ABF vs GAW

Well, we will now catch our breaths. It was an absolute humdinger. This is Dwaipayan Mukherjee, signing off with my co-commentator Arya. Take care and we will see you soon! 

Imran Tahir, Guyana Amazon Warriors captain: What great game. Everyone really enjoyed. We showed our character, games like these install a renewed level of confidence. Any of our team members can finish the job. We have that belief and faith within the dressing room. I am happy and pleased. We know Romario can hit the ball. He really made it happen for us tonight under a pressure situation. We have got Paul and have batting till number 9. Our number 9 came in and hit a six. Sheppy was unbelievable. Thanks to the Guyana fans. They are amazing. We were witness to the best atmosphere to play in. Even Sinclair opened in first class cricket. We had a decent start but kept losing wickets. At the end of it, results matter so glad to get the win. 

Chris Green , Antigua and Barbuda Falcons captain : It is unfortunate. These two games going down to the last ball could have really meant anything. We could have been two from two. We might have been one from two. But as I said, unfortunate that we are none from two. We can learn so many things from these games. I am proud how we fought. Amir is one of the best bowlers in the world. He has played so well in this tournament for so many years. When you bowl the hard overs on so many occasions, you have to show that you are a human at times. On another night, I have no doubts that he would have bowled tighter lengths, taken more wickets and given away less runs. We move forward now. Look, if we look back, we find so many moments in cricket. We were ahead of the game. 10-15 runs short. Was hard to stop set batters. They kept turning up and depositing the big shots. We missed our spots in the last stages of the game. Dwaine got fortunate with the inside edges but the shot over long-off and cover was amazing. There are times when you can feel bad but sometimes it is also about knowing that the opposition played better. Not the time to panic. We can be disappointed. We fought till the end. But there are positives in how we have seen different individuals standd up. Still, 8 games to go in the tournament. And I am confident that if we can take the learnings, we can make the right results happen. Going into a well deserved break tomorrow. 

Gudakesh Motie is the Player of the Match, here is what he had to say: I would say hard work pays off. I have been working hard over the years and I am happy that I am getting success now. Happy to be with the team as they are a bunch of amazing guys. This is a team decision to come in as an opener. I wasn't nervous as I knew the capability of my teammates. I knee Dwaine could get us over. The last ball was a bit nervous. Amir put it in the slot to make it easier for us.

Guyana Amazon Warriors (171 for 7) defeat Antigua and Barbuda Falcons (168 for 6) by 3 wickets

Shai Hope - 41 (34) | Romario Shepherd - 32 (16)
Imad Wasim - 2/28 | Chris Green - 2/32

WHAT A FINISH BY PRETORIUS! THE CROWD HAS GONE DELIRIOUS! THIS IS A HEIST! HEARTBREAK FOR FALCONS FOR THE SECOND NIGHT IN A ROW!

There could not have been a better script written for this match. We believed that the ship had sailed away for the defending champions. It is worth beginning by recounting how the GAW side fared at the top of the batting order last season. There were 7 different openers for Guyana - 6 different batters to partner young Pakistani sensation Saim Ayub who is not here this time around. The gamble to open with Motie tonight would have only meant one thing - he either hit it or miss it - and funnily enough, he did both in the opening over of the chase. 

Shai Hope was the Player of the Tournament in the last edition of the CPL where he scored 481 runs at a strike rate in excess of 140. The stylish right hander also emerged as the Player of the Series in the recently concluded West Indies Vs South Africa T20I series where he scored 134 runs at a strike rate of 163. 

But tonight was a bit of a struggle for him, he was at 22 from 24 balls at one point of time before accelerating a bit and finally departing the scene after scoring 41 runs from 34 balls. 4 bowlers used in the first 4 overs by Chris Green. It was proactive captaincy. Not allowing batters to settle down against any single type of bowling style. 

Gurbaz was the highest run scorer in the T20 World Cup which was played in June in these conditions in a campaign which saw his team reach the semi final stages of the tournament. There is no doubt about his calibre and potential but he would now look towards becoming more consistent in these competitions. Springer faced a couple of big hits from the hands of the Afghan opener. He got an opportunity to catch Gurbaz in the next over, even though he fumbled, but Imad Wasim accounted for the swashbuckling opener.

Amir had really squeezed the batters with a string of dot balls which also induced a run out opportunity. His skills has made a maiden happen in the last over of the powerplay against Hetmyer. Only 3 runs came from his first couple of overs. Imad Wasim and Amir were the only bowlers to send down more than a single over during the field restrictions and it was the former who accounted for Hetmyer as we approached the middle overs - with the defending champions requiring more than 100 runs in the last 10 overs.

Wickets kept tumbling at a regular basis which did not help the cause for the chasing side. Romario Shepherd had a strike rate of 235 in the last CPL edition and he needed to score at that rate to make something happen for his side. He has already been gifted a chance as Hayden Walsh Jr. dropped a relatively easy chance in the outfield. Shepherd was dropped early on in his innings and then he decided to drop bombs but when his dismissal happened, we thought the game was gone for Guyana. 

That's when Pretorius turned up with his never say die attitude and made the impossible happen in what has been a night to remember for a long time. Stick around for the presentations. 

19.6 Mohammad Amir to Dwaine Pretorius, SIX! Heartbreak of epic proportions for the Antigua and the Barbuda Falcons. What a hit from Dwaine Pretorius to seal the deal for the Guyana Amazon Warriors on the final delivery of the match. Was a slower one well wide outside off, on a length and ;Pretorius picked that, waits for it and clubs it down the ground comfortably clearing the long off fence. 

19.5 Mohammad Amir to Dwaine Pretorius, FOUR! What a moment to hit a boundary. Full and well wide outside off, Pretorius reaches out for that, throws his hands at that and somehow manages to carve that away towards the deep point region for a boundary. 

19.4 Mohammad Amir to Dwaine Pretorius, pace-off delivery on a good-length angling across Pretorius, well wide outside off and Pretorius throws his hands at that only to miss. 

19.3 Mohammad Amir to Dwaine Pretorius, FOUR! Was a good yorker but Amir has to get that away from Pretorius' arc. Yorker around middle, Pretorius squirts it off the inside edge, past the backward square leg fielder and finds the boundary. 

19.2 Mohammad Amir to Dwaine Pretorius, FOUR! Tha's poor bowling from Mohammad Amir, a low full toss around middle and leg, the backward square leg fielder was up in the circle and it's an easy boundary for Pretorius. 

18.6 Shamar Springer to Shamar Joseph, SIX! The match is not over yet folks. Shamar Joseph with an incredible shot to end the over. On a good-length around off and middle, Shamar waits for it to arrive and then swings it powerfully, had to make pace on that and gets it over the square leg fence.  

18.5 Shamar Springer to Shamar Joseph, again a pace off slower one, fractionally fuller a tad outside off and Joseph with a similar shot, well to early into the attempted swipe. 

18.4 Shamar Springer to Shamar Joseph, pace-off on a fuller-length a shade outside off, Joseph a bit early into the attempted swing across the line, gets beaten. 

18.3 Shamar Springer to Romario Shepherd, WICKET! That's a massive wicket in the context of the game and what a moment for Springer to make the breakthrough. Was the least expected delivery from Springer to be honest, pace on, length delivery around middle, Shepherd with an almighty heave across the line, gets beaten and the middle stump has been rattled.

Romario Shepherd b Shamar Springer 32(16b, 0x4, 4x6)