Cricket

I hadn’t realised that this was the last home game as I had assumed we would play all teams here. But this years CPL was the first and I guess they were dipping their toe. As far as Antigua games go this last game was sold out early then they reprinted more tickets and they sold out. So I guess they have their answer. I was going to go with John but on Wednesday my daughter flies home with mom and I will be sad so for now I am spending as much time with them as I can. I was also tired from some late-ish nights and my daughter doesn’t allow us to sleep in!
So I watched the game from the Crows Nest sports bar in Jolly Harbour. I can recommend this place. Arsenal in the morning had a crushing defeat first game of the season and one could write a whole topic on that. But I just wanted to set the scene for the game. Nice sports bar and rum drinks on special just 8ec.
Antigua had started with the bat and I was watching without sound as Summer was getting to sleep. Then I headed out and joined John and some locals at the Crows Nest. By this time I think we had a full 5-6 overs played and just a single wicket. There was some decent partnerships going on and indeed they climbed to a total of 166 for 6 wickets. Not quite as high as the Zooks previously on this ground. Could it be that Antigua would get to the playoffs they certainly had made the right start and their weakness seemed to be the bat earlier in the games now it was improving with each match. Their bowling had done them fine so far.
Tonight it was going well up until Cornwall and Orlando Peters (see here the twin towers and empire state buildings do still exist)
two tall orange bars show the incredibly poor economy rates and then Devon Thomas to do that in the final over again when simple bowling well would have been enough.

I think it was a couple of loose overs and a miss fielded ball by the young Orlando  that allowed some belief to come in for the Guyana Amazon Warriors.
On Hafeez the guy to get the run rate high enough (strike-rate of 217.39 incredibly) at the end and see it through for the Amazonians: I could have had more respect for him as a total sportsman if he had taken all the credit himself... “First of all I would like to thank the Almighty Allah” Well also you need to thank the gifts that came in some very bad bowling in the final over, where it still should have Antigua who got the game.
Special mention to Ricky Ponting whose last professional game therefore was tonight and indeed his class shone through as he had a long throw at the stumps run out James Franklin.
Well there it is how the game was lost from 166 runs and it’s goodbye to Antigua and the Zooks.