Pretorius hands Falcons second last-ball defeat

NORTH SOUND, Antigua (CMC):

THE GUYANA Amazon Warriors pulled off a thrilling last-ball three-wicket victory over the Antigua & Barbuda Falcons, thanks to a brilliant late-innings cameo by Dwaine Pretorius. In a match filled with twists and turns, the South African all-rounder clinched the nail-biting win with some calm, lusty hitting under pressure.

For the second consecutive night, the Falcons suffered a heartbreaking defeat off the final delivery, despite setting a competitive target of 168-6. Gudakesh Motie led the Warriors’ bowling attack, putting the Falcons on the back foot early. After opting to take the first strike, the Falcons lost Teddy Bishop for nine to a sharp run-out by Shai Hope, leaving them at 10 for 1 after two overs.

A 74-run second-wicket partnership between Fakhar Zaman (40) and Kofi James (37) revived the Falcons innings, but James’ dismissal put a skid on the innings, with four wickets falling for just 29 runs.

Motie was instrumental in the collapse, taking key wickets, including Sam Billings and Jewel Andrew for 10 runs apiece. The left-arm spinner finished with three-25 runs off his four overs. Imad Wasim’s counter-attacking 40 off 21 balls helped the Falcons reach a defendable total.

The Warriors’ chase got off to a rocky start as promoted opener Motie hit a six, but was soon dismissed right after. The Falcons’ spinners tightened the screws, and when Azam Khan was dismissed after disturbing his own stumps with his bat for nine, the Warriors were in trouble at 77-4.

Last year’s player of the tournament, Shai Hope kept their hopes alive with 41, but he fell in the death overs, leaving the Warriors needing 47 from 18 balls.

Pretorius then delivered a masterclass in finishing, scoring 18 off the final six balls to secure a dramatic three-wicket victory for the Warriors, marking the perfect start to their title defence.