Brampton, August 5, 2023: The Montreal Tigers won Global T20 Canada Qualifier 2 over the Vancouver Knights, earning them a spot in the championship match. Their best performances came from Sherfane Rutherfords (48*) with the bat and Abbas Afridi (5/29), who claimed five wickets, including a hat-trick. At the TD Cricket Arena in Brampton on Sunday, the Tigers, who ultimately prevailed by one wicket and three balls remaining, will square off against the Surrey Jaguars in the tournament’s championship match.
Having won the toss, the Tigers chose to field first. Vritya Aravind (7) was lost early in the inning, but the Vancouver Knights had a solid start. After the powerplay, the Knights had a 35/1 advantage. Another crucial partnership of 57 runs was established by Mohammad Rizwan (39), and Corbin Bosch (36). Corbin Bosch broke through the ropes three times, looking menacing.
The Knights lost four wickets in as many deliveries, though, and the tide quickly turned against them. After Corbin Bosch was scalped by Abbas Afridi, the innings collapsed, going from 90/1 to 90/5. Abbas Afridi completed his hat-trick of dismissals with the very next ball, first dismissing Rassie Van Der Dussen (0) and then Najibullah Zadran (0)
Mohammad Rizwan (39) was also removed by Ayaan Afzal Khan with the first ball of the subsequent over. The fifth victim of the day for Abbas Afridi was Fabian Allen (10) after this. Harsh Thaker (26) gave the Knights a much-needed boost in the dying overs, scoring 17 runs off the last over. The Vancouver Knights scored 137/6, which was above par.
Tigers responded with a furious beginning. Corbin Bosch dismissed Muhammad Waseem (13) after he hit two maximums in the opening over. Soon after, Chris Lynn (7), Srimantha Wijeyeratne (6), and Dilpreet Singh (2) came in. The Tigers were down 37/4 at the end of the powerplay. With a 43-run partnership, Dipendra Singh Airee (25), and Sherfane Rutherford (48*), stabilised the run chase. Before becoming Junaid Siddique’s second wicket of the day, Andre Russell (17) came out with intent and hit three boundaries in eleven deliveries.
Also Read: Global T20 Canada 2023: Surrey Jaguars secure spot in final, Montreal Tigers advance to Qualifiers 2
The Tigers needed to score 46 runs off of 30 balls with five overs remaining. The burden fell to Rutherford after Carlos Braithwaite (1) was unable to make an impact. Before Junaid Siddique claimed two more wickets in the nineteenth over, Aayan Afzal Khan (18) contributed with a brisk innings. Sherfane Rutherford, showing composure, hit Rayyan Pathan three straight sixes to give the Tigers a thrilling victory with only one wicket remaining and 15 runs needed in the last over.
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