Ice-cold Forde leaves Falcons short

ARNOS VALE, St Vincent (CMC):

In a pulsating Caribbean Premier League contest that swung back and forth until the final ball, the St Lucia Kings held their nerve to defeat the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons by four runs in a thrilling finish at the Arnos Vale Ground on Sunday night.

Chasing 188 for victory, the Falcons looked on course for back-to-back wins, with the match predictor at one stage giving them a near 90 per cent chance of success.

But cricket had other plans.

The chase came down to the final over with 13 runs required and, when the dust settled, Kings seamer Matthew Forde emerged as the coolest man in the stadium, conceding just eight runs to seal a dramatic victory.

The Falcons began their reply aggressively, with Evin Lewis and Rahkeem Cornwall attacking the Kings’ new-ball bowlers and racing past 30 inside the first three overs.

Cornwall fell soon afterwards to Maheesh Theekshana for 27, but Lewis continued his assault, powering the Falcons to 65 in the powerplay and a commanding 109 at the halfway stage, despite Theekshana striking again to remove Tim Robinson for 30.

Lewis appeared set for a match-winning innings until the 11th over, when left-arm spinner Joshua Bishop induced a catch in the deep, where Darren Need held on to dismiss him for a well-constructed 48 from just 24 balls.

That wicket sparked a mini-collapse.

Skipper Roston Chase turned to his off-spin and was rewarded with the wickets of Karima Gore for two and Tajinder Singh for 21 in quick succession. By the 16th over, the Falcons had slipped to 142 for five, needing 46 runs from the final four overs.

The 17th and 18th overs yielded just 13 runs between them, tightening the pressure on coach Paul Nixon’s men.

Captain Fabian Allen, unbeaten on 28, remained at the crease but managed to face only two deliveries in the final over as Jahmar Hamilton, who struggled through a 10-off-20-ball innings at a crucial stage, was unable to rotate the strike.

Hamilton was eventually run out, and although Shamar Springer struck a boundary, he could not produce the finishing touch as Forde maintained his discipline and accuracy, leaving the Falcons agonisingly short on 183 for seven.

Earlier, Kings captain Chase won the toss and elected to bat, with Player of the Match Andries Gous anchoring the innings with a superb 82 off 51 balls.

The American wicketkeeper-batter faced the first ball of the innings and batted until the 18th over, holding the innings together even as wickets fell around him.

Ackeem Auguste was the only other batter to make a meaningful contribution, scoring a hard-earned 18 from 20 balls at No. 3 as the Falcons’ bowlers continued to strike at regular intervals.

Alzarri Joseph maintained his impressive form with figures of three for 32, following his three-for-34 performance in the tournament opener, while Springer supported well with two for 39.

However, Gous’ timely boundaries and clever strike rotation ensured the Kings posted a competitive 187 for eight.