Kings snatch victory from jaws of defeat in rain-hit CPL thriller

GROS ISLET – The Saint Lucia Kings clinched their second victory of the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League season in dramatic fashion, overcoming both the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons and treacherous weather conditions to win by three wickets with just two balls to spare in St Lucia on Friday.

In a contest that ebbed and flowed like the tropical downpours that interrupted play, the Kings nearly squandered a commanding position before Joshua Bishop emerged as the unlikely hero, launching a massive six off the penultimate delivery to send the home crowd into raptures.

Kings captain Roston Chase won the toss and opted to bowl first, a decision that bore fruit almost immediately.

Medium-pacer Matthew Forde produced a stunning double-wicket maiden in his second over, removing the dangerous Evin Lewis for one and Tim Robinson for a duck with consecutive deliveries.

He struck again within the PowerPlay, inducing an edge from the big-hitting Rahkeem Cornwall just as the Falcons opener began to find his rhythm.

At 44 for 3 after six overs, the visitors were already on the back foot and looking for some redemption.

The Falcons’ misery compounded spectacularly. Charith Asalanka pulled off a breathtaking catch to dismiss Moeen Ali, before a chaotic run-out saw Fabian Allen depart without scoring.

Just as Antigua looked to rebuild, the heavens opened with one over remaining in their innings, bringing an abrupt halt to their slide at 98-9 in the 19th over.

After an hour-long delay, the ground staff produced a miraculous recovery to get the pitch ready. The Kings were set a revised Duckworth-Lewis-Stern target of 84 from 15 overs, a chase that seemed straightforward enough.

Chase opened the batting but fell early to Jayden Seales for one, and then the rain returned after just one further delivery, forcing another stoppage.

When play resumed, the target had been slashed further to 52 runs from just 8 overs. What should have been a cakewalk suddenly turned into a nightmare.

The Falcons, sensing an unlikely comeback, bowled with renewed vigour. A succession of dot balls frustrated the Kings’ batters, and the pressure told.

Joshua James replicated Forde’s earlier heroics, removing Asalanka and Darren Nedd off successive deliveries. When the Kings slumped to 21 for 6, the home crowd fell deathly silent as victory appeared to have slipped through their fingers.

Matthew Forde, who had destroyed the Falcons with the ball, played a crucial cameo of 11 runs to steady the ship. But it was Shadley van Schalkwyk’s towering maximum in the penultimate over that swung momentum back towards the home side, leaving the Kings needing 8 runs from the final over.

With the pressure at its peak, Joshua Bishop stepped up to face James in the last over. A crisp drive through the covers eased the nerves, and then, with two balls remaining, Bishop latched onto a length delivery and deposited it over the ropes, sparking wild celebrations among the faithful at the Darren Sammy Cricket Ground.

Bishop finished unbeaten on 12 and van Schalwyk 8, as the Kings finished on 54 for seven off 7.4 overs.

CMC

Summarised scores

ANTIGUA & BARBUDA FALCONS 98-9 in 19 overs (Rahkeem Cornwall 26, Amir Jangoo 23, Alzarri Joseph 16 not out; Matthew Forde 4-29, Roston Chase 2-7, Joshua Bishop 2-16) vs ST. LUCIA KINGS 54-7 in 7.4 overs (Joshua Bishop 12 not out, Matthew Forde 11, Shadley van Schalkwyk 8 not out; Shamar Springer 3-13, Joshua James 2-13). St Lucia Kings won by three wickets under the DLS method