fours.