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Montreal Tigers stun Surrey Jaguars to win maiden GT20 title

BRAMPTON: Sherfane Rutherford and Andre Russell’s cameos powered Montreal Tigers to win this year’s GT20 Canada with a five-wicket victory over Surrey Jaguars in a nail-biting final on Sunday.

Carrying a seven-match undefeated streak Surrey Jaguars were asked to bat first in the GT20 final, but could not get the start they needed, as they lost Mohammad Haris (23 off 22) in the seventh over with just 35 runs on the board.

Tigers bowled tight lengths and kept the Jaguars’ batters under control, as they could hardly score freely throughout the innings.

Jatinder Singh and Litton Das crafted a carefully knitted partnership of 31 runs off 28 balls before Das (12) was cleaned up by Aayan Afzal Khan in the 11th over.

Captain Iftikhar Ahmed joined Singh but could only manage to score eight before heading back to the dugout in the 14th over.

Ayaan Khan, then played a quick cameo of 26 runs off 15 balls, to give some respite to Jaguars amid the brilliant pace bowling from the Tigers.

Surrey Jaguars managed to finish at 130/6 with opening batter Jatinder Singh leading the charge with an unbeaten 56 off 57 balls, laced up with three boundaries.

Besides Mohammad Haris and Ayaan Khan, no other batter played at a strike rate of 100 or more.

Aayan Afzal Khan picked up two wickets for 21 runs, while, Andre Russell, Abbas Afridi and Carlos Brathwaite took one wicket apiece.

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Chasing a modest total of 131, the Tigers got off to a disastrous start as they lost Muhammad Waseem on the third ball of the innings. Srimantha Wijeyeratne soon followed him to the pavilion after scoring 12 off 15.

Chris Lynn and Dilpreet Singh were looking to settle down and shift gears when Iftikhar Ahmed sent both of them back to the pavilion in four balls. Lynn played a cautious knock of 31 runs off 35 balls, whereas Singh scored 14 off 15 balls.

The Tigers were facing the challenging task of scoring 71 runs from 53 deliveries when Sherfane Rutherford came out to bat.

Relishing momentum at the back of his 34-ball 48 in the second qualifier of the GT20 Canada, Rutherford charged on the Jaguars’ bowlers with belligerent hitting while his partner Dipendra Singh anchored the innings around him.

Singh remained a touch too slow as he could only manage to score 16 from 17 balls before being retired out and then came Andre Russell.

With Tigers requiring 25 from the final two overs, Russell stood up for his side and finished the game in style with a six off the final delivery of the match.

Russell’s cameo of 20 off 6 featured two sixes, while Rutherford hit two sixes and three boundaries on his way to a 29-ball 38.

Iftikhar Ahmed, captain of the Jaguars team, managed to take two wickets for just eight runs. Whereas, Spencer Johnson and Ayaan Khan each took one wicket.

For his sensible knock, Sherfane Rutherford was adjudged the player of the GT20 Final and player of the series for his brilliance with the bat throughout the tournament.

This was the third edition of GT20 Canada, the previous editions saw Vancouver Knights and Winnipeg Hawks becoming champions in 2018, and 2019 respectively.

READ: Abbas Afridi, Rutherford power Montreal Tigers into GT20 final

Abbas Afridi, Rutherford power Montreal Tigers into GT20 final

BRAMPTON: Montreal Tigers booked their place into the final of the ongoing GT20 Canada, edging Vancouver Knights in Qualifier 2 by one wicket, courtesy explosive batting of Sherfane Rutherford and l Abbas Afridi five-for which included a hat-trick.

In the Qualifier 2 clash of GT20 Canada, Tigers put Knights into bat after winning the toss and bowled tight lengths from the start to keep Knights’ batters under check. They lost their first wicket in the 6th over at the score of 33.

Corbin Bosch joined Mohammad Rizwan and together they added 57 runs for the second wicket. They appeared firm on the crease before Abbas Afridi came back into the attack and stopped them in their tracks with a hat trick.

Abbas Afridi removed Corbin Bosch (36 off 28) with a good catch by Mohammad Waseem. Captain Rassie van der Dussen was then trapped leg before wicket. Najibullah Zadran also followed his captain, as he was caught behind by Srimantha Wijeyeratne.

Knights had their hopes intact with Mohammad Rizwan on the crease but he fell to Aayan Afzal Khan on the first ball of the next over.

After losing four wickets on consecutive deliveries, Harsh Thaker’s sensible knock of 26 off 21 helped the Knights reach a modest total of 137 runs in 20 overs for six wickets.

Abbas Afridi added another feather in his cap with the wicket of Fabian Allen to complete his five-fer.

