Petra Williams for Spectator Sports
September 16, 2026 – The end is in sight. Every Antigua and Barbuda Falcon, from player to supporter, believes. For the team that has spent the last several weeks competing in the 2026 Caribbean Premier League, the preferred ending is silverware.
Ten preliminary-round matches produced six victories, three defeats, one no-result, and 13 points, enough for second place and, crucially, two possible routes to the CPL Final. On Thursday night, the Falcons face the Guyana Amazon Warriors in Qualifier 1, with the season’s simplest and most attractive equation: win, and they are into the Final. If not, a second opportunity awaits on Friday for a finals berth.
Listening to Head Coach Paul Nixon, Bowling Coach Sir Curtly Ambrose, and Captain Moeen Ali speak about Team Falcons, three elements emerge. Nixon talks about preparation, intelligence, and togetherness. Sir Curtly speaks about balance, depth, and a dressing room without bitterness. Moeen sees fight, character, and a collection of players who have repeatedly stepped forward when required. Yet beneath all three assessments lies essentially the same description of this Falcons team.
We Believe We Belong Here
Sir Curtly says belief existed before the tournament’s first ball was bowled. During a recent appearance on Morning with Sly J, he explained that the coaching staff believed the squad could go deep into the competition and viewed the campaign in three distinct phases.
The first was qualification, which has been accomplished. The second is reaching the Final. The third is winning the CPL. “We knew that we could go very deep in this tournament because we have a good team and we are all very, very confident,” Sir Curtly said. “There are three phases. One, to get into the next one, which we have accomplished. Second is to get into the Final, and third, to win the CPL. So, we’re just two steps away from achieving our ultimate goal.”
Perhaps the clearest thread running through all three interviews is that the Falcons did not reach the Final Four on the back of a single player. Sir Curtly considers that one of their greatest strengths. “Our team, we don’t rely on one, two or three players to produce,” he explained. “Every game, other guys step up, and that has been our strength.”
The evidence has been scattered throughout the campaign. Shadab Khan and Rahkeem Cornwall have delivered game-changing performances with bat and ball. Joshua James has repeatedly delivered under pressure. Alzarri Joseph has increasingly looked at home as a white-ball spearhead. Others have contributed when the moment demanded it.
Moeen sees the same pattern. “Everyone’s just always chipped in,” the captain told CPL media. “No one’s really stood out. I mean, Shadab’s been incredible. Joshua James has been unbelievable for us. But everyone’s chipped in at the right time. And that’s, I think, why we’ve done so well so far.”
It is also why selection has become a rather pleasant headache. Sir Curtly revealed that choosing the final XI can take considerable time because the coaching group must decide which of several deserving players best fits a particular opponent and set of conditions. The spirit of unity leads those left out to continue supporting the squad, carrying refreshments, helping teammates, and remaining involved rather than retreating into disappointment.
For Sir Curtly, that absence of bitterness matters. For Nixon, it aligns with the culture the Falcons have deliberately tried to build.
Hard-Working, Caring, Calm
Nixon describes the Falcons as “the hardest-working, most caring cricket team.” His philosophy heading into Thursday is not to reinvent a team that has already won six matches. It is to sharpen what has worked. “We’ve got to be independent-thinking cricketers in the moment,” Nixon told Good Morning Antigua and Barbuda. “Keeping calm is the biggest thing. Trusting your game, knowing your game plans, and just being together as a unit.”
That sense of togetherness has been cultivated away from the cricket as well. At the end of the preliminary round, the Falcons had time to decompress in Barbados. Some players visited family. The team enjoyed a boat trip, snorkeling, and a little breathing room after weeks spent living, traveling, practicing, and playing together.
Practice sessions have resumed, with a carefully managed buildup toward Thursday rather than a frantic scramble because the word playoffs has suddenly appeared on the fixture. “Just because the outside pressure builds, we’ve got it inside,” Nixon said. “Just keep doing our thing and stay very focused in the moment.”
