Barbados Royals (BR) secured their third win in the thirteenth match against Antigua & Barbuda Falcons (ABF) held at the famous Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados, in the ongoing Cpl 2024.
Kensington Oval Stadium has a balanced pitch that is good for batters, with a bounce that favors fast bowlers. As the game progresses, batters can use the bounce for high scores and thrilling strokes. Spinners gain an advantage, adding an edge for the batters until the final ball.
Justin Greaves and Brandon King had a strong opening partnership for the Antigua & Barbuda Falcons(ABF), hitting boundaries aggressively. Greaves showed some classy batting against Barbados Royals bowler(BR) Naveen-ul-Haq. By the end of the powerplay, the Falcons were 49 runs without losing a wicket.
Barbora Royals’ Keshav Maharaj took an important wicket of Brandon King for 27, giving Royals a breakthrough in the match. After losing King’s wicket, Antigua & Barbuda Falcons continued to lose wickets and had a shaky start.
Justin Greaves and Sam Billings had an outstanding 92-run partnership for the Falcons, with Greaves scoring 61* off 52 balls and Billings contributing 56 runs off 43 balls. Their aggressive batting led to a 150-run score in total.
Barbora Royals’ Maharaj’s disciplined bowling and pressure from Theekshana and Holder led to important wicket losses for the Falcons. Holder removed Billings at 56, who was playing remarkably in the innings.
In the 18th over, Jason Holder took two of the most important wickets for Barbuda Royals, Billings and Allen. Towards the innings’ end, Naveen-ul-Haq’s breakthroughs in the 19th over, taking Primus’s wicket after his powerful six, shook the Falcons’ momentum. Despite the constant efforts, Antigua and Barbuda Falcon made a competitive total of 176 runs.
Hunting 177 for a win, the Royals’ opening pair of Rahkeem Cornwall and Quinton de Kock took the crease. However, Cornwall’s struggle continued as he fell for a seven-ball duck caught by Primus off Chris Green.
The outstanding wicketkeeper-batter Quinton de Kock and Alick Athanaze scored 72 runs in under nine overs, setting up an exciting chase for the Royals. However, a mid-pitch collision ended their partnership, and shortly after, Quinton de Kock was caught behind by Sam Billings as the Royals were 93-3 in 11.4 overs.
De Kock’s attacking style was highlighted as he hit two sixes and four boundaries in his 48-run innings, setting a strong base for the Royals during the powerplay. Unfortunately, his innings ended when a pull shot deflected off his glove to Billings off a slower ball by Primus.
After de Kock left, David Miller led the chase impressively, displaying his batting skills in finishing matches with remarkable boundaries. Shortly after, in the fifteenth over of the innings, the umpired called off the match.
The Royals, led by skipper Rovman Powell, secured their third consecutive victory in the CPL 2024 season. Despite the Falcons’ efforts, the Royals comfortably sealed the game with David Miller unbeaten. This win strengthens them this season, making them strong contenders for the CPL 2024 title.
