Royals vs Falcons, 22nd Match at Bridgetown, CPL, Sep 05 2025 - Ball by Ball Commentary

That concludes our action for the CPL today. Thank you for tuning in! Do join us again tomorrow for more CPL action. Until then, this is Rashad Mahbub signing off on behalf of Chandankumar Duorah. Goodbye!

Imad Wasim: "It's a relief. Coming out of Antigua and playing like this is great, but there are a lot of learnings to do. A win is a win. If you drop catches of good players, they will make you pay. I think there were a couple of dropped catches, but the bowling effort was fantastic. At one point, we were thinking they might get to 200 or 210, but the way Salman Irshad bowled was unbelievable. It's a treat to watch someone bowl so well, bowling Yorkers in the death overs. I have dropped catches as well [in the past]. The thing is, you try your best, but any half-chance at this level, you should have taken it. I know there will be some hard sessions of fielding in the next couple of days, but a win is a win. [Run chase] I think we were under control from ball one. We lost wickets in clusters again, which we will rectify. We'll try to talk to people, that if you stay in more, you will have better options of scoring runs. The way Andries Gous played cricketing shots all over the park was fantastic, and the pieces of the puzzle are getting together. Everybody is getting in form, which is what we need before going into the playoffs. [Gous] He obviously dropped the catch and then won the game, so that's about it. The effort and the attitude are what matter, and the result will take care of itself. The Royals tried their heart out, and it was a fantastic effort. It was a great game of cricket to watch, which is what the fans want anyway."

Rovman Powell: "We just can't seem to cross the line. But having said that, I think as a batting group, we did well. Credit must be given to Brandon King; after a slow Powerplay, he picked up and accelerated for us, which was very good. The bowlers also tried, and their execution was good. At the halfway mark, we thought we had enough runs, and the bowlers put in a good effort. If we had taken our chances, maybe the result would have been in our favor. [Last Over Bowling Decision] It was either me or Sherfane; I couldn't put one of my spinners in the last over as a left-hander was batting. So I couldn't bring back Warrican, and Chris Green wasn't having a good night. So I just decided to introduce somebody new. Whatever happens, happens in that little five-minute period. We have to take the positives from all the games we've played. We have played some good games and have done well as a team. But all I keep stressing on is for us to stay on top for longer periods when we get on top. In all the games that we have played, we have shown signs that we can win cricket games, but to win T20 games, you have to stay with it throughout the 40 overs."

Player of the Match, Salman Irshad: "I've played a lot of T20 cricket in different leagues in Pakistan, like the PSL, and also in the Bangladesh League. I'm a death bowling specialist, and I love bowling yorkers. I tried my best, and I got success. In the Powerplay, I try to bowl in the right areas and channels according to the field, and in the death, I bowl yorkers and low full tosses according to the field and the batter. I have seven years of experience in the PSL, and I love bowling in pressure situations. I've worked really hard to develop my yorkers and my slow deliveries, bowling them into the wicket according to the field. I learned a lot from him. [Sir Curtley Ambrose] He advised me to bowl according to my strength; what you are doing, you are doing best. So you are the best. Just keep believing yourself. We were in a do-or-die game, so there was a lot of pressure on me. It was a high-intensity game, and there was a lot of pressure on the batting unit as well."

11:00 pm What a match with twists and turns, a true nail-biter! "Catches win you matches," and the Royals learned that the hard way after a night of fielding disasters; dropping 8 catches! Andries Gous was dropped early in the second over, and it proved to be a costly miss as he smashed boundaries throughout the Powerplay. Daniel Sams dismissed the dangerous Jangoo with a brilliant slower delivery, and Simmonds picked up the wicket of Gore. However, the Royals' fielding proved to be their downfall. Chris Green had a nightmare, dropping four catches, and Sams also grassed two. Gous, who received two lifelines, stayed at the crease until the end, scoring a magnificent 85 runs off 53 balls. In the first innings, he was the villain for dropping a catch of King earlier, but later on, he became the hero with his batting heroics. Imad Wasim played a handy knock of 17 runs off 11 balls, supported Gous and kept rotating the strike. Sams was the pick of the bowlers for the Royals, bagging three wickets. With today's win, the Falcons move a step closer to the playoff spot, while the Royals remain winless after six games, making their path to the playoffs much more difficult.

Antigua and Barbuda Falcons won by 4 wickets.

2 runs needed from the last ball, here's Shamar Springer.

Deep square leg comes in, mid-off goes back.

Hello! Hello! Warrican, Rutherford and Powell gather near the bowling zone. It will be Sherfane Rutherford to bowl the last over!

Simmonds to bowl the penultimate over