Falcons secure top-two finish by ending Amazon Warriors’ win streak

Falcons 182 for 5 (Hasan Nawaz 36, Shadab 30*; Tahir 1-21) beat Amazon Warriors 117 all out (Dindyal 25, Nabi 23; Alzarri Joseph 4-41) by 65 runs

The Antigua & Barbuda Falcons ended the Guyana Amazon Warriors’ six-game win streak in this season’s Caribbean Premier League with a comfortable 65-run win at Providence Stadium on Tuesday.

Led by pacer Alzarri Joseph and a phenomenal all-round performance from Shadab Khan, the Falcons soared to an impressive victory, which landed them atop the points standings, having now completed all their league matches.

The Falcons had a rather tame start to their innings, finishing the powerplay 44 for 1 on the back of a 31-run (22 balls) opening stand between Karima Gore and Evin Lewis.

Khary Pierre got the breakthrough, dismissing Gore for 23 before Lewis fell victim to Imran Tahir for 22. What followed for the Falcons was even more modest. 

Amir Jangoo needed 30 balls for his 27, and in the 41 deliveries for which he was at the crease, he and Hasan Nawaz scored 47 runs.

It took an explosive innings from Shadab Khan, in which he smashed an unbeaten 30* off 9 balls, to push the Falcons to 182 for 5 for their allotment.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Mavendra Dindyal looked to establish a solid foundation for the hosts. The pair raced to 33 without loss after 14 deliveries. 

A double-strike from Joseph, however, sent both Gurbaz (18) and Shai Hope (0) packing, as the Warriors slipped to 34 for two in the third. By the end of the first phase, the Warriors had lost four wickets for 71 runs, as Joseph completed a three-wicket spell by claiming the scalp of top-scorer Dindyal for 25.

There was no let-up from the visitors, with Player of the Match Shadab Khan (2/19) and Sufyan Moqim (2/18) teaming up to claim four wickets in four overs, leaving the Warriors in further trouble at 86 for seven.

An 18-run partnership between Mohammad Nabi (23) and Imran Tahir (8) briefly gave Guyana hope, but that too was ended by Joseph, who finished with figures of 4 for 41, helping to wrap up the innings at 117 all out in 14.2 overs.

The Warriors remain second in the standings with 12 points, one behind the Falcons.