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Tigers had a dismal start to their pursuit as four men walked back to the pavilion with only 29 runs on board.

However, Sherfane Rutherford spearheaded the run chase, adding 43 runs with Dipendra Singh Airee for the fifth wicket.

Airee was bowled by Corbin Bosch to break the flow of runs. Andre Russell and Carlos Brathwaite joined Rutherford but both went back to the pavilion adding only 25 runs.

Knights’ kept picking wickets to mount pressure on Tigers’ but they had no answer to Rutherford’s onslaught.

Needing 15 off the last over, Rutherford hit three consecutive sixes off Rayyan Pathan to guide his team to a memorable last-wicket triumph. Rutherford scored 48 off 34, with the help of two boundaries and three aforementioned sixes.

Junaid Siddique picked four wickets for 22 runs, while Fabian Allen and Corbin Bosch picked two wickets each in the losing cause.

Montreal Tigers will face the winners of Qualifier 1 Surrey Jaguars in the final of GT20 Canada tonight in Brampton.

READ: Surrey Jaguars storm into the GT20 final as Knights falter

Surrey Jaguars storm into the GT20 final as Knights falter

BRAMPTON: Matthew Forde’s four-fer helped Surrey Jaguars secure their place in the final of GT20 Canada, defeating Vancouver Knights by 38 runs in Qualifier 1.

Chasing a total of 140, Vancouver Knights succumbed to the brilliant seam bowling of Matthew Forde, losing star batter Mohammad Rizwan (4) and captain Rassie van der Dussen (6) in his first spell.

He later came back in the 17th over to put brakes to his fellow West Indian Fabian Allen’s attack and finally hit the last nail in the coffin with the final wicket of Junaid Siddique.

Vancouver Knights put Surrey Jaguars into bat after winning the toss. They started off well, with an early wicket of in-form Mohammad Haris, scoring 20 off 15.

The scorecard read 64-4 after 10 overs, however, captain Iftikhar Ahmed led the charge scoring 36 off 28. He was supported by Ayyan Khan on the other end with 29 off 20. Their 43 runs partnership, helped the team reach a respectable total of 139, as none of the batters after them managed to reach double figures.

Junaid Siddique returned with the figures of 4-22, while Ruben Trumpelmann and Karthik Meiyappan picked two wickets each.

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Knights’ chase began horribly as they lost their first wicket on the fourth ball of the innings and lost dangerman Rizwan one over later. They failed to recover from the early loss, and the wickets kept falling at regular intervals. Fabian Allen showed some resistance, but he did not get any support from the other end. Allen top scored with 27 off 20.

Matthew Forde led the charge for Jaguars but other bowlers also chipped with wickets, Dillon Heyliger picked two wickets while, Sandeep Lamichhane, Spencer Johnson, Ammar Khalid and Ayaan Khan contributed with a wicket each.

Jaguars have been a dominant force throughout the tournament, and haven’t lost a single game, since losing their first game of the tournament against Montreal Tigers. In the final, they will be facing the winner of the second Qualifier between Montreal Tigers and Vancouver Knights.

READ: Tigers set up GT20 Eliminator clash with Knights as Wolves crash out

Tigers set up GT20 Eliminator clash with Knights as Wolves crash out

BRAMPTON: A combined bowling effort, followed by Chris Lynn’s blistering half-century propelled Montreal Tigers to beat Brampton Wolves in the first Eliminator of the ongoing GT20 Canada on Friday.

Following a dominant victory in the eliminator, Montreal Tigers next face Vancouver Knights in the second eliminator on Saturday.

Set to chase a modest 105, the Tigers comfortably completed the run chase for the loss of just one wicket and 34 balls to spare, thanks to an unbeaten 63-run knock by Lynn.

Tigers’ openers Lynn and Muhammad Waseem laid a solid foundation for the run chase as they knitted a brilliant 72-run partnership.

The pair batted with utmost domination against the depleted home side and put the Tigers in touching distance to the glory before Shahid Ahmadzai finally got rid of Waseem.

The right-handed batter scored an anchoring 23 from 24 balls with the help of two sixes.

Click to watch GT20 Canada Live on ARY ZAP

Momentum-filled Chris Lynn was then joined by Srimantha Wijeyeratne and the duo made sure there were no hiccups in the run chase and took the Tigers over the line in the 15th over.

Lynn smashed seven boundaries and three sixes on his way to top score for the Tigers with a 47-ball 63.

Whereas, scored an unbeaten run-a-ball 15, laced with two boundaries.

For the Wolves, only Shahid Ahmadzai could pick up a wicket.