The Falcons also know that what worked at Providence cannot simply be photocopied and applied at Kensington Oval. Nixon has already identified the differences. Guyana offered a lower, skiddier surface. What the Falcons have seen in Barbados has been slower, with more bounce. The pitch’s position on the square, the different boundary dimensions, and the familiar Barbados breeze all become tactical ingredients.
Commenting on physical readiness, Nixon expects a full-strength group. Cornwall, who had been managing a hip niggle, trained well and, according to the coach, looked confident against both pace and spin. That gives the Falcons options, which has been one of their weapons all season.
Moeen Saw Something Early
For Moeen, the moment he began to suspect this group could travel further than some expected did not come during one of the headline victories; it came in defeat.
Arriving from England, exhausted, and going almost straight into cricket, Moeen watched the Falcons defend a modest total against St Lucia and nearly pull off the improbable.
That fight caught his attention. “I thought, okay, personally, if we can bat well, we’ve got a very good bowling attack,” he recalled. “It was more the fight we showed that day and that night for me.” He had seen that kind of team before: not necessarily loaded with superstar names, but with enough fight and passion to go further than outsiders expected. “Slowly, slowly, we’ve just built that sort of confidence and fight that we’ve shown. And for me, that’s the most pleasing thing.”
Moeen’s assessment of individual players is equally instructive. He calls Shadab “gold,” not only for his batting, bowling, and fielding, but also because he is another leader with whom the captain can exchange ideas. Moeen believes Shadab is bowling as well as he has seen him bowl in his career.
Then there is James. “I think he’s been, for me, the best bowler in the tournament. As a captain, it’s a captain’s dream. He comes and nails his skills every time. Reliable and great to have again in the team.”
Put those pieces together with the seam and spin options available, and Moeen sees an attack with considerable variety.
Sir Curtly sees the same thing from the coach’s chair: a balanced team with strong batting and strong bowling that has earned its place rather than stumbled into it.
The Fortress Travelled
A key element of the Falcons squad will be absent from Thursday’s team sheet: the home crowd.
Sir Curtly has watched the relationship between franchise and country grow over successive seasons, but he believes 2026 has taken it somewhere else. “Every single game, the numbers came out,” he said of the home leg. “This year, over the top. Every single game, the numbers came out.”
Winning helped, certainly. But something larger happened at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. The Antigua and Barbuda cricket-feting spirit emerged in full force. The stadium, known as The Fortress by many, became a meeting place for cricket, kinship, good times, and a good Antiguan lime; it was both a fete and a match. The Falcons were no longer merely a franchise playing in Antigua; they were family.
And when the team left the island, the belief from the Fortress followed. Nixon says the players have felt it through the messages flooding social media. Even Sir Richie Richardson reached out as the team prepared in Barbados. “The guys are really feeling the love,” Nixon said. “We just want to make you all proud as well.”
Sir Curtly’s message to the fans at home was equally straightforward: keep supporting. “We really appreciate it,” he said. “We’re not going to let the Fans down. We are going to go all the way.”
Two Chances, One Dream
The Falcons earned the luxury of two chances to reach the Final by finishing second. Sir Curtly knows exactly what that insurance means, but he has little interest in using it. The objective on Thursday is to win Qualifier 1 and wait for whoever emerges to meet them in the Final.
Captain Moeen’s ambitions are equally uncomplicated. At this stage of his career, individual numbers have taken a backseat. Trophies have not. “I don’t care so much how I perform in terms of numbers. As long as we win, I don’t really care so much,” he said. “I just want to win as many trophies as I can as a player.”
Nixon wants calm minds, intelligent cricket, and a team that stays together. Sir Curtly sees depth, balance, and unity, with different players capable of winning different games. Moeen sees fight, reliability, and a group that has grown in confidence with every challenge.
Three voices, three perspectives, one destination left on the map, or, if everything goes according to the Falcons’ plan, the start of one final celebration. BELIEVE NAH MAN!!