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Mohammad Amir powers Vancouver Knights to beat Montreal Tigers

BRAMPTON: Mohammad Amir decimated Montreal Tigers’ batting lineup before Usman Khawaja and Reeza Hendricks steered Vancouver Knights to victory in the 17th match of the GT20 Canada 2024.

After winning the toss, Vancouver Knights invited Montreal Tigers to bat and Dwaine Pretorius provided the first breakthrough as he dismissed Chris Lynn.

Amiir picked his first wicket in the next over when he clean-bowled a struggling Dilpreet Bajwa.

Pretorius got Gerhard Erasmus in the next over, followed by Amir casting another batter as he disturbed the stumps of Parveen Kumar to reduce the Tigers to 16-4 in 4.3 overs.

Sherfane Rutherford then played an 18-ball cameo of 22 runs, while Azmatullah Omarzai scored 30 runs from 26 balls to show some resistance against the Knights’ bowling attack.

However, no other batter could pose any threat and the whole batting lineup bundled for a meagre 109 runs in 19.2 overs.

Mohammad Amir led the attack with the figures of 3-18, while Dwaine Pretorius, Harsh Thaker, and Sandeep Lamichhane picked two wickets each.

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In response, Vancouver Knights lost Harsh Thaker in the first over but Usman Khawaja and Reeza Hendricks helped them recover with a partnership of 67 runs.

Khawaja played a cautious knock of 31 runs from 44 balls, while Hendricks scored 39 off 30 with the help of four boundaries and two sixes.

However, both batters fell in quick succession to leave the team at 80-3 in 13.1 overs.

Richie Berrington then scored a steady 17 before Corbin Bosch dismissed him with two runs required to win. Pretorius hit the winning runs to seal a five-wicket victory with eight balls to spare.

Azmatullah Omarzai and Gerhard Erasmus picked two wickets each for the Montreal Tigers.

Earlier in another GT20 Canada match, Brampton Wolves defeated Surrey Jaguars by six wickets. Thomas Draca and Beau Webster shared six wickets to book Jaguars for 124 runs.

George Munsey then struck a quick 46-run knock to lead his side to a dominant victory in 15.1 overs.

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Asif Ali’s blitz in vain as Brampton Wolves sink Vancouver Knights

BRAMPTON: Asif Ali’s quick-fire knock went in vain as Beau Webster and Nick Hobson helped Brampton Wolves sink Vancouver Knights in the ongoing GT20 Canada 2024.

While chasing a modest 150-run target, Brampton Wolves achieved the total in 18.1 overs, handing Vancouver Knights their fourth consecutive GT20 Canada loss.

Knights’ captain Usman Khawaja (17) opted to bat first and gave his side a cautious start, scoring 36 runs in 5.1 overs before Thomas Draca removed him.

The other opening batter Munir Ahmad (21) also departed soon with 47 runs on the board, while Reeza Hendricks played a scratchy knock of 27 runs from 30 balls.

Asif Ali came out to bat after Hendricks’ wicket and targetted Andrew Tye as he struck him for three sixes and two fours during his unbeaten 17-ball knock of 36 runs.

He was supported by Richie Berrington, who scored an unbeaten 38 off 25 with the help of three boundaries and two sixes.

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Thomas Draca led the bowling for Brampton Wolves, taking two key wickets, while Webster and Tye managed one each.

In response, the Wolves lost their first three wickets with only 30 runs on the board. David Warner was the main contributor from the top order with a 20-ball 25 with four boundaries.

Webster came out to bat at the fall of the second wicket and carried his bat through the innings as he played a calculated knock of 49 runs from 37 balls with two boundaries and three sixes.

George Munsey played a quick 20-run cameo from 12 balls, while Hobson scored an unbeaten 37 off 28, which included three sixes.

Webster and Hobson constructed an unbeaten partnership of 86 runs from 52 balls, leading the team to a dominant six-wicket victory.

For Vancouver Knights, Dwaine Pretorius, Rishiv Joshi and Sandeep Lamichhane picked one wicket each.

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Iftikhar Ahmed leads Bangla Tigers Mississauga to sink Vancouver Knights

BRAMPTON: Iftikhar Ahmed played a composed knock to steer Bangla Tigers Mississauga to sink Vancouver Knights by 22 runs in the fourth match of the GT20 Canada 2024 here on Saturday.

While batting first Bangla Tigers Mississauga posted 152-7 in their allocated 20 overs, which Vancouver Knights failed to chase as they were restricted to 130-6.

Mohammad Amir gave Vancouver Knights an early breakthrough with the ball as he bowled Muhammad Waseem in the first over.

Hazratullah Zazai and Pargat Singh then added 46 runs for the third wicket to push the team’s total to 60 before both batters fell in quick succession.

Iftikhar Ahmed came out to bat at the fall of the third wicket and remained there until the end, scoring a calculated 40-ball 50 with the help of six boundaries and one six.

Meanwhile, Dilon Heyliger was another notable contributor with a 27-run cameo off 19 to help push the team’s total to 152-7.

Sandeep Lamichhane took two wickets, while Mohammad Amir, Jeremy Gordon, Dwaine Pretorius, and Paul van Meekeren bagged one each.

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In response, Vancouver Knights had a dismal start as they lost two wickets with only four runs on the board. Reeza Hendricks scored a scratchy 10 off 19 before Shakib Al Hasan removed him.

Harsh Thaker remained the lone warrior for the Vancouver Knights with an unbeaten 79-run knock from 67 balls with the help of three boundaries and five sixes.

However, he could not get any support from the other end as they kept losing wickets at an alarming rate.

Dwaine Pretorius showed some resistance from lower order with a 29 off 25 but the required run rate was too much to achieve.

Vancouver Knights managed 130-6 in their 20 overs. Shakib Al Hasan topped the wicket-takers chart with three scalps while David Wiese, Shoriful Islam and Gurpal Sidhu managed one each.

In another GT20 Canada 2024 match, Toronto Nationals defeated Brampton Wolves by eight wickets after bundling them for 110.

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Babar Azam to play under Rizwan’s captaincy in GT20 Canada 2024

Pakistan’s white-ball captain and ace batter Babar Azam will play under wicketkeeper batter Mohammad Rizwan’s captaincy at Vancouver Knights in the upcoming GT20 Canada 2024.

Rizwan, who led Multan Sultans to the Pakistan Super League (PSL) title in 2021, has been named Vancouver Knights captain for the upcoming fourth edition of the league, scheduled to run from July 25 until August 11.

“The Vancouver Knights have chosen their captain for GT20 Season 4: Sir Muhammad Rizwan. With his mighty batting skills and sharp wicketkeeping, he’s ready to lead our charge to victory. Prepare for battle, Knights!,” the Kings said in a statement.

For the unversed, a total of seven Pakistan players will partake in the upcoming edition of the league.

Inaugural champions Vancouver Knights feature four Pakistan players: Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Amir and Asif Ali.

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Meanwhile, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Nawaz are roped in by Toronto Nationals whereas Iftikhar Ahmed will represent Bangla Tigers Mississauga.

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.

Vancouver Knights Squad for GT20 2024:Babar Azam, Asif Ali, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan (c), Jeremy Gordon, Rishiv Joshi, Sandeep Lamichhane, Dwaine Pretorius, Michael Rippon, Dipendra Singh Airee, Harsh Thaker, Ruben Trumpelmann, Paul van Meekeren, Sarmad Anwar, Mandeep Girdhar, Yuvraj Samra, Shubham Sharma, Ajayveer Singh.

READ: No Pakistani in ICC T20 World Cup 2024 Team of the Tournament

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

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