Kings snatch victory from jaws of defeat

GROS ISLET, St Lucia (CMC):

The St 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 two balls to spare on Friday night.

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 paid dividends 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 successive deliveries.

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

At 44-3 after six overs, the visitors were already on the back foot and playing catch-up.

The Falcons’ troubles deepened 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 and Barbuda looked to rebuild, the heavens opened with one over remaining in the innings, bringing an abrupt halt to their struggles at 98-9 in the 19th over.

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

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

When play resumed, the target had been reduced further to 52 from eight overs. What should have been a comfortable chase 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 began to tell.

Joshua James replicated Forde’s earlier heroics, removing Asalanka and Darren Nedd off successive deliveries. When the Kings slumped to 21-6, the home crowd fell deathly silent as victory appeared to be slipping away.

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

With the pressure at its peak, 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 Daren Sammy Cricket Ground.

Bishop finished unbeaten on 12 and van Schalkwyk on eight as the Kings reached 54-7 from 7.4 overs.