In a thrilling encounter at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown on September 5, 2025, Antigua and Barbuda Falcons pulled off a dramatic four-wicket victory over Barbados Royals in a last ball thriller of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2025. Despite Brandon King‘s magnificent unbeaten 98 runs for the Royals, it was Andries Gous‘ anchoring knock of 85* and Salman Irshad’s exceptional bowling performance that sealed the victory for the Falcons.

Brandon King’s blazing innings falls just short of century against ABF

King delivered a masterclass in aggressive batting, smashing an unbeaten 98 runs off 65 balls, featuring six boundaries and seven towering sixes at a strike rate of 150.76. The explosive opener gave the Royals a solid foundation despite the early struggle of his partner Quinton de Kock, who managed just 27 runs off 28 balls before being run out due to a mix-up. King’s innings was characterized by his ability to shift gears effectively after a cautious powerplay, particularly during overs 7-10 when the Royals scored a flurry of 53 runs.

His partnership with Sherfane Rutherford (29 off 17 balls) added crucial momentum to the innings, with the duo putting together a quickfire 50-run stand. However, King fell agonizingly short of what would have been a well-deserved century, finishing two runs away from the milestone as the Royals posted 187/4 in their 20 overs.

Andries Gous power falcons to a memorable victory against Barbados Royals

Gous anchored the chase magnificently with an unbeaten 85 runs off 53 balls, striking five boundaries and four sixes at a strike rate of 160.37. The South African batter received two crucial lifelines during his innings, being dropped four times by Chris Green, which ultimately proved costly for the Royals. Gous brought up his fifty off just 32 balls and remained composed under pressure, particularly during the death overs when the Falcons needed 19 runs from the final 12 balls.

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Earlier, Salman Irshad had set up the victory with an outstanding bowling performance, claiming figures of 2/13 in his four overs with an economy rate of just 3.25. The Pakistani fast bowler was exceptional with his yorkers during the death overs, conceding only 8 runs in his last two overs while removing both Rovman Powell and Rassie van der Dussen in consecutive deliveries. His tight bowling prevented the Royals from reaching the 200-run mark, which could have made the chase significantly more challenging.

The Falcons’ victory was further aided by valuable contributions from Kevin Wickham (26 runs) and captain Imad Wasim (17 runs), ensuring they successfully chased down the target of 188 runs to secure their fourth win of the tournament.

What a thrilling match ⚡

– Antigua and Barbuda Falcons defeated Barbados Royals by 4 wickets 🏏#CPL25 #AntiguaAndBarbuda2025 pic.twitter.com/V954jaLDG4

— CricketTimes.com (@CricketTimesHQ) September 6, 2025

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