That's all from this one-sided contest, folks! Ghent Gladiators and Antwerp Anchors will lock horns in the grand finale of the tournament tomorrow, and hopefully, the rain gods will stay away from the summit clash. For now, it’s me, Deepak Prakash, signing off on behalf of my colleagues, Arijit Kundu and Paras Yadav. CHEERS!
Thomas Rogers (Player of the Match): "(On the first ball wicket) Some days it goes your way, and the other days it does not. (On his all-round performance) Maybe, Jackie might give me a 150 bucks haha. Sure, I will let her know that I showed up with both [bat and ball].
(On partnership with Andries Gous) He was terrific, he is an amazing player. Having someone like him, and Haley [Alex Hales], and Rilee is amazing. Seeing that partnership grow was amazing.
No, its good fun. Having these guys around you and learn, and I am really glad that those guys are so giving and great to have them around."
Player of the Match: Thomas Rogers
Rilee Rossouw (Akcel United Brussels Captain): "[Enjoyed having a bowl there?] Yeah, I mean, obviously, when the pitch tells me I need to bowl, I have to do it (chuckles).
[On Jason Roy's performance] I think not just today, but throughout this whole tournament, he's played really, really well. It's good to see him getting rewarded and scoring some runs. It's always great to have an experienced player in the side, and the rate at which he scored today was phenomenal for the team. So, he played really well.
[On 244 runs in 20 overs] It was a good score, and the boys just played really well."
Time for the post-match presentation....
Wayne Parnell (JB Bruges Captain): "(On the loss) From the start of the competition, it was disappointing, we had a few changes, keeper going off, and had to force a few changes as well. (Update on Lahiru Milantha's injury) Yeah, so, from the physio, he says its concussion, and hopefully he is fine. His attitude was fine from the last week, to be able to get a game today, and not show up, that's disappointing.
(On the campaign) Its been fine but a lot of rain around, everyone do not expect that. We come here to play and hopefully perform, but these kinda weather does not really help."
10:53 PM IST, 7:23 PM Local Time: JB Bruges are folded for just 117 runs, and Akcel United Brussels registered a thumping 127-run win to end their EUT20 Belgium campaign on a positive note.
Earlier, Akcel United Brussels hammered a mammoth 244 runs, the highest total of the competition. The innings was laced with 21 sixes and 12 fours, with the batting unit producing a relentless assault on the JB Bruges bowlers. After being invited to bat first, Brussels got off to a flying start courtesy of Jason Roy, who dominated the powerplay and raced away before being run out. Although Alex Hales departed at the end of the powerplay and Rilee Rossouw managed only a sluggish 27 off 27 balls, the innings never lost momentum. Thomas Rogers and Andries Gous steadied the ship before launching a brutal counterattack, bringing up their respective half-centuries during a century stand for the fourth wicket. The duo finished strongly, including a 23-run final over, as Brussels piled up an imposing 244 on the board. JB Bruges' pursuit of a daunting 245-run target never really took off as they were bundled out for 117 in 15.1 overs. Jack Wildermuth top-scored with a brisk 36 off 24 balls, while Lahiru Milantha chipped in with 22 and Saber Zakhil provided late resistance with a quickfire 23 off 11 deliveries. However, regular wickets prevented Bruges from building any meaningful partnerships, with the side slipping from 77/2 to 88/7 and eventually folding well short of the target. Akcel United Brussels produced a disciplined bowling display, with Liam Dawson and Thomas Rogers starring with three wickets apiece, while Danru Ferns claimed two wickets. Khalid Ahmadi and Rakibul Hasan chipped in with a wicket each as Brussels wrapped up the innings with nearly five overs to spare to complete a comprehensive victory and sign off their campaign in style.