Earlier, after being put into bat first, Brampton Wolves managed to score 104 before being bundled out in 20 overs, courtesy of suicidal running between the wickets, which saw them losing four wickets.

The remaining six wickets to fall were bagged by Carlos Brathwaite and Aayan Afzal Khan – both taking two wickets each while Abbas Afridi and Dipendra Singh Airee claimed one apiece.

For the Wolves, opener Aaron Johnson top-scored with a 25-ball 31 with three boundaries and one six.

READ: Pakistan one step away from glory, advance to Norway Cup final

Lamichhane guides leaders Jaguars to thumping win over Panthers in GT20

BRAMPTON: Sandeep Lamichhane’s 3/6 powered Surrey Jaguars to finish as the GT20 Canada table-toppers with a thumping eight-wicket victory over Mississauga Panthers on Wednesday.

Nepal’s spin wizard Lamichhane led the attack as Jaguars bowled the Panthers out for a paltry total of 56 runs.

The Jaguars won the toss and put Panthers into bat first. Panthers, who were yet to win any game in the tournament, got off to a dismal start as they were reduced to 30-4 after 6.1 overs.

Coming to bat at number six, James Neesham stood his ground while the wickets kept falling at the other end.

He conceded a whopping 20 deliveries but failed to score a single boundary amid his cautious nine-run knock.

Besides Lamichhane, Iftikhar Ahmed and Matthew Ford picked up two wickets each, whereas, Ammar Khalid and Ayyan Khan picked one apiece.

Chasing a modest 57-run target, Mohammad Haris led the attack and helped his team comfortably win the game in just 9 overs.

The Jaguars lost two quick wickets — Jatinder Singh (2) and Litton Das (10) — inside the first five overs but Haris did not let the guard down and kept dominating the Panthers’ bowlers despite Usman Qadir’s efforts.

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Sandeep Lamichhane was adjudged man of the match for his match-winning spell.

Mississauga Panthers concluded their GT20 campaign winless, while Jaguars finished as the table toppers, losing only one match out of seven.

Surrey Jaguars will face Vancouver Knights in the first eliminator tonight, while Montreal Tigers will face Brampton Wolves in the second eliminator tomorrow.

Notably, in the last group fixture of the GT20 Canada, the Knights edged Toronto Nationals by 23 runs, courtesy of Harsh Thaker’s all-round exploits.

The young all-rounder backed his 23-run cameo with a four-fer which led the Knights to book Nationals for a paltry 103 while defending a modest 129.

READ: Knights sink Nationals to set up GT20 Eliminator clash with Jaguars

GT20: Knights sink Nationals to set up Eliminator clash with Jaguars

BRAMPTON: Harsh Thaker followed his 23-run cameo with a four-fer and powered Vancouver Knights to edge Toronto Nationals by 25 runs in the last group fixture of the ongoing GT20 Canada.

The Knights now face Surrey Jaguars in the first eliminator of the extravaganza on Friday.

Put into bat first, the Knights failed to put on a decent show with the bat and could accumulate 128/7 in the allotted 20 overs.

Knights’ dependable pair of Corbin Bosch and Mohammad Rizwan once again recovered the side from an early blow after Fakhar Zaman perished cheaply with just five runs on the board in the second over.

The pair batted cautiously and added 62 runs for the second wicket before Farhan Malik drew a much-needed breakthrough for the Nationals by trapping Bosch in his legs.

The right-handed batter could score 30 from 26 deliveries, laced up with five boundaries.

The Knights endured another blow to their batting expedition when another set batter Mohammad Rizwan fell in the next over after miscuing a slog sweep off Shahid Afridi.

He could score a run-a-ball 27 with the help of two boundaries and a six.

Click to watch GT20 Canada Live on ARY ZAP

Rizwan’s dismissal triggered a collapse in the Knights’ batting lineup which halted the flow of runs.

Harsh Thaker, however, launched a brief counterattack and bolstered the Knights’ total with a brisk cameo. His 18-ball 23 at the backend featured two boundaries and a six.

Sikandar Raza and Shahid Afridi bagged two wickets each while Faheem Ashraf and Farhan made one scalp each.

In response, the Nationals’ batting lineup failed completely and could only raise a paltry 103 before being bundled out in the 16th over.

The Nationals had a contrasting start to their run chase as their opening pair Nicholas Kriton and Hamza Tariq added 31 runs for the first wicket before the former perished in the fourth over.

Following his dismissal, the Nationals began to lose wickets at an alarming rate which eventually restricted them to 103 all out.

Top-order batter Darren Bravo offered insignificant resilience with a 26-ball 28 which included two sixes.

