In an exciting match at The Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, the Barbados Royals (BR) won the game over the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons (ABF) with 27 balls remaining. The match was supposed to be closely contested, but how Barbados Royals approached it showed it would display complete dominance and skill. Moreover, having lost three games, the Royals desperately needed a strong performance, and they truly did it in style. Until this defeat, the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons had gotten narrow defeats in the first two matches, but this defeat was a major setback.
Key contributions from their bowlers to the opening batters contributed to the Royals’ victory, which was built on a solid, all-rounded performance from the players. Many, including Jason Holder, Romario Shepherd, and Maheesh Theekshana, were involved in restricting the Falcons and setting up the platform for the chase to be successful.
While the Falcons made a bright start with their innings, it took a lot of work to keep the momentum as an organized bowling attack from the Royals never let them breathe. McCoy, Holder, and Theekshana bowled outstanding spells, putting the Falcons back most of the time. Moreover, their bowling has kept the Falcons from putting up much on the board.
The Royals openers, Quinton de Kock and Rahkeem Cornwall, were just two cannons ahead during the powerplay. They used every maximum first six overs, putting 76 runs on the scoreboard. The game turned when James availed the chances of getting de Kock out in the 38th run on board with no loss. He put down the catch, and de Kock found the lifeline. That was a dropped chance, giving the batsman a lease of life. This turnaround point emerged to be expensive for the Falcons.
Moreover, the Royals’ two main batsmen, de Kock and Carty, did not look to accelerate the game to achieve a higher net run rate. However, they decided to solidify their position in the tournament. Their conscionable and judicious batting helped the Royals comfortably cross the target. The match ended with the Royals winning with 27 balls to spare, and their net run rate was at 2.6.
