1:21pm That will be all from us for this game. Hope you enjoyed our coverage just as much as we loved bringing it to you. Until next time, this is goodbye from everyone here at ESPNcricinfo. Take care, folks!
Faf du Plessis, St Lucia Kings captain: Extremely proud of the way the guys went. Everyone put their hand up. There was some assistance. We saw the spinners were going to play a part. Great catching and really squeezing them in the powerplay, with Alzarri starting us off. Getting de Kock early - that was a good start for us. (On how to get to a competitive score on this pitch) You have to be proactive, be busy and understand how you are going to put the bowler under some sort of pressure. If you don't, the dot balls will just eat you alive. We knew it was important to get ahead of the rate in the powerplay and then after the powerplay, you can just focus on your singles. (On resting players having qualified) I am a big fan of playing the team together, getting the guys to connect. Unless someone really needs a break, to get back to 100%, getting those combinations right is important (for me)>
Rovman Powell, Barbados Royals captain: It is a difficult wicket. Those things will happen when you come from good wickets (like we did from Barbados). Four or five wickets in the powerplay - that is unacceptable. (On how to play on such tracks) There is not much you can do. As a batter, there will always be a ball that has your name on it. But you have to try, get stuck in. We are still playing good cricket - the wicket had a lot of part to play in how things went today. That said, it is the same wicket that both teams are playing on and it is now on us to adapt and find answers to playing on it.
Alzarri Joseph, Player of the Match: We knew that it was going to be a low-scoring wicket and for me, it was about bowling straight. Some are going to bounce, some are going to keep low - if you bowl at the stumps, you are in the game. (On the de Kock wicket) I wanted to use the angle from around the wicket and attack the stumps.
1:05pm A place in the playoffs was at stake for the Kings and they have done it in the most clinical manner possible. Their bowlers set things up before their captain arrived with intent in the powerplay, finding the fence regularly enough and breaking the back of the run-chase. Chase then ensured there were no further hiccups and hit the winnings runs, with Seifert also popping up with a neat, little cameo.
An off-day and a day to forget for the Royals, who will likely look at this as an aberration. They did not have many runs to play with and they could not extract as much assistance off the surface as their St Lucian counterparts. They will have to go back to the drawing board and pick themselves back up because, well, they play this opposition not long from now. Again.
Young to bowl what could be the final over of this game
END OF OVER:13 | 7 Runs | SLK: 93/3 (4 runs required from 42 balls, RR: 7.15, RRR: 0.57)
- Tim Seifert20 (16b)
- Roston Chase37 (34b)
- Obed McCoy1-0-7-0
- Rahkeem Cornwall3-0-21-0
Kings one hit away now
McCoy to try his luck now
There is some delay. The umpires are chatting to Powell and Theekshana. Not sure why, though. Just 11 more needed for the Kings to seal a playoff berth