A boundary-blitzing innings by Quinton de Kock saw the Barbados Royals inflict a nine-wicket win over the Antigua & Barbuda Falcons in the fourth match of the Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium in North Sound, Antigua.
The Falcons were inserted under blue skies but struggled with the bat in the face of tight bowling, losing two wickets inside the Powerplay and two quick wickets straight afterward, finding themselves at 47/4 and struggling to make a competitive total.
After scoring 50* in the Falcons’ first match of the campaign against St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, 17-year-old Jewel Andrew starred once again with a counterattacking 48 off 35 balls, including three fours and two sixes, to help the Falcons post 145/9 as they looked for their first win of the tournament.
An emphatic Powerplay from de Kock and fellow opener Rahkeem Cornwall took a sizeable chunk out of the target, with the Royals racing to 76 runs without the loss of a wicket in the first six overs.
De Kock batted through the innings, finding more fluency and increasingly audacious shots as the innings progressed. He finished the match in style by driving Mohammad Amir over extra cover for four and then depositing the Pakistani quick bowler back over his head for six to finish unbeaten on 87 off just 45 balls, wrapping up a swaggering victory for the Royals in their first match of the 2024 campaign.
The Royals looked good with both bat and ball. They also pulled off some fine catches and showcased tight ground-fielding to further restrict the Falcons.
Jason Holder’s death bowling was impressive. He sent down 12 dot balls in his four overs and picked up two wickets for 21 runs. Spin bowlers Theekshana and Wellalage also clipped the Falcons’ wings.
It was de Kock who bagged the Player of the Match award. Royals captain Rovman Powell explained after the game that the youngsters in the team are always picking the South African southpaw’s batting brains, and he was pleased with his side’s first outing. “The guys looked sharp and ready in the first game, which doesn’t always happen. It’s great. Once we have Quinny in our team, it gets better.”
