Petra Williams for Spectator Sports
September 9, 2026 – The mood across Antigua and Barbuda all day Tuesday was intense. As a Falcons fan, the mood was: BELIEVE! And down in Guyana, the Antigua and Barbuda Falcons arrived at Providence Stadium with an equally uncomplicated plan: We nah tek um!
By the end of the night, the message had been delivered emphatically. The Falcons became the first team to defeat the Guyana Amazon Warriors this season, dismantling the previously unbeaten Warriors by 65 runs and bringing their preliminary-round campaign to a spectacular close.
An even bigger prize was on the line. The victory carried the Falcons to 13 points and secured a top two finish, giving Antigua and Barbuda the valuable double-chance route through the CPL playoffs. From the Fortress to the road, the Falcons had done exactly what they needed to do.
Sent to bat, the Falcons began positively through Karima Gore and Evin Lewis. Gore attacked Dwaine Pretorius and Romario Shepherd during the Power Play before Khary Pierre made the breakthrough. Lewis continued the push but was eventually trapped in front by the vastly experienced Imran Tahir. Then came the squeeze. Tahir and Mohammad Nabi slowed the Falcons through the middle overs, applying pressure to Amir Jangoo and Hasan Nawaz and forcing the visitors to temper their aggression.
For a while, the Amazon Warriors appeared to have the innings exactly where they wanted it. But the Falcons waited. They saw off the spin and backed themselves to attack the pace at the back end. And attack they did. The final five overs produced a staggering 72 runs, completely changing the complexion of the innings.
Shadab Khan was at the center of the late explosion. The Pakistani all-rounder unleashed against Shamar Joseph and Romario Shepherd, smashing an unbeaten 30 from just nine balls and launching the Falcons to an imposing 182 for five. It was a small innings in terms of deliveries, but in terms of impact, it was enormous.
The Amazon Warriors came out swinging when it was their turn at the crease. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Mavendra Dindyal signalled their intentions immediately, and the Warriors looked determined to make the Power Play count. Alzarri Joseph changed the mode, striking twice in the third over to remove Gurbaz and Shai Hope before returning to account for Dindyal. The Warriors kept attacking, but wickets were falling almost as quickly as the runs were coming.
Joshua James struck with his very first delivery, removing the dangerous Shimron Hetmyer. By the end of the Power Play, Warriors had raced to 71, but the scoreboard carried the number that mattered more: four wickets down. The Falcons could smell opportunity, and they did not loosen their grip.
Having provided the fireworks that transformed the Falcons’ innings, Shadab returned to influence the match from the other side of the contest. Alongside Sufiyan Muqeem, he ripped into Guyana’s middle order. The spin pair combined for four wickets in four overs and suddenly the previously unbeaten Warriors were staring at a very unfamiliar situation: defeat.
Imran Tahir and Mohammad Nabi briefly attempted to steady the innings, but Alzarri returned and produced a superb yorker to end Tahir’s resistance. Joseph walked away with outstanding figures of 4 for 41, the spearhead of a Falcons attack that had taken apart one of the competition’s most dangerous batting units. Joshua James then applied the finishing touches as Guyana were bundled out for 117 inside 15 overs.
Falcons 182 for five. Warriors 117 all out. Victory by 65 runs. And what a time to produce it.
The Fortress Went National
As wickets tumbled at Providence, something else was building hundreds of miles away. Antigua and Barbuda grew louder: television volume went up; work slowed as employees found screens and gathered around them, creating impromptu watch parties. Neighbours shouted across yards and phones and social media buzzed. Every wicket seemed to travel from television screens straight into the streets across the twin-island.
Up at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium at One Tip Restaurant, music and good vibes filled the air. At the official Falcons Watch Party at Upper Deck on Old Parham Road, it was standing room only. There was hardly space to do anything except wave, chant, cheer and BELIEVE. For a team playing away from home, the Falcons were certainly not playing alone. The Fortress had simply expanded beyond the walls of Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
There was another little piece of satisfaction tucked inside the victory. Guyana had come into the Fortress earlier in the competition and handed the Falcons a heavy seven-wicket defeat. This time, the Falcons returned the favour, and then some.
But revenge was only the seasoning. The bigger story was what the victory meant for the campaign. The Falcons finished the preliminary stage with 13 points, their Final Four place secured and, crucially, a top two finish in hand. That means no sudden-death Eliminator. Instead, the Falcons advance to Qualifier 1, where victory would send them directly into the CPL Final. Even defeat there would not end their campaign, with another opportunity available through Qualifier 2.
Spectator Sports has followed the Falcons through this journey. We watched the Fortress take shape at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. We watched the close ones, the heartbreakers and the celebrations. We followed them as they packed their bags and hit the road again. And through it all came that rallying cry inspired by Antigua and Barbuda’s modern-day town crier Steve Freeland, ‘Believe’.
Tuesday night, belief had numbers attached: 182 for five. 117 all out. 65 runs. 13 points. Top two.
The preliminary round is finished. The Falcons are still flying, and now the real hunt begins. Next stop: the CPL playoffs in Barbados, and Spectator Sports will still be following closely.