Sports Desk:

Shakib Al Hasan’s barren patch with the bat continued in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), but his Antigua & Barbuda Falcons side pulled off a thrilling eight-run win over the Trinbago Knight Riders.

The Bangladesh all-rounder managed just 7 runs from 13 balls before falling cheaply once again, though he did claim his first wicket of the tournament in a tidy one-over spell. Starting the competition with 498 career T20 wickets, Shakib has now inched closer to the 500 mark.

After being put in to bat on Thursday, Antigua struggled early but recovered thanks to Fabian Allen’s explosive 45 off 20 balls and captain Imad Wasim’s unbeaten 39, lifting them to 167.

Trinbago’s reply was powered by Colin Munro’s 44 from 18 balls, but Obed McCoy’s four wickets stalled their momentum. Kieron Pollard’s late onslaught, including three sixes in the penultimate over, gave Trinbago hope, leaving 14 required from the last over.

However, Shamar Springer held his nerve, conceding just six as the Falcons sealed victory to move top of the points table with five points from four matches.

Despite being hammered for 22 in his last over, McCoy was named player of the match for his four-wicket haul.

The Falcons’ next game starts at 5am (Bangladesh time) on Saturday.