The next notable run-getters for the Nationals were Kriton (19), Tariq and Zaman Khan 14 each.

The victory propelled Vancouver Knights to finish second in the GT20 standings with nine points in seven matches while Toronto Nationals were knocked out of the tournament after finishing fifth.

READ: Misbah-ul-Haq to lead high-profile Cricket Technical Committee: PCB

Das, bowlers script Jaguars’ dominating triumph over Wolves in GT20

BRAMPTON: Surrey Jaguars put on a dominant show with the ball before Litton Das’s half-century led them to a convincing six-wicket victory over Brampton Wolves in the 18th match of the GT20 Canada.

Put into bat first, the strong Wolves batting lineup crumbled against a disciplined Jaguars’ bowling attack and could score a meagre 128/9 in the allotted 20 overs.

The home side after getting off to a shaky start, kept losing wickets at an alarming rate which barred them from registering a decent total on the board.

Former New Zealand all-rounder Colin de Grandhome waged a lone battle with a gutsy run-a-ball 34 and top-scored for the Wolves.

The next notable run-getters for the Wolves were Nitish Kumar, Mark Chapman and Aaron Johnson, who scored 14 each, followed by Usman Khan, scoring a cautious 13 up the order.

Besides them, none of the Wolves’ batter could enter into the double figures.

Click to watch GT20 Canada Live on ARY ZAP

Matthew Forde, Ayaan Khan and Ammar Khalid bagged two wickets each for the Jaguars while Spencer Johnson made one scalp.

In response, Litton Das’s sensible half-century recovered Jaguars from an early collapse and to a comfortable victory with 11 balls to spare.

The Jaguars got off to a shaky start to the pursuit as they lost three wickets with just 21 runs on the board in 4.3 Overs as Jatinder Singh (5), Mohammad Haris (9) and Pragat Singh (0) perished cheaply.

Das and skipper Iftikhar Ahmed then stitched a match-defining 99-run partnership for the fourth wicket to propel the Jaguars in touching distance to the glory.

The pair batted with utmost domination and was looking confident to carry their bat all the way through before Shahid Ahmadzai finally dismissed Das.

He top-scored for the Jaguars with a 45-ball 59, laced with three boundaries and three sixes.

Meanwhile, Iftikhar Ahmed stood his ground firm and steered his side over the line with an unbeaten 38 from 41 balls with the help of one boundary and two sixes.

Shahid Ahmadzai, Chris Green, Logan van Beek and Tim Southee could pick up a wicket apiece for the Wolves.

READ: Trumpelmann-inspired Vancouver Knights sink Montreal Tigers in GT20

Trumpelmann-inspired Vancouver Knights sink Montreal Tigers in GT20

BRAMPTON: Ruben Trumpelmann returned astounding figures of 3/8 to decimate Montreal Tigers’ batting lineup before Mohammad Rizwan’s calculated half-century drove Vancouver Knights to a nine-wicket victory in GT20 Canada.

Opting to bat first, Montreal Tigers’ batting lineup failed completely and could only raise 99 runs on the board before being bundled out in the penultimate over.

The table-toppers after a poor start, kept losing wickets at an alarming rate before the Knights bowlers eventually booked them on a meagre total.

Opening batter Muhammad Waseem (28 off 24) and Dipendra Singh Airee (24) offered brief resistance against a dominant Tigers’ bowling attack.

The next best scores for the Tigers were Dilpreet Singh (14) and Andre Russell (12) while the rest failed to make it into the double figures.

Ruben Trumpelmann led the bowling attack for the Knights with 3/8, followed by Junaid Siddique’s 3/27 while Corbin Bosch had two wickets to his name.

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In response, Mohammad Rizwan spearheaded an easy pursuit with a sensible half-century.

The Knights, however, had a contrasting start to the run chase as they lost hard-hitting opener Fakhar Zaman (4) in the third over with just 21 runs on the board.

Bosch partnered strongly with in-form Rizwan and steered the Knights to victory with an unbeaten 82-run partnership.

The wicketkeeper batter scored his second consecutive half-century for the Knights, who chased down a modest 100-run target in the 15th over.

Rizwan smashed 10 boundaries and a six on his way to a 54-ball 68 not out.

Bosch, on the other hand, scored an unbeaten 28 off 29 deliveries, laced with three boundaries.

With a dominant nine-wicket victory over the leaders, Vancouver Knights rose to the fourth position in GT20 Canada standings while Montreal Tigers remained at the top.

