Matthew Forde Holds His Nerve as St Lucia Kings Edge Falcons by Four Runs

Matthew Forde held his nerve in a dramatic final over as St Lucia Kings defeated Antigua and Barbuda Falcons by four runs in a closely fought Caribbean Premier League 2026 encounter in Kingstown.

Chasing 188 for victory, the Falcons needed 13 runs from the final over and appeared to have the momentum after a late surge from Fabian Allen. However, Forde delivered under pressure, conceding just eight runs to seal a thrilling victory for the Kings.

The game had swung heavily in favour of the Falcons earlier in the chase, with the win probability at one stage close to 90 percent. But the Kings' bowlers fought back brilliantly in the middle overs to turn the contest into a tense finish.

Allen played an important role in the final stages, but he faced only two deliveries in the last over. Jahmar Hamilton, who partnered him for the first part of the over, struggled to find the boundary and managed only 10 runs from 20 balls during a crucial phase of the chase.

The Falcons made a flying start to their pursuit of 188. Evin Lewis was the main architect, helping the side cross 30 runs inside the first three overs alongside Rahkeem Cornwall. Cornwall soon departed, becoming the first of two wickets for Maheesh Theekshana, but Lewis continued his aggressive approach.

The Falcons reached 65 runs in the powerplay and moved to 109 by the halfway stage, although Theekshana had struck again to keep the Kings in the contest.

The momentum shifted decisively in the 11th over when Joshua Bishop dismissed Lewis for a well-made 42 off 24 balls. Roston Chase then added to the pressure by removing Karima Gore and Tajinder Singh.

After 16 overs, the Falcons were struggling at 145 for five and required 43 runs from the final four overs. The 17th and 18th overs further tilted the contest towards the Kings, producing only four and nine runs respectively.

Just when the Kings appeared to have taken control, Allen reignited the chase in the 19th over, smashing Shadley van Schalkwyk for a six and a four. With 13 needed from the final over, the match was firmly in the balance.

Forde, however, produced the decisive moment of the contest. His composed final over restricted the Falcons to eight runs and secured a four-run victory for St Lucia Kings.

Earlier, the Kings had posted 187 for their opponents to chase, thanks largely to a superb innings from Player of the Match Andries Gous.

Gous was in complete control from the opening delivery, scoring 82 from 51 balls and batting until midway through the 18th over. His innings provided the foundation for the Kings' total despite inconsistent contributions from the rest of the batting order.

Ackeem Auguste was the next-highest scorer with 18 from 20 balls, highlighting how heavily the Kings depended on Gous.

The Falcons' bowlers did a good job of taking regular wickets, with Alzarri Joseph once again leading the attack. Joseph finished with impressive figures of 3 for 32, following his 3 for 34 in the previous game.

Despite losing wickets around him, Gous never allowed the Falcons to gain complete control of the innings. His aggressive and composed knock ultimately proved decisive as the Kings held their nerve at the finish to register a memorable four-run victory.