The Antigua and Barbuda Falcons stormed into the Caribbean Premier League final on Thursday, September 18, after a resounding nine-wicket win against the Guyana Amazon Warriors in Bridgetown. After restricting the top-seeded Warriors to just 76 all-out, the Falcons chased down the target in a mere 5.2 overs to book their place in the championship match.
The Warriors struggled for the second consecutive game at the Barbados venue. After being dismissed for 99 in their previous outing, they failed to find momentum, managing only 34 for 1 during the Powerplay. The game shifted decisively when spinners Shadab Khan and Sufyan Moqim were introduced after the sixth over, systematically dismantling the Warriors’ lineup.
Sufyan Moqim initiated the collapse by claiming the wickets of Glenn Phillips and Amir Jangoo in the eighth over. Shadab Khan followed with a spectacular hat-trick, removing Shimron Hetmyer, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, and Quentin Sampson in successive deliveries. Moqim returned to dismiss Khary Pierre and Shai Hope in the 10th over, and Shadab claimed his fourth wicket by bowling Imran Tahir in the 11th, reducing the Warriors from 40 for 1 to a precarious 49 for 9.
A final-wicket partnership of 27 runs between Romario Shepherd and Shamar Joseph provided a minor recovery, but the innings concluded at the end of the 15th over when Shamar Springer secured the final scalp. The Warriors, who led the group stage with only two losses, will now meet the Jamaica Kingsmen in Qualifier 2.
The Falcons’ reply was aggressive from the start. Rahkeem Cornwall hammered Imran Tahir for 16 runs in the first over and continued his assault on Khary Pierre, taking 26 runs from the third. Evin Lewis joined the fray by striking 21 runs off Shamar Joseph in the fourth over. Although Cornwall fell to Tahir in the fifth for 49, the target was quickly reached. Brief Scores: Guyana Amazon Warriors 76 all-out in 15 overs (Glenn Phillips 16, Shai Hope 16; Sufyan Moqim 4-13, Shadab Khan 4-16) lost to Antigua and Barbuda Falcons 77/1 in 5.2 overs (Rahkeem Cornwall 49, Evin Lewis 23*; Imran Tahir 1-20) by 9 wickets. The report also notes that making just 34 for 1 in the Powerplay before suffering a catastrophic implosion, they started slowly. The report also notes that the Warriors endured their second batting failure in as many games at Barbados, asked to bat first. The report also notes that but it was far from the recovery the Warriors needed, a 27-run last-wicket stand between Romario Shepherd and Shamar Joseph offered some respite.
