Shadab and Moqim Fire Falcons Into CPL Final After Amazon Warriors Collapse

Antigua and Barbuda Falcons booked their place in the CPL 2026 final after making light work of Guyana Amazon Warriors in the first qualifier. The league leaders had no answer to the Falcons’ bowling attack and were beaten by nine wickets.

Shadab Khan and Sufyan Moqim played the biggest role in the victory, sharing eight wickets between them. Shadab returned figures of 4 for 16, while Moqim claimed 4 for 13. Their spell left Amazon Warriors struggling on 76, giving Falcons a very small target to chase.

There was little drama in the chase either. Rahkeem Cornwall took the attack to the bowlers from the start, hitting 49 from only 16 deliveries. His aggressive innings helped Falcons reach the required total in just 5.2 overs.

Amazon Warriors had made a reasonable start after being sent in to bat, reaching 40 for 1 during the powerplay. However, their innings soon turned into a collapse. They lost eight wickets in only 3.1 overs, falling from 40 for 1 to 49/9 as Falcons’ spinners took complete control of the game.

Amazon Warriors’ batting fell apart in the eighth over when Moqim picked up two wickets. Glenn Phillips mistimed a googly and was caught at midwicket, while Mohammad Haris made just one before edging behind while trying to cut.

Shadab Khan then struck three times in the following over to complete his brilliant hat-trick. He first dismissed Shimron Hetmyer at long-on, while Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Quentin Sampson were both out for golden ducks. Mehidy was trapped lbw by a googly, while Sampson was bowled as he tried to block the ball.

Afterwards, Moqim struck again when Khary Pierre went for a big drive but missed the turning ball and was dismissed. Two deliveries later, Shai Hope was trapped lbw as he tried to work the ball away from the back foot.

Shadab then completed the job smartly, knocking over Imran Tahir’s stumps and bringing the Amazon Warriors innings to an end with a very low total.

In the second innings, there was hardly any pressure on Falcons as Cornwall took the game away from Amazon Warriors early.

The Warriors opened with spin, but their bowlers could not slow the scoring rate. Cornwall attacked Tahir, Mehidy and Pierre and reached 49 from just 15 balls. Lewis, meanwhile, had only one run to his name when Falcons crossed 50 without losing a wicket.

Lewis soon joined the attack in the fourth over. He hit Joseph for two fours and two sixes, leaving the Falcons needing only a handful of runs. Cornwall was then dismissed by Tahir in the fifth over, however, his wicket didn’t alter the Falcons’ plans. Lewis and Amir kept playing fearlessly to maintain the momentum, as Falcons eventually chased down the target in the last powerplay over to book their place in the CPL 2026 final.