Powell, Green give Royals their first win of the season
Tim David's blitz in vain for St Lucia Kings, who went down by 27 runs
Tim David's blitz in vain for St Lucia Kings, who went down by 27 runs
Scorer: Harshith Gowda | Commentator: Rashad Mahbub
That's all the action from the match today. Thank you for tuning in! Do join us again for the second game of the doubleheader this evening at Providence. Until then, I'm Rashad Mahbub, signing off alongside Harshith Gowda. Take care and goodbye.
Rovman Powell: "[First win] I think it's just a matter of belief. The intensity from the start of the batting was very good. We fielded better today, and we executed our plans a little bit better. It's not necessarily how we want to go about structuring the innings. It's just that we have lost the toss so many times. The first five or six overs have been tough for batters to get away from the new ball. But it's our job in the middle and lower order to step up. [On the Catching] Listen, it's always a disappointing feeling when you're in a team, and when the ball goes up in the air, everyone gets nervous. I don't want to be a part of a team like that. I think the catching conditions were good. It's just a little bit of not looking at the ball long enough. But we have capable catchers and good fielders, but sometimes it's just about confidence. Hopefully, the guys can take a little bit of confidence from this and go further. [A Message to the Fans] Listen, just keep on supporting us. As much as this win is for us, it is for you guys. We know how important it is to represent you guys and the Royals brand. So keep on supporting us. We'll go again in a few days. [On Ramon Simmonds] He has been our trump card; he has been our best bowler. As a captain, you need those bowlers. When you're in a sticky situation, he's somebody you can throw the ball to. That's very good from him. Hopefully, in the next few days, he can keep on going. He still needs to get a little bit stronger, but these are extremely good signs for a youngster."
David Wiese: "It's a disappointing performance from us today. From the start, we just weren't quite there. A couple of sloppy things at the beginning of the game cost us, and then it was always going to be a little more difficult in the second innings. I think they just got a couple too many for us. It's all about execution. We've got a couple of days off until our next game, which means a couple of training sessions where we can really nail those skills. But nowadays, teams have become so good with their fielding that if you're slightly off the mark, you're going to suffer. We just have to be better at it. We always want to try and stay positive out there. As soon as you go into your shell, things don't work out that well. So for us, it's just about playing smartly but always having that intent, always trying to put the bowlers under pressure. That's a formula that has worked well for us so far. Today, unfortunately, it didn't pan out that well. But when you play like that, you just have to back the players; sometimes, it's not going to come off for you. The guys have deserved a day off tomorrow. We've had a bit of a tight schedule. We'll get all the rest in, and then we have to get ready. We've got to go to Guyana; we have one more game left, and we have to get the job done."
Player of the Match, Chris Green: "The best seat in the house was watching Rovman Powell. I think he's been in tremendous form this tournament. My role, coming in at the end, was just to chip in. I'm feeling really good with the bat, so it was great to get a few runs with him. [On the Bowling] I'll be honest, I've been slightly off my game since coming here. In the first three matches, I set a really high bar for myself, and I probably tried a little bit hard to contribute to this team when I first arrived. So, going out there today, I just wanted to have fun. I love playing cricket in the Caribbean. The atmosphere is great, and I enjoyed the banter from the crowd. Everyone in Barbados is very grateful. I took that catch as well, and I'm equally as grateful. I'm here to have fun. We've got nothing to lose now for our remaining games, and hopefully, we can continue putting on a show for the people here. We've been playing some really good cricket, with just some close moments, and probably the fielding has cost us in a couple of games. I put my hand up there; I consider myself one of the best in the world in the field, and to drop four catches like that, it's not great. So it just shows it can happen. It's great to bounce back, and we hope to continue this winning wave."
2:50 pm The Royals have kept their playoff hopes alive with a crucial win! What a contrasting start it was for the St Lucia Kings, though. Tim Seifert slammed the ball around against Warrican, scoring 15 runs in the first over. Charles was dropped by Alleyne, but it didn't prove costly as he threw his wicket away in the very next over. The first over belonged to the Kings, but after that, a batting collapse happened, and the Powerplay was all about the home team's clever bowling. Auguste and Roston Chase were both dismissed by Chris Green, with the latter getting caught in the outfield after whipping the ball into the wind. Warrican then clean bowled the dangerman Tim Seifert with a beauty right after the Powerplay. A storm arrived in the middle overs, as Tim David started hitting big in Barbados. He scored a blistering 44 runs off 28 balls, with two fours and four sixes. But his storm lasted only 28 balls, and he was caught behind.Throughout the innings, the Kings lost wickets in clusters, making the chase a difficult task. Even though Potgieter and Joseph showed a glimpse of hope with massive sixes, it was a bit too much for the lower order to get the job done. Sams and Simmonds bagged three wickets each, and Green got two, rounding off a fantastic bowling performance from the Royals.
Barbados Royals won by 27 runs
Bosch to bowl the last over, 31 required.
Tim David's blitz in vain for St Lucia Kings, who went down by 27 runs