GT20 Canada: Surrey Jaguars get past Mississauga Panthers

Cricket, they say, is a beautiful game of uncertainties. It was amply demonstrated in the GT20 Canada at the CAA complex on Friday.

In the first game, Vancouver Knights caused a stir by defeating pre-tournament favourite Brampton Wolves by nine wickets for its second win to move to fourth place. In the second Surrey Jaguars after being put to bat first by bottom-of-the-table Mississauga Panthers not only hoisted the highest total of the tournament so far (164 for six) and skittled out Mississauga Panthers for 109 to win by 55 runs.

 Jaguars had Panthers in check throughout. They had Chris Gayla and Shoaib Malik subdued as the overcast sky was just waiting for the game to conclude before it could burst into the rain after the day’s fluctuating fortunes.

When Surrey Jaguars started, they had a flurry of boundaries with openers Jatinder Singh and Alex Hales getting three shots each across the fence. The score raced to 25 for none in two overs. It was Parveen who put brakes in the third over by conceding just a single before Jatinder and Alex accelerated the pace again with two boundaries of Nikhil in the fourth. Jaguars hoisted 50 on the board in the fifth over. There was a commotion when Alex was bowled but it was a no-ball of Zahoor Khan. Zaroor made amends and had Alex caught at the boundary on his last ball of the same over Lutron Das and Jatinder were then involved in a good partnership as Jatinder completed his 50 from 36 balls with five boundaries and a six. After Das left at 134, Jatinder fell leg before to Buttar for a well-made 56. Jaguars ended at 164 for six.

The Panthers had a sluggish start as they lost Chris Gayle early. Even skipper Shoaib did not last long.
The only hopes for the Panthers were Delport and Shreyas who had a couple of lusty hits and Azam Khan. But once they were dismissed it was only a formality as Jaguars ran through the tail to end with a deserving win. And for Mississauga Panthers, it was the fifth consecutive loss from as many games.

For the Panthers, opener Shreyas Movva (30) and Delport (33) were the saving faces in batting while Azam Khan made 14 for them.

The main wreckers of Panthers innings were Spencer Johnson (3 for 35), Sandeep Lamichanne (3 for 10) and Mathew Forde (2 for 14).

Prabhjot Singh