GT20 Canada: Leaders turn losers, Vancouver Knights vs Montreal Tigers

On a day of exciting cricket and fluctuating fortunes, leaders in the GT20 Canada – Montreal Tigers and Brampton Wolves – were losers in the penultimate round of group matches at TD Arena on Tuesday.

While Surrey Jaguars defeated Brampton Wolves by six wickets, Vancouver Knights inflicted a nine-wicket defeat on group leaders Montreal Tigers.

Teams that batted last won the games played before nearly packed TD Arena at the CAA complex. And incidentally, the winning teams achieved their targets much before exhausting their quota of overs.

Though thick dark clouds were hanging low portending heavy rain, Vancouver Knights upped their run rate to hit the victory target of 100 runs in 20 overs.

Helped by Rizwan, who did the bulk of the scoring, and  Colin Bosch, the Knights achieved the target with nine wickets and five overs to spare to move up in the table. With this win, Vancouver Knights have seven points from six games.

Wicketkeeper-batsman Rizwan was unbeaten on 68 made from 54 balls with ten hits to the fence and a towering six. He was involved in an unbeaten second-wicket partnership 82 with Colin Bosch who remained unbeaten on 28.

The only wicket Knights lost was claimed by West Indian star Andre Russel who earlier contributed 12 when Montreal Tigers’ innings folded up for 99 runs, perhaps the lowest title by any team in the 20-over game of the tournament so far.

Dipindra Airee scored 24 for the Tigers as their batsmen failed to cope with some good bowling by Junaid (3 for 27), Ruben (3 for 8) and Corbin Bosch (2 for 16).

It was the second defeat for Montreal Tigers in six games while one was abandoned because of weather. Now Tigers have nine points and are still at the top. They are followed by Surrey Jaguars with eight points, the same as Brampton Wolves. However, on better run rate Surrey Jaguars moved past Brampton Wolves to take the number two position.

Soon after the game ended a light drizzle started to the great dismay of organizers as the last round of the group matches was scheduled for tomorrow.

On Wednesday, Surrey Jaguars will play Mississauga Panthers while in the last game of the group matches, Vancouver Knights will lay Toronto Nationals.

Prabhjot Singh