Royals drop their way to heartbreaking Falcons loss

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (CMC):

THE BARBADOS Royals produced a forgettable performance in the field, dropping eight catches on their way to a heartbreaking four-wicket defeat at the hands of the Antigua & Barbuda Falcons in the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) on Friday.

The Royals gave themselves a good chance of registering their first win of the competition with Brandon King scoring an unbeaten 98 to help them post a formidable 187 for four from 20 overs after being sent in to bat at Kensington Oval.

But Chris Green dropped four catches and Daniel Sams two, as Andries Gous slammed an unbeaten 85 to get the Falcons up to 188 for six off the last ball of the match.

The defeat was the Royals’ third in succession and fifth in sixth games and left them winless, while the Falcons strengthened their hold on third spot, moving up to nine points from their nine matches.

In front of a packed Kensington Oval, the Royals produced their best batting performance of this year’s tournament.

Opener King had not yet scored when Gous spilled a simple catch at cover point in the second over of the innings.

He would make them pay dearly for that miss, as, together with Quinton de Kock, they put on 91 runs for the first wicket just inside 12 overs.

And, when de Kock was run out for 27 off 28 balls, King added a further 73 runs with Sherfane Rutherford, who scored a breezy 29 off 17 balls with two sixes and three fours.

When Rutherford was bowled by pacer Obed McCoy, the Royals had progressed to 164 for two in the 18th over.

King, who brought up his half-century off 35 balls, was there till the end but finished agonisingly short of a third T20 century after facing 65 balls and striking seven sixes and six fours.

Andries Gous carried the Antigua & Barbuda Falcons to victory over the Barbados Royals

The Royals were stifled in the final overs by medium pacer Salman Irshad, who dismissed the dangerous Rovman Powell for three, and Rassie van der Dussen for a first-ball duck, to end with figures of 2-13 from his four overs.

In their run chase, Gous then benefited from some luck himself, with Ramon Simmonds dropping him at short fine leg when he was two.

He and fellow opener Amir Jangoo, who made 23, put on 45 runs inside five overs before Jangoo was bowled by Sams.

Simmonds then made amends by having Karima Gore caught one run later to give Royals the upper hand.

But Green dropped new batsman Kevin Wickham on six, nine and 22, in a disastrous fielding performance.

At the other end, Gous kept the scoreboard ticking over and reached his maiden CPL half-century off 32 balls by driving Johann Layne for two successive boundaries in the 12th over.

Wickham was finally caught by substitute fielder Kofi James off the bowling of Sams for 26, to leave the score 110 for three.

Five runs later, Sams dropped Gous at deep midwicket and, in the ensuing over, Simmonds couldn’t hold on to a tough return catch offered by Shakib Al Hasan.

With Gous on 68, Sams then floored another chance at midwicket to dismiss him.

After losing Al Hasan and Fabian Allen for 15 and eight, respectively, the Falcons found themselves needing 12 runs off the final over bowled by Sherfane Rutherford.

Rutherford delivered three wides in the over, while conceding 11 runs from the first five legitimate balls, during which Imad Wasim was run out.

Needing one run to force a Super Over and two to win, Shamar Springer sprinted to victory after pulling Rutherford wide of midwicket.

Gous ended unbeaten on 85 of 53 balls with five fours and four sixes.

Sams ended with 3-29 for the Royals.