Phew, what a sensational end to an absolute thriller! Thank you all for tuning in and riding the rollercoaster with us over the last few hours. Be sure to join us again tomorrow for more high-octane CPL action. Until then, this is Rashad Mahbub signing off on behalf of Sudeep Poojar. Goodbye and take care!
Moeen Ali: "[What pleased you the most tonight?] Just the fact that we batted well. We played the extra batter for that reason because we were struggling a little bit with the bat. The partnership between Evin Lewis and Hasan Nawaz was excellent. Shadab, the way he came in and played, made a massive impact. Getting a victory and getting over the line brings confidence for the boys, so yeah, very happy. [Batting order and tactics] Just to play good shots. We probably lost a couple early, but the guys showed that once you stay at the wicket and get in, it's quite nice to play here with the wind as well. It was a good cricket wicket. I just thought the fact we stayed in the game, never panicked, didn't go too hard too early, and played quite smart was key. [Alien conditions] No, we thought about a lot of things. Obviously, the wind is a big factor here, even if it's not here all the time. With the ball, we can be better at the end in particular, but I thought we bowled well generally to keep them quiet until probably the last four or five overs. It's something we're working on. [Starting the home leg] Yeah, amazing win. We want to make this a fortress while we're here. We've got four or five games, whatever it is, and we want to make it hard to beat us here to give us an advantage going forward. Amazing crowd, and hopefully we get some more over the weekend."
Jason Holder: "I thought it was a good game. You know, I thought the fellas hung in there as much as they possibly could. I think Antigua did a good job in terms of the run chase. They pretty much kept our spinners out of the game and made it difficult for them to bowl. They also had left-right combinations going through the entire innings, which made it difficult for us, obviously with the spinners and hitting downwind, so it was a little bit tough trying to defend that. But I think the effort we put in with the bat was a lot more commendable. It's just a matter for us to stick together a little bit. [Bowling tactics] Yeah, as I said, I felt Antigua did a really good job of keeping our spinners out of the game. Hasaranga came in for his first over and got put under pressure, and then obviously Waqar had a really good spell, but we still needed the wicket-taking ability back in. For me, I was just trying to stretch the game as deep as I possibly could with the seamers I had. I thought each seamer came in and gave a really good effort, but on a ground like this, it's pretty hard to contain batters when they're set. [Assess the campaign so far] A lot of positives. We've just got to find a way to pick ourselves up. It's not the ideal situation where we're at, but we've got our home leg coming up, which is really important for us. We still have a lot of games left in this competition. It's a matter for us to stay positive and ensure that we're doing the small things well. [How are you going to lift the spirits?] There's only one way to go. We can't put our heads down; we've got to put our heads together to come up with solutions in order to get this right. As I said before, there's still a lot of positivity within the group. I think we're coming together quite nicely, but we still haven't gotten over the line in the close games. When I look back at it, we had a few close encounters that we could have won, but it's gone the other way. We just need to hang in there, stay tight, and ensure that when we get to St Kitts, we execute our plans."
Player of the Match, Shadab Khan: "It is crazy. I played a game, we had a final, a List A final, I played a game and then traveled back to Islamabad, and then I had a long journey here. So I came around four-ish and I played a game. So I think I'm still in jet lag, so I'm not sure how it is. [Dealing the wind] I think when I was bowling as well, because I saw it's too much and very quick, I was trying to bowl on a wider line. So I knew as a bowler they would go on the wider side, and I was trying to hit it on the leg side more often than not. I think my line and length was impressive because, especially on these types of tracks, you need a consistent area to hit, and I think I varied the pace very well as well."
10:52 pm What a wild turn of events in this match - wickets falling in clusters, boundaries flying, missed run-outs and costly dropped catches. It was drama of the highest order, but the home side kicked off their Antigua leg with a thrilling victory! Mayers drew first blood for the Patriots by removing Jangoo in the very first over of the chase. The Falcons sat at 47 for 2 after the powerplay, though Lewis was gifted a couple of lifelines; dropped first by Mayers on 30 and then by Chaudhary on 34. He eventually fell for 48, and when Nawaz was dismissed on the very next ball for 32, the game was blown wide open. Shadab Khan then swung the momentum back toward the home side, blasting two sixes off Holder in an explosive 12-ball cameo of 30 before Hasaranga ended his night with a brilliant piece of individual fielding. With the game down to the wire, Moeen Ali and Springer stepped up to finish the job. Springer chipped in with a crucial 6-ball 15, which proved vital given Fabian Allen was nursing an injury and didn't come out to bat. In the end, skipper Moeen kept his cool, remaining unbeaten on 25 off 12 to seal the win in the final over. As for the Patriots, their bowlers failed to build on key moments, letting crucial chances slip and allowing the Falcons to pull off a memorable chase.
Antigua and Barbuda Falcons won by 3 wickets
Long discussion between Shanaka and Holder
Shanaka to bowl the final over. 7 runs needed off 6 balls.
END OF OVER:19 | 12 Runs 1 Wkt | ABF: 181/7 (7 runs required from 6 balls, RR: 9.52, RRR: 7.00)
- Alzarri Joseph1 (2b)
- Moeen Ali15 (9b)
- Waqar Salamkheil4-0-27-1
- Dasun Shanaka2-0-21-0
Alzarri Joseph is in at number 9
SK Springer c Shanaka b Waqar Salamkheil 15 (13m 6b 2x4 1x6) SR: 250
Salamkheil to bowl the penultimate over. 19 runs needed off 12 balls. Hang on, it looks like Salamkheil has pulled his calf muscle in his run-up and pulled out. Oh dear, he is in severe pain and is rolling around on the turf! The physio is out on the field now to treat him. He is back on his feet now. Will this pause in play break the momentum of the Falcons?
END OF OVER:18 | 16 Runs | ABF: 169/6 (19 runs required from 12 balls, RR: 9.38, RRR: 9.50)
- Shamar Springer5 (3b)
- Moeen Ali14 (8b)
- Dasun Shanaka2-0-21-0
- Jason Holder4-0-39-2
DaWolf: "Interesting batting order changes. Shadab above Perera, and now Springer above Allen. Picking on form, not reputation."
Shanaka in. Shamar Springer is the new batter at number 8
END OF OVER:17 | 13 Runs 2 Wkts | ABF: 153/6 (35 runs required from 18 balls, RR: 9.00, RRR: 11.66)
- Moeen Ali5 (5b)
- Jason Holder4-0-39-2
- Obed McCoy4-0-33-1
MDKJ Perera run out 1 (1m 1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 100
Kusal Perera is in at number 7
DaWolf: "Excellent from Shadab. Now, can the out of form Perera and Allen keep the pressure up alongside Mo?"
Shadab Khan c Hasaranga b Holder 30 (14m 12b 2x4 3x6) SR: 250
around the wicket
END OF OVER:16 | 11 Runs | ABF: 140/4 (48 runs required from 24 balls, RR: 8.75, RRR: 12.00)
- Shadab Khan19 (8b)
- Moeen Ali4 (4b)
- Obed McCoy4-0-33-1
- Jason Holder3-0-26-1
