W
0
1
1
1
1
= 4
Match Details
AF vs BW, Qualifier 1 T20, ETPL 2026 summary
BW
136-3(18.3)
Belfast Wolves won by 7 wickets 🏆
AF
(20.0)133-10
+
P'ship : 40(20)
Commentary
All
Highlights
Overs
W
6s
4s
Inn 1
Inn 2
Milestone
For now, this is Saptak Sanyal, signing off on behalf of my co-commentator Dev Rajawat, our scorer/analyst Yogesh Kumar and our statistician Aman. Good night.
Now the stage is set for the grand finale of ETPL 2026! Tomorrow, Belfast Wolves will come back again to face the high flying Edinburgh Castle Rockers to fight for the silverware. The battle will not be easy for them as the Mitchell Santner-led Castle Rockers are the team to beat this season. The first ball will be bowled tomorrow, Sunday at 6:45 PM IST and 2:15 PM Local Time. Our coverage will start an hour prior to that. Do join us for that game.
Belfast Wolves' skipper has played an integral role in their victory over Amsterdam Flames in this qualifier game. Firstly, he broke the Flames' middle order with his spin and then his breezy cameo took his team over the line with 9 balls to spare. Amsterdam Flames did well in the season, but a batting collapse in a crucial game cost them big time.
Glenn Maxwell (Belfast Wolves Captain and Player of the Match): "(How good it is for you in personal perspective?) Yeah it is nice. The way we came with the ball and used the conditions. We found it receptive and kept going and found themselves in a good position by rotations. Probably could have done better with our bowling in the backend, but really pleased to be out of here. From halfway through that Guardians game and now into the final, is a huge effort from the group.
(On the conditions) It was a pretty decent wicket to drive it on the up and hit down the ground. We played reasonably comfortably. When spin started to be effective, we used the three-quarter seam and the ball started reacting differently. We went spin heavy through the middle, because we had so many options, we were able to chop and change in the backend.
(Fielding must please you greatly) When you drop a couple of catches early on, you have to get over it quickly, but the energy kept out was great. Game by game we got better and better and today was absolutely no exception. The energy around the field was brilliant and really noticable.
(How you galvanized the team despite missing Chapman and Miller?) I think it was about not to focus on what we do not have. It was about focusing on the skillset we do have. We were aware that we will be missing Miller for the finals and Chappy (Chapman) was freaking in the last game. The way they played today, Tim Tector played his role to absolute perfection. He set the platform in a difficult time at the start of the innings.
(On the talks in the dressing room for tomorrow) This could be the last time we would enjoy it out there tomorrow. We will be there for the last time in the season. It will be all about enjoying tomorrow. Not everyday you get to play the final. I am sure they will be excited and it is time to switch our focus to Edinburgh tomorrow."
(On the conditions) It was a pretty decent wicket to drive it on the up and hit down the ground. We played reasonably comfortably. When spin started to be effective, we used the three-quarter seam and the ball started reacting differently. We went spin heavy through the middle, because we had so many options, we were able to chop and change in the backend.
(Fielding must please you greatly) When you drop a couple of catches early on, you have to get over it quickly, but the energy kept out was great. Game by game we got better and better and today was absolutely no exception. The energy around the field was brilliant and really noticable.
(How you galvanized the team despite missing Chapman and Miller?) I think it was about not to focus on what we do not have. It was about focusing on the skillset we do have. We were aware that we will be missing Miller for the finals and Chappy (Chapman) was freaking in the last game. The way they played today, Tim Tector played his role to absolute perfection. He set the platform in a difficult time at the start of the innings.
(On the talks in the dressing room for tomorrow) This could be the last time we would enjoy it out there tomorrow. We will be there for the last time in the season. It will be all about enjoying tomorrow. Not everyday you get to play the final. I am sure they will be excited and it is time to switch our focus to Edinburgh tomorrow."
Player of the Match: Glenn Maxwell
Scott Edwards (Amsterdam Flames Captain): (On the team's performance) "Yeah, obviously not our best performance there. Yeah, it was a little bit of a tricky wicket, but we just didn't adjust. I feel like we started well but didn't finish.
(On losing wickets through the middle overs) Yeah, we obviously lost. I don't know, it was a seven-to-eight-over period there through the middle, where we lost the core of our batters, leading it up to Max [O'Dowd] and Dutt at the end there, which I thought they got us to something which, if you bowl really well, you can defend. But yeah, we sort of probably felt we were 20 short of what we should have got.
