Seales, Jangoo seal Falcons’ playoff spot in thriller

Jayden Seales and Amir Jangoo were the standout performers in a low-scoring thriller at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, on Wednesday night as the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons booked their spot in the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) playoffs, while the Guyana Amazon Warriors slumped to back-to-back defeats.
The Falcons won the toss and opted to bowl first. The home side’s opening partnership failed to fire once again as fast bowler Jayden Seales struck early, inducing an outside edge from Moeen Ali, who was caught at short third man by Andries Gous for a subdued 10 off 15 balls. Ben McDermott met a similar fate, as Seales rattled the stumps while he attempted a scoop shot, departing for 14. With momentum on his side, Seales then claimed the key wicket of Shimron Hetmyer, who fell for a duck after having a leading edge. By the end of the powerplay, the hosts were in deep trouble at 26 for 3.

The misery continued for the hosts when Hassan Khan was run out cheaply for just 4. Usama Mir then struck a decisive blow, dismissing Guyana Amazon Warriors talisman Shai Hope for a brisk 26 off 14 balls. The slide deepened as Shakib Al Hasan outfoxed Gudakesh Motie, who was stumped for 4. With wickets tumbling in quick succession, the Falcons were firmly in control as the Warriors slumped to 58 for 6 after 9.1 overs.
Keemo Paul offered little resistance; his scratchy innings of 5 from 12 balls ended by an arm ball from Imad Wasim that crashed into his stumps. Romario Shepherd soon followed, bowled by Mir for just 2. Mir then produced the delivery of the innings to remove Dwaine Pretorius for 12. A virtually unplayable ball that pitched on leg stump and clipped the top of off, leaving the Warriors in complete disarray.

With Quentin Sampson and Imran Tahir at the crease, the Amazon Warriors limped to 91 for 9 after 17 overs. Mir capped off an excellent spell, finishing with figures of 3 for 17 from his four overs. Sampson briefly lifted spirits with a few boundaries, but Seales had the final say, nailing him with a pinpoint yorker for 19 off 15 balls. The Amazon Warriors were embarrassingly bundled out for just 99 in 18.1 overs, leaving the Falcons firmly in command.
Facing an uphill battle to defend just 100 runs, the Amazon Warriors struck early as Pretorius bowled Gous for just 1 in the opening over. Captain Tahir then worked his magic, trapping Kevin Wickham lbw for 13 off 9 balls before removing Karima Gore in identical fashion for a duck, leaving the Falcons wobbling at 23 for 3 after 3.3 overs. The pressure intensified when Ali joined the act, pinning Al Hasan lbw for just 1 to reduce the hosts to 24 for 4. At the end of the powerplay, the Falcons were reeling at 36 for 4, still needing 66 runs for victory with only six wickets in hand.

Ali struck again immediately after the powerplay, bowling Shamar Springer for just 2 to tighten the Warriors’ grip on the contest. At the halfway stage, the Falcons were 50 for 5, with captain Imad Wasim and Jangoo at the crease. The equation was simple but daunting. Fifty runs were still required for victory, with just five wickets remaining.
Ali wrapped up his spell in the 11th over with outstanding figures of 2 for 10, including 16 dot balls at a miserly economy rate of 2.5. Meanwhile, Wasim and Jangoo looked to steady the innings, rotating the strike and keeping the scoreboard ticking as their partnership began to threaten the Warriors’ grip on the match. But just as the Falcons seemed to be regaining momentum, Hope produced a moment of brilliance in the field, running out Wasim for 16 off 24 balls. At the end of 14 overs, the Falcons were 66 for 6, still needing 34 runs from the final six overs.
Fabian Allen and Jangoo held their nerve to seal the deal for the Falcons with a composed partnership. Jangoo anchored the chase brilliantly, bringing up a well-deserved half-century with a towering slog sweep over deep mid-wicket. He remained unbeaten on 51 from 56 deliveries, guiding his side home. Allen applied the finishing touch, striking the winning boundary to finish not out, as the Falcons reached 103 for 6 in 19.1 overs to secure a hard-fought four-wicket victory.
While the biggest party in sport continues today with a battle in Barbados featuring hosts, the Royals, and the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, the Guyana Amazon Warriors will be back in action at the weekend, taking on the St Lucia Kings on Saturday morning.