GT20 Canada Archives

Bajwa scores century as Montreal Tigers thump Brampton Wolves

BRAMPTON: Dilpreet Bajwa played a whirlwind knock, scoring a century to lead Montreal Tigers to a thumping victory over Brampton Wolves in the ninth match of the GT20 Canada 2024.

Montreal Tigers posted 166-7 in their allocated 20 overs and they successfully defended the total, bundling Brampton Wolves for 124.

After opting to bat first, Montreal Tigers suffered an early blow as Chris Lynn fell off a second-ball duck in the first over.

Tim Seifert also fell soon with a mere 16 runs on the board, while Dilpreet Bajwa held on to the other end.

Bajwa could not find any support from the other end as wickets kept tumbling at an alarming pace. Montreal Tigers soon found themselves reduced to 90-5 in 14 overs.

Sherfane Rutherford (15 off seven) and Azmatullah Omarzai (13 off seven) were the only notable contributors. Tye removed Omarzai and Corbin Bosch on consecutive balls to bring the situation to 115-7.

Dilpreet Bajwa was playing at 56 off 43 at the start of the 18th over and struck two sixes to Beau Webster.

Tye, who had the figures of 3-13 in three overs, bowled the penultimate over and Bajwa smashed him for two sixes and four boundaries to push the team’s total to 158-7.

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Bajwa struck another boundary in the last over to complete his hundred as he finished with a 55-ball 100 with the help of six sixes and ten fours.

In response, Brampton Wolves had an unwanted start to their chase as they lost three wickets for 17 runs in 4.5 overs.

Kobe Herft played a scratchy knock of 22 runs from 30 balls to show some resistance before Aayan Afzal Khan castled him.

George Munsey then played a quick innings of 54 runs from 34 balls with the help of five sixes and two fours but he could not get any support from the other end, ultimately falling in the 17th over with 112 runs on the board.

Brampton Wolves lost their last two wickets in quick succession as they bundled out for 124 in 18.5 overs.

Azmatullah Omarzai led the bowling attack with figures of 4-21, while Kaleem Sana and Zahoor Khan took two wickets each.

Montreal Tigers, with this victory, solidified their position at the top of GT20 Canada 2024 standings after three victories in three games, while Brampton Wolves are lying at the fifth position.

READ: Indian fans slam Sanju Samson over poor performance in Sri Lanka series

WATCH: Iftikhar Ahmed’s no-look shot goes wrong in GT20 Canada 2024

BRAMPTON: Pakistan’s first-choice all-rounder and finisher Iftikhar Ahmed coped with a disappointing dismissal in the GT20 Canada 2024.

Iftikhar, representing Bangla Tigers Mississauga in the second match of the six-team tournament, had an ideal chance to answer the critics with a match-winning knock.

But his return to the Global T20 Canada was completely contrasting as the right-handed batter could score a 24-ball 28 after coming out to bat at No.4 in the 190-run pursuit.

Iftikhar Ahmed struggled throughout his scratchy knock but it was his dismissal that caught the attention of cricket fans and online trolls.

The right-handed batter attempted a no-look short off a Zahoor Khan’s length delivery, pitched a tough outside leg.

Iftikhar tried to work it off his thigh and over the fine leg boundary but ended up handing a regulation catch to Dilpreet Bajwa.

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For the unversed, Bangla Tigers Mississauga got off to an unwanted start to their GT20 Canada 2024 campaign as they succumbed to a 33-run defeat against Montreal Tigers.

The Tigers, after being put into bat first, registered a commendable total of 189/6, courtesy of a combined effort.

Leading the way was Tim Seifert as he top-scored with a 24-ball 44, followed by Ashton Agar and Bajwa, 41 each, while Ben Manenti made an unbeaten 40.

David Wiese was the star with the ball for Bangla Tigers Mississauga with his three wickets.

In response, the Tigers were curtailed on 156/8 despite a blazing knock by Rahmanullah Gurbaz.

Gurbaz smashed six fours and five sixes on his way to a 39-ball 64 and top-scored for the Tigers, followed by Iftikhar Ahmed (28) and Hazratullah Zazai (13) while the rest failed to make it into the double figures.

READ: Munsey stars as Wolves thump Jaguars in GT20 Canada 2024

Vancouver Knights sign Babar Azam, Mohammad Amir, Rizwan for GT20 2024

Pakistan’s white-ball captain Babar Azam as well as star pace bowler Mohammad Amir and wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan are set to play for GT20 Canada franchise Vancouver Knights in the upcoming edition.

Vancouver Knights, who got knocked out by champions Montreal Tigers in the playoff, bolstered their squad for the 2024 season by signing Amir and Babar in the GT20 Draft. Meanwhile, Rizwan was retained after representing the franchise in the 2023 edition.

The inaugural champions also acquired the services of Pakistan’s aggressive middle-order batter Asif Ali and Nepal’s master-blaster Dipendra Singh Airee as well as star spinner Sandeep Lamichhane.

Meanwhile, Pakistan’s premiere left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi was roped in by Toronto Nationals, along with all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz. The Nationals’ squad also features New Zealand’s Colin Munro and South Africa’s star batter Rassie Van Dussen.

The fourth season of the GT20 will run from July 25 until August 11. The six-team tournament will be played at TD Cricket Arena in Brampton.

The inaugural edition was played in 2018, followed by the second edition in 2019. However, the third season, which was scheduled for 2020, was postponed due to COVID-19.

Ultimately, the GT20 Canada returned for the third season in 2023, where Montreal Tigers defeated Surrey Jaguars in the final to clinch their first title.

READ: Kyle Mayers replaces injured Brandon King in West Indies T20 World Cup squad

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.

Click to watch GT20 Canada Live on ARY ZAP

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.

Click to watch GT20 Canada Live on ARY ZAP

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.

Click to watch GT20 Canada Live on ARY ZAP

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.

Click to watch GT20 Canada Live on ARY ZAP

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