READ: Tim Seifert goes berserk at B-Love Kandy as Galle Titans prevail

Montreal Tigers sink Toronto Nationals in rain-hit GT20 clash

BRAMPTON: Chris Lynn’s quickfire knock steered leaders Montreal Tigers to a convincing 23-run victory over Toronto Nationals in the rain-affected fixture of the GT20 Canada.

The heavy downpour here on Sunday, after resulting in the abandonment of the 16th GT20 fixture between home side Brampton Wolves and Mississauga Panthers, also affected the second duel of Sunday.

The wet outfield here at TD Cricket Arena forced a delayed start to the match, which was reduced to six overs per side.

After winning the toss, Toronto Nationals’ captain Hamza Tariq put table-toppers Montreal Tigers into bat first.

Openers Chris Lynn and Muhammad Waseem set the tone with a brisk 63-run partnership as the Tigers finished at 77/2 in six overs.

The opening duo baton charged Nationals’ bowlers before Faheem Ashraf drew a much-needed breakthrough for his side in the fifth over by dismissing Waseem.

He smashed one boundary and two sixes on his way to a 13-ball 24.

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Meanwhile, Chris Lynn stood his ground firm and carried his bat all the way through with an unbeaten 38. His 18-ball knock featured two boundaries and three sixes.

For the Nationals, only Faheem Ashraf could pick up a wicket.

Set to chase 78 in six overs, Nationals’ openers failed to imitate Lynn and Waseem as they found it difficult to score freely.

After failing to score big, opener Darren Bravo (15 off 15) opted to retire out at the end of the fourth over with just 36 runs on the board.

His opening pair JJ Smit (16 off nine) followed his footsteps, two balls later and also walked back to the pavilion.

Skipper Hamza Tariq and hard-hitting all-rounder Sikandar Raza, pairing for a mere eight deliveries, could not pull off a miracle as the Nationals succumbed to a 23-run defeat.

With a dominant 23-run victory, Montreal Tigers strengthened their grip on the top position in the GT20 standings while Toronto Nationals remained at fourth.

READ: Ton-up Nicholas Pooran propels MI New York to win inaugural MLC title

GT20: Rizwan stars as Vancouver Knights sink Brampton Wolves

BRAMPTON: Wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan scored an anchoring half-century in the run chase and powered Vancouver Knights to a resounding nine-wicket victory over Brampton Wolves in the 12th match of the GT20 Canada.

Set to chase a modest 130, the Knights comfortably amassed 133 in response, for the loss of just one wicket and 17 balls to spare.

Wicketkeeper batter Rizwan, who joined Knights following his participation in the away Test series against Sri Lanka, which Pakistan swept 2-0, made inroads in his first GT20 2023 appearance.

The right-handed opening batter top-scored for the Knights with an unbeaten half-century and steered them to a much-needed victory.

Trademark Rizwan innings, calm and collected in a run-chase 🔥#GT20Canada #GT20Season3 #GlobalT20 #CricketsNorth #BWvVK @iMRizwanPak pic.twitter.com/xl2CmcFrVp

— GT20 Canada (@GT20Canada) July 29, 2023

Rizwan scored 52 from 42 deliveries, laced up with two boundaries and three sixes.

Besides him, Corbin Bosch also played a pivotal role in the Knights’ successful run chase, scoring an unbeaten 50. His 41-ball knock featured five boundaries and a six.

The pair of Mohammad Rizwan and Corbin Bosch added 104 runs amid their unbeaten second-wicket partnership and eased their side to glory in the 18th over.

Meanwhile, Fakhar Zaman played an anchoring 21-run knock in 20 deliveries.

For the Wolves, only Logan van Beek could pick up a wicket.

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Put into bat first, the Wolves’ batting lineup struggled and could only pile 129/9 in the allotted 20 overs.

The home side lost wickets at regular intervals which eventually resulted in them setting a modest total on the board.

Chris Green (23), Hussain Talat (20) and Usman Khan (18) remained the notable run-getters for the Wolves with meagre contributions.

Ruben Trumpelmann led the bowling attack for the Knights with 4/25, followed by two wickets from Junaid Siddique.

In another GT20 fixture, Mississauga Panthers succumbed to a straight fourth defeat in the ongoing extravaganza, following their 55-run defeat against Surrey Jaguars.

Jatinder Singh’s brilliant half-century up the order bolstered the Jaguars to post a commendable total of 164/6 in their quota of 20 overs.

Singh top-scored for the Jaguars with a 45-ball 57, laced with five boundaries and a six.

Set to chase 165, the Panthers bundled out for a paltry 109 and thus handed a thumping 55-run victory to Jaguars.

Cameron Delport (33) and Shreyas Movva (31) remained the top-scorers for the Panthers in a dismal show with the bat.

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