So, that is it from our live coverage of this game between Antigua & Barbuda Falcons and St Kitts & Nevis Patriots from Antigua. The hosts win three of their five matches at home this season, including this one. They lost only one, and the other game was washed out by rain. The players give their home fans a round of applause as they walk on the sidelines, moving slowly to complete a full circle of the ground.
Shakib Al Hasan and Karima Gore stole all the headlines from the opening game of the doubleheader on Sunday, with the Falcons registering a seven-wicket win and taking revenge over the tourists for their defeat in the earlier meet-up this year.
Plenty of issues for SKNP as Evin Lewis is struggling with a niggle. The Jason Holder-led side has only 4 more games left in the league stage. They have only won two matches so far.
Saint Lucia Kings will host Barbados Royals in the evening game later in the day. Don't forget to join us for that fixture. For now, this is me, AkshayaKrishna Polya, signing off on behalf of my colleagues Raju Khariya and Aman. We will meet again. Until then, it is cheers!
Most Player of the Match Awards in Men's T20s:
60 - Chris Gayle
48 - Glenn Maxwell
47 - Kieron Pollard
45 - Alex Hales
44 - Andre Russell and Shakib Al Hasan*
Imad Wasim (Antigua & Barbuda Falcons Captain): "It was a fantastic effort from the team. Everyone chipped in, which was nice to see.
Today was Shakib Al Hasan day. Excellent with the ball. He is very professional. Whenever I call him, he delivers. He is a fantastic cricketer and all-rounder.
Whoever is in form, we would like them to keep it going. So, Karima Gore is just doing it.
What we want is to keep the momentum in the later part of the tournament. We have tough games coming up as we will be playing away games. We have to adapt as quickly as we can and continue with our good performances. Huge thanks to the home crowd for coming out in numbers and supporting us. Hopefully, we will do well this year."
Jason Holder (St Kitts & Nevis Patriots Captain): "Yeah, 133 wasn't enough. We didn't have enough runs on the board. Obviously, it was a tough wicket to start on.
We had a mishap early on with Evin Lewis having to go off and come back, so that broke our momentum. We have got a few niggles in the camp, but it's just about how we manage them. It is all about managing those niggles and trying to get the best out of the team.
You never know what can happen; we are still very much in the tournament. We just need to play better cricket. We need to play our best cricket. We have scraped through in a couple of wins. We haven't been at our best yet. We have to put on better overall performances moving forward."
Shakib Al Hasan (POTM): "Obviously, the milestones feel great when you contribute to the team. Especially when you help the team win a game, it gives you confidence, so hopefully I can build on that.
An important stage of the tournament is coming up. Hopefully, we can keep the momentum going.
Cricket is changing every day. It's a lot faster than it was ten years ago, so they need to keep improving and working on their mindset. That is my role in the team."
Player of the Match: Shakib Al Hasan
12:10 AM IST and 2:40 PM Local Time: Karima Gore takes all the headlines as he stamps his authority batting at number three and anchors yet another run chase, guiding Antigua & Barbuda Falcons to a seven-wicket victory! The Falcons leave Antigua with another win, and it is their third win at home this season. They remain at the top of the points with 7 points from 6 games.
Earlier in the game, the hosts won the toss and opted to bowl first, making full use of the moisture left on the tacky wicket. SKNP had plenty of batters getting the starts, but none of them really looked comfortable at the crease as they were restricted to just 133/9 in 20 overs. Evin Lewis, who retired hurt after the 2nd over, came back following Rilee Rossouw's dismissal in the 7th over, struggled just like any other Patriots batter, but eventually, top-scored with 32 off 31 balls. Mohammad Rizwan was the only other batter who got into the 30s.
Shakib Al Hasan ran through the SKNP's middle order with a three-wicket spell and finished with 3/11. In the process, the Bangladeshi all-rounder completed 500 T20 wickets. Shamar Springer, Jayden Seales and Salman Irshad chipped in with a wicket each and contributed evenly to the SKNP's downfall. The last over was full of drama as SKNP lost as many as three wickets via run outs.
Rahkeem Cornwall and Jewel Andrew gave ABF a fine start, but the former failed to go past the powerplay as Ashmead Nedd got rid of Cornwall for a 13-ball 16. Gore came in and was busy throughout the knock, while Andrew hit a run-a-ball 28. Waqar Salamkheil (1/16) was the lone warrior who kept the hosts guessing throughout his spell and even got the better of the young ABF opener at the stroke of the time out.
Gore and Shakib tried to find regular boundaries and kept chipping away. Shakib completed 500 runs in the CPL during his knock of 25 off 18 balls before Navin Bidaisee got rid of the experienced all-rounder. Gore kept milking the runs, getting to his fifty off 47 balls as he smashed a boundary to seal the deal in the final over of the game and remained unbeaten alongside Andries Gous.