Alright, that's all from us today, folks. Thank you all for enjoying the match with us! Be sure to join us again tomorrow for another CPL day game. Until then, this is Rashad Mahbub, signing off on behalf of Ranjith and the rest of the ESPNcricinfo team. Goodbye!
With today's win, the St Lucia Kings now have 10 points, putting them right on the heels of the league-leading Trinbago Knight Riders, separated by only a slight margin in Net Run Rate. As for the Falcons, they still have two matches remaining, which are likely must-win games to keep their playoff hopes alive.
David Wiese: "[Home Crowd] First of all, I'd like to thank everybody for coming out and supporting us these last four or five games. It's been amazing, and we appreciate it. I couldn't ask for more from the guys. They've responded in the last three games, and our batting and bowling have been amazing. We always speak about making this a fortress and winning at least four out of our five home games to set us up for the tournament. To come away with three wins and put ourselves in this position for our last three away games is a good sign for us. It was a bit tough out there today. Day games are always difficult, but that's no excuse. I think moving forward, we're going to have to lift our performance a bit, because those little moments in the game could cost us in the future. I thought the score was about par. All the communication we had from the start was that the wicket was going to get better as the day went on, so I felt they possibly got 20 runs too many. The way our batters went, setting up the chase by getting 92 in the Powerplay, it's always going to be an easy chase after that. [Tim Seifert] He's an amazing player and is in such good form at the moment. He's hungry to score more runs and is not giving his wicket away, which is a good thing. He just opens up every single part of the field, and when he's on song like today, it's literally difficult to bowl to him. All credit to him for putting in the work and converting his good starts into big scores."
Imad Wasim: "[Batting Performance] It was very good. We had been lacking in scoring big runs, and today we scored 204. I'll take that any day. The Powerplay was good, although we lost two wickets in a cluster. But still, Shakib came in and played an outstanding innings, and then Fabian Allen did what he does best. It was a good score, and I would take 200 any day. [Fielding mistakes] Fielding wins games. The first ball no-ball doesn't help, as we need to set the tone. Dropped catches and missed chances cost us. When you give these chances to a top-quality player on a good wicket, he'll finish the game. When you drop catches on a good wicket, it's slightly tough for the bowler, but still, Tim Seifert played an outstanding innings, and all credit goes to him."
Player of the Match, Tim Seifert: "This rain is lovely, actually; I could stay out here all day. It was a great win that puts us in a good position in the points table, which is the main thing. I'm just trying to take every game as it comes. All the wickets are a bit different here in the CPL, and this is probably one of the better ones to bat on. So I'm just making the most of it. It's pretty obvious: Johnson Charles at the top is trying to get us off to a good start and put the opposition under pressure, which makes the middle stage a little bit easier. That way, if we do lose a couple of wickets, we're still ahead of the game. I don't think we're going to do that every game, but at least our momentum and consistency are there. [Celebration] We had a street party the other day for the promo, and apparently, there's a little hop dance that's a thing in the Caribbean. So when you're in the Caribbean, you might as well do it!"
2:32 pm Phew! What a run fest and what a match! The Kings have done it again, completing their highest-ever run chase and becoming the first team to chase down a 200+ target three times in CPL history, twice in this season! The Kings started exactly how they had wanted, with a flurry of boundaries. Tim Seifert went full berserk inside the Powerplay, smashing 23 runs in the second over. After Salman Irshad dismissed Johnson Charles in the third, Seifert was dropped on 30. Despite three fielders converging, none of them was fully committed to the catch, a moment that turned out to be very costly. Seifert punished them, smashing 24 runs off Shakib's over at the end of the Powerplay to bring up the fastest fifty in this edition of the CPL off just 18 balls. The Kings ended the Powerplay with a record-breaking 92 runs, their highest and the overall third highest in CPL history. From there, it was all about Seifert and his El Dorado celebrations. He reached a hundred off just 40 deliveries, equalling Andre Russell's record for the fastest century in CPL history. It was his first hundred in the CPL and his fourth overall in T20 cricket. Seifert remained unbeaten on a blistering 125, the second-highest individual score in CPL history, and finished the game in style. The St Lucia Kings go for a lap of honor, clapping and showing their appreciation for the fans who stayed in the stands despite the rain and heat throughout the match.
St Lucia Kings won by 6 wickets
A slight drizzle is happening out there; umbrellas are up in the stands now.
END OF OVER:17 | 8 Runs | SLK: 190/4 (15 runs required from 18 balls, RR: 11.17, RRR: 5.00)
- Tim Seifert114 (50b)
- Delano Potgieter1 (5b)
- Salman Irshad4-0-40-1
- Jayden Seales2-1-23-1