Republic Bank CPL: Falcons to make 1st final appearance after ripping through GAW

By Jemima Holmes in Barbados

The Antigua and Barbuda Falcons put on their best performance of the season yet routing the Guyana Amazon warriors cheaply and going on to chase 77 in just 5.2 overs to punch a ticket to their first- ever Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) final.

As seen in the last two matches at the Kensington Oval in Barbados, the winner of the toss controlled the fate of the game and this time around, it was Falcons’ Moeen Ali who called correct., opting to bowl first.

Nightmare innings
There’s something about the Kensington Oval surface that the Guyana Amazon Warriors just can’t figure out. On Sunday night, it was Barbados tridents’ AM Ghazanfar and Johann Layne that had the Guyanese franchise reeling and later bowled out for 100.
On Thursday night, it was as if the same script came into play but in a nightmare-ish way. This time around, it was Shadab Khan and Sufyan Khan doing the damage.
It wasn’t the fastest of start but all things considered, it was pretty decent as Mavendra Dindyal and Glenn Phillips got in 26 runs for the first wicket.
Dindyal trying to take on Joshua James, mis-hit the delivery which ballooned into the sky. Fabian Allen, running back from mid- to long on pulled off a spectacular catch to dismiss the Guyanese for 11 from 18.
Though the pacer accounted for Dindyal, it was the reintroduction of spin that wreaked havoc on the Amazon Warriors.
Shadab’s first over was quiet but conceded just 6 runs which may have out some pressure on the Amazon Warriors to score. So, when Moqim came in from the Media center end, Phillips freed his arms but didn’t have enough power on the shot as it was taken at deep midwicket.
Moqim struck again in that over as Mohammad Haris for the cut shot but instead edged it back to wicketkeeper Amir Jangoo. Shimron Hetmyer came and went in the blink of an eye, misjudging the length of the straight boundary. Hasan Nawaz, on the ropes at long on, took the simplest of catches and the Berbician was gone for two.
Then, the floodgates opened. Shadab knocked over Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Quentin Sampson in consecutive balls after Hetmyer to register the first hattrick of the 2026 CPL season.
Hasan was rapped on the bat by the googly and decided to opt for the second look. The ball was projected brushing leg stump, umpire’s call and Miraz had to go. Smapson’s dismissal was the type of stuff to hold heads and lament for as Shadab uprooted two stumps, sending the zinger lights into a frenzy.
8 runs- 6 wickets, in the last 16 balls; those were the figures.
The nightmare rolled on in the tenth over. Khary Pierre castled and Shai Hope trapped LBW- the Amazon Warriors were 49-8.
The tenth- wicket partnership proved to be the most successful for the Amazon Warriors as Romario Shepherd and Shamar Jospeh combined for 27 off 28. Shepherd was the key figure, remaining unbeaten on 14 from 13 balls, including 1 six and 1 four.
Joseph, pitching in 7 from 15 made the mistake of trying to whip the ball over deep square but met Evin Lewis on the boundary, eagerly awaiting the catch.
Shadab finished with 4-16 from 4 while Moqim was even better with 4-13 from 4.
All out for 76 in 15 overs was the verdict for the Amazon Warriors and the vibrance that moved through Kensington suddenly came to a deafening hush of silence.

Rajk- Attack
The chase was over in the blink of an eye; quite literally.
Rahkeem Cornwall made his intentions clear in the very first over, bowled by Imran Tahir; sending the Amazon Warriors Captain for a four and two maximums. Cornwall never looked back, going on to smash Miraz and then Khary Pierre for a mammoth 26 runs in the third over as he raced to 49.
Evin Lewis came to the party in the 4th, smashing Shamar Joseph for 21 runs as the Amazon warriors chopped and changed their bowlers in hopes of stopping the onslaught.
With a chance to bring up a record 50, Cornwall instead holed out to long- off where Shimron Hetmyer took the simple catch for a consolation wicket for the Amazon Warriors. It was all over by the 6th over as Lewis and Amir Jangoo ran between the wickets to eek out the remaining runs.
As the Falcons head to Sunday’s final, they will await the winner of tonight’s clash between the Jamaica Kingsmen and the Guyana Amazon Warriors. That battle is set to get underway at 19:00hrs local time.