Providence [Guyana], September 11 : Game 26 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) saw Antigua & Barbuda Falcons beat Guyana Amazon Warriors by 4 wickets with five balls remaining in a low-scoring thriller in Providence Stadium on Thursday.
With both sides sitting mid-table and with playoff places up for grabs, this was always going to be a crucial fixture. The win means the Falcons secured their first playoff in the CPL after their debut tournament last year.
Imad Wasim's side sit on 11 points from their ten matches, whilst the warriors are on eight from eight, and their fate remains undecided but in their own hands, as per the CPL website.
Wasim won the toss and the Falcons elected to field first, Player of the Match Jayden Seales picking up 4/15 and Usama Mir 3/17 as they skittled the Warriors for just 99 runs. On paper, it looked like a straightforward chase, but in fact, it turned out to be anything but. A nerve-shredding reply then ensued.
Amir Jangoo anchored the innings from the top of the order for the Falcons, as wickets fell all around him. He repelled and capitalised on anything loose to score a match-winning 51off 57 balls, carrying his bat in the process.
With Imran Tahir and Moeen Ali spinning wickets out and restricting run-scoring, the chase was a nervy one. The Falcons recovered from 24/4 in the power-play as captain Wasim compiled 16 off 24 balls before being run out and Fabian Allen chipped in with 15 off 14 to see the visitors get over the line and secure a much-heralded play-off spot.
"I feel really good. I had a good tournament leading up to this, and I understood what I needed to do tonight, which was just to come out and execute the plan. Wickets in the Powerplay are always important, especially against Guyana," said Seales after the victory. "We know they bat very deep, so the more we break into their batting, the more we keep chipping away at the wickets. It obviously worked well for us," said Seales, who got a fitting 24th birthday gift.
The Warriors, Patriots and Royals will battle it out for the final place in the 2025 CPL play-offs as the tournament heads towards its conclusion.
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