Falcons climb to the top after Tridents botch 156-run chase

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The Barbados Tridents botched their 156-run chase after appearing in control at 93/3 in the 14th over, eventually falling 30 runs short against the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons. The win took the Falcons to the top of the points table with four wins from seven games.

Zachary Carter got the Tridents’ chase off to a flying start, hitting two sixes and a four in the first two overs. His partner, Shian Brathwaite, struggled for fluency before falling for a 14-ball seven. Quinton de Kock kept the tempo up, but Carter’s dismissal in the sixth over pegged the Tridents back.

Rakheem Cornwall then dismissed de Kock in the eighth over, but a 39-run stand between Rivaldo Clarke and Kevlon Anderson put the Tridents back in control. A catastrophic collapse then saw them go from 93/3 to 95/7 in the space of two overs. Joshua James began the slide by dismissing Anderson and Sherfane Rutherford off successive deliveries. Clarke then fell in the next over, with Gudakesh Motie following two balls later. All four batters were dismissed attempting big shots.

Daniel Sams and Chris Green briefly threatened a recovery, but with the pressure building, Sams became James’ third victim in the 17th over. Sufyan Moqim then claimed the final two wickets off successive deliveries in the following over to seal the Falcons’ win.

Earlier, Sams bowled Cornwall with the first ball of the match. The Falcons still enjoyed a decent Powerplay, with Amir Jangoo and Karima Gore adding 39 before wickets at regular intervals left them in trouble at 80/5 in the 14th over.

Moeen Ali and Shamar Springer struck a few crucial boundaries, but the Tridents kept the scoring in check leading into the final three overs. The game turned there, with the Falcons’ skipper taking the attack apart at the death. They scored 49 runs from the final three overs, with Moeen bringing up his fifty with a hat-trick of sixes in the final over. The Falcons finished on 155/5, a total that eventually proved more than sufficient.

Brief Scores: Antigua and Barbuda Falcons 155/5 in 20 overs (Moeen Ali 56*; Mujeeb Ur Rahman 2-32) beat Barbados Tridents 125 all-out in 18 overs (Rivaldo Clarke 27; Joshua James 3-18) by 30 runs.