Cornwall, Nawaz keep Falcons on top; TKR on the brink of elimination
Kieron Pollard, who scored a 36-ball 41 in the chase, received a standing ovation in what might have been his final home game in the CPL
Kieron Pollard, who scored a 36-ball 41 in the chase, received a standing ovation in what might have been his final home game in the CPL
Scorer: Ranjith P
That's all from us for today's CPL coverage, folks. Thank you so much for joining us - until next time, take care and goodbye!
Moeen Ali: "I think the character we showed throughout the game, right from the start. I thought Rahkeem started unbelievably well, and then with our batting, Nawaz was struggling a bit with form, but he was amazing tonight; great knock. Just the character we showed, even in the field under tough conditions with a bit of dew. We stuck in there. It felt like the game was slipping away when Polly was in, but we still believed we could win. [How comfortable were you with that score?] During that middle period, I thought if we got 160 or 170, we'd be happy, provided the dew didn't get too bad and it actually didn't. There was a bit of grip in the surface. Once we got to 180-plus, I thought we had a total we could defend, though we still had to bowl well because they have so much power. In the end, it turned out to be a very comfortable score here.
[Rationale behind using Cornwall with the new ball] Matchups, or whatever you want to call it! He's a very good bowler. On this wicket, with the pace and length he bowls, he's very smart. He actually has a brilliant cricket brain generally, and tonight he was outstanding. He was the one guy in the powerplay who was unbelievable for us, and he probably won us the game in the end. [Message to the team] Guyana is a very good side - they're the one team that beat us badly earlier, and now we want to push for a top-two finish so we get two chances at making the final. That's the dream and the goal. We want to keep winning, keep performing, and keep the momentum going. I thought Springer and Joshua were outstanding at the death once again."
Nicholas Pooran: "[Where you felt you lost this one] Yeah, first of all, praise and thanks to Jesus. We felt like they got away from us a bit at the end, though the spinners kept it tight. 183 is obviously a good score here, and we knew the dew was going to come, but losing four wickets in the powerplay is unacceptable. That's where I feel we lost the game, especially with myself getting out in the sixth over. [Calling a huddle in the third over] That start was unacceptable for us. It looked like we just gave up and allowed the game to slip away, and as a group, you can't play cricket like that. The other teams have really good players who will hurt you. If your body language is down and you're not up for a fight, then it makes no sense to play. The senior players stepped up, everyone accepted that we were poor in the field, and we knew it was time to pull up our socks. [How did you assess that target of 184?] It was a chaseable total for us, but this is just the type of tournament we've had. Even with Moeen Ali, getting dropped on the first ball costs you, even if he struck at a lower rate. He didn't allow wickets to fall, bringing his experience to the fore. That was a big moment for us - catches win matches. In saying that, the guys gave their best. Obviously, our best wasn't enough this year, and we have to accept the results.
[Did you still have belief when Pollard was out there?] Yeah, of course. What he did tonight showed why he's probably the greatest T20 batter in the world. Playing through a damaged calf and a side strain while still giving everybody hope says a lot about his character. He's been the pillar of this franchise for a long time, absorbing all that pain to reapply pressure and fight. Unfortunately, he couldn't quite take us over the line, but I thought he and Joshua Da Silva batted really well together. It was lovely to see Joshua absorbing pressure like that. But again, it wasn't meant to be this year. We were far from our best in this competition, and that's something we have to accept. Our seam bowling department and seam spinners weren't able to take wickets for us, and we couldn't take care of business here at the Oval. The wet outfield didn't favor us either, but no excuses - we just weren't good enough this year.
[Message to your players and fans?] For me personally, it's all about taking the opportunity to play this game, continuing to get better, and learning from the experience to get mentally stronger when things aren't going your way. There are still positives to take into the last couple of games, and mathematically there's still a chance. You never know with this game. The fans have been special once again here at the Queen's Park Oval. It's amazing to see cricket back here and to see all the red, black, and white in the stands. We're very disappointed that we let them down, but one bad season doesn't make us a bad team. We've won five championships, giving this franchise plenty to smile about over five brilliant years. I just want to thank the fans from the bottom of our hearts - we know how it feels to be disappointed, but thank you so much for standing by us."
Player of the Match, Rahkeem Cornwall: "[Quickfire start with the bat] That is very important. My role in the team is to give us a good start in the powerplay, and tonight was one of those nights where I was able to do that. I think it's a good total. Once the ball gets a little bit older, it becomes tough to score. We have very good bowling, and the guys executed that really well tonight. [General plan against the batters] I just tried to put the ball in the right areas and spin it as much as possible. Once I stick to my length, there's no doubt I will get success. [Bowling in the powerplay] Yeah, as part of the plan today, the skipper asked me to bowl the second over of the game, and I told him to just trust me to do the job for the team. This is very good [win] for us. If we continue to play like this, we will go very far in the tournament. [Fitness] Just a little bit of hip pain from the last game in Antigua. Still suffering a bit, but hopefully the physio will get me back up and running soon. I just want to dedicate this Player of the Match performance to my son. Tomorrow is his birthday, so I just want to say happy birthday, son!"
10:58 pm Munro went all guns blazing from ball one and looked in fluent touch, but Cornwall cut his innings short with a flighted delivery, getting him caught out inside the ring. Narine fell in the same over, holed out at long off attempting a big hit. James was then introduced into the attack and struck immediately to remove Hales. Pooran chose to go full attack, launching a few glorious strokes and massive sixes before he too fell victim to Cornwall inside the powerplay, departing for a quickfire 22 off 10 balls. Sitting at 63 for 4 after the powerplay, the Knight Riders' chase, and arguably their entire season, was severely derailed. Pollard once again put on a one-man show for TKR, first rebuilding alongside Greaves and then with Da Silva. However, the mountain proved too steep for the pair, as the Falcons' bowlers delivered an outstanding performance, seamlessly backed up by their fielders. Pollard eventually departed for 41, caught at deep midwicket while battling through an injury. Da Silva fought valiantly until the very end, remaining unbeaten on 54 off 31 deliveries. Joshua James and Shamar Springer were superb at the death overs, with Cornwall finishing as the pick of the bowlers with three wickets, while James grabbed two and Springer picked up one. For TKR, their season now hangs by the thinnest of threads, plenty of mathematical calculations pending. They face a serious regrouping phase and may well need to start looking toward next season now. On the live broadcast, Ian Bishop noted that TKR desperately needs to inject fresh talent and new faces into their setup. In what might be Kieron Pollard's final game as a player on this ground, he walked around the outfield, warmly greeting his opponents.
Antigua and Barbuda Falcons won by 8 runs
26 runs needed off the last over. James to bowl
Kieron Pollard, who scored a 36-ball 41 in the chase, received a standing ovation in what might have been his final home game in the CPL