(On the score they would have wanted) No, I think from the position we were in, I think we would have liked a 160 score out there. Yeah, it was obviously taking a bit of a turn, and they bowled well through those middle periods. But yeah, obviously it's disappointing.
(On the bowling performance) Yeah, I'm sure there are little bits and pieces, but it's always tricky in a 130 sort of defend. A couple of bad balls or a couple of nice shots, and that rate quickly goes down. So yeah, it's tricky.
(On losing to the Wolves again) Not particularly, I think. They're obviously a quality side, but yeah, we just probably didn't play our best cricket in those two games.
(On the tournament as a whole) Yeah, obviously really proud of the boys, the way we fought back from a bit of a slow start. Yeah, felt like we played a lot of good cricket towards the end there and probably set ourselves up nicely, and just, yeah, a bit of a shame that we didn't put our best foot forward today, but we'll be back ready to go next year."
(On losing wickets through the middle overs) Yeah, we obviously lost. I don't know, it was a seven-to-eight-over period there through the middle, where we lost the core of our batters, leading it up to Max [O'Dowd] and Dutt at the end there, which I thought they got us to something which, if you bowl really well, you can defend. But yeah, we sort of probably felt we were 20 short of what we should have got.
(On the score they would have wanted) No, I think from the position we were in, I think we would have liked a 160 score out there. Yeah, it was obviously taking a bit of a turn, and they bowled well through those middle periods. But yeah, obviously it's disappointing.
(On the bowling performance) Yeah, I'm sure there are little bits and pieces, but it's always tricky in a 130 sort of defend. A couple of bad balls or a couple of nice shots, and that rate quickly goes down. So yeah, it's tricky.
(On losing to the Wolves again) Not particularly, I think. They're obviously a quality side, but yeah, we just probably didn't play our best cricket in those two games.
(On the tournament as a whole) Yeah, obviously really proud of the boys, the way we fought back from a bit of a slow start. Yeah, felt like we played a lot of good cricket towards the end there and probably set ourselves up nicely, and just, yeah, a bit of a shame that we didn't put our best foot forward today, but we'll be back ready to go next year."
9:57 PM IST and 5:27 PM Local Time: This qualifier game of ETPL 2026 will go down as a supreme example of a skipper leading from the front. Glenn Maxwell stepped up on the big occasion for Belfast Wolves. Firstly, he broke the backbone of Amsterdam Flames batting with his four wickets and in the chase, his blistering cameo killed it with 9 balls to spare for the Wolves. Wolves will lock horns with Edinburgh Castle Rockers in less than 24 hours for the ultimate battle for the trophy.
Belfast Wolves sent the Flames to bat first and they got off to a good start with the bat. Yuvraj Samra and Steve Smith resisted the fall of wickets in the powerplay and added 46 runs in 38 balls. Samra perished as a run out trying to steal an extra run and that brought about a collapse for the Amsterdam-based franchise. Glenn Maxwell introduced himself and operated in tandem from one end. Bas de Leede (3), Tim David (2), Curtis Campher (4) and Michael Bracewell (4) became his victim as he finished with his career best 4/18 in his 4 overs. From 46/0, Flames were reduced to 81/5 and were reeling.
Steve Smith was their hope. The Aussie legend struggled for a long time before getting into his groove, but found some better timing afterwards. He was inching closer to his fifty, but Matthew Humphreys beat him with the drift and Lorcan Tucker stumped him out for 45. Humphreys accounted for Scott Edwards and Tim Pringle in back-to-back deliveries in the 18th over and finished with 3/22 in his 4 overs. Max O'Dowd (17) and Aryan Dutt (15*) did some recovery work and that propelled Amsterdam Flames to 133 from 101/8.
Coming to chase the run, Belfast Wolves boarded 44 in their first 5 overs. Tim Tector played their shots from the start, but as Stirling (8) mistimed one off Michael Bracewell's delivery to find Tim David, the going became slow for them. Devon Conway and Tector added 37 runs in 38 balls for the second wicket. Tector got two reprieves in his 21-ball stay but fell to Aryan Dutt, scoring 28. Lorcan Tucker then joined Conway and they took 34 balls to score 31. In the middle overs, Flames operated mostly with their spinners and that cramped the Wolves from scoring the runs. Conway tried to accelerate, but holed out to the fielder in the deep. He scored 35 off 41 balls, but his dismissal brought the victory closer to Wolves.
Commentary