Canada’s Global T20 teams Surrey Jaguars and Vancouver Knights triumph thanks to strong bowling performances

The Surrey Jaguars defeated the Mississauga Panthers on the last day of the league round of Global T20 Canada to claim the top spot on the points chart. Brampton, August 2, 2023. With the help of outstanding performances from Sandeep Lamichhane, Matthew Forde, and Iftikhar Ahmed, the Jaguars easily attained their goal after eliminating the Panthers for a pitiful score of 56.

The Vancouver Knights defeated the Toronto Nationals in the second game of the day by a score of 25 runs, moving them up to second place in the point standings. Harsh Thakker and Corbin Bosch’s deft bowling was the catalyst for their success. The Surrey Jaguars, Vancouver Knights, Montreal Tigers, and Brampton Wolves secure the top four spots and advance to the playoffs with the day’s results.

After the Surrey Jaguars won the toss, it was decided that the Mississauga Panthers should bat first. Early dismissals of Mihir Patel (0), Cameron Delport (4), and Shreyas Movva (17), who were all taken out by Matthew Forde in rapid succession, gave the Panthers a poor start. The inning was in danger at 30/3 at the conclusion of the powerplay. But between the sixth and ninth overs, when the Panthers lost four wickets and only managed to score four runs, the innings further collapsed.

Shoaib Malik (5) was stumped by left-arm spinner Ayaan Khan, and Tom Cooper (0) and the dangerous Azam Khan (2) were both quickly dispatched by leggie Sandeep Lamichhane. Iftikhar Ahmed redirected Nikhil Dutta (10), who had made an important contribution, back to the pavilion. The Panthers ultimately bundled out for a low total of 56, with Sandeep Lamichhane and Iftikhar Ahmed catching the tail. James Neesham (9*) hung around till the end.

Mohammad Haris (37*), who played an undefeated inning, served as the Jaguars’ linchpin in their easy run defence. Haris broke down barriers at will, quickly chipping away at the meagre goal. In the powerplay, Jatinder Singh (2) and Litton Das (10), but Iftikhar Ahmed (8) and Mohammad Haris made sure the Jaguars completed their goal easily, winning with eight wickets and eleven overs left.

The Toronto Nationals made the decision to go first. The Knights lost an early wicket when Faheem Ashraf bowled Fakhar Zaman. Mohammad Rizwan (27) and Corbin Bosch (30) formed yet another strong partnership of 62 runs at the end of the powerplay, extending their respective purple patches. The Knights were 49/1 at the time. Shahid Afridi’s vital dismissals of Rizwan and Rassie Van Der Dussen (2) caused the innings to collapse. Najibullah Zadran (15) had a frightening appearance but left after the fourteenth over. With the help of Riyaan Pathan (10) in the final overs and an undefeated cameo from Harsh Thaker, the Knights were able to reach 128/7.

They answered quickly since the Toronto Nationals needed to reach their goal in 18.3 overs in order to qualify for the playoffs. In the opening over, Nicholas Kirton (19) hit three boundaries for himself. The top order disintegrated during the powerplay, however, making the pursuit of a high run rate expensive. In the fourth over, spinner Harsh Thaker claimed Kirton and Hamza Tariq (14), and in the fifth over, wicketkeeper Junaid Siddique removed Gerhard Erasmus (3) and Sikandar Raza (0).

After missing a shot from Corbin Bosch, Shahid Afridi (1) was also fired shortly after. The Nationals were in trouble at 45/5 at the conclusion of the powerplay. When he was sent in at number three, Darren Bravo (28), who attempted to manage the innings, even hit two consecutive sixes of Harsh Thaker before succumbing in the same over as the pressure mounted and the wickets began to fall around him. Zaman Khan (14) nearly pulled off a robbery with a few boundaries, but the Nationals were bowled out for 103 in 15.5 overs, giving the Vancouver Knights a 25-run triumph.

Future Schedule

The anxiously awaited playoffs will start on Friday when the Montreal Tigers and Brampton Wolves square off in Eliminator 2 for a spot in the finals. The Surrey Jaguars and Vancouver Knights will play in the first match of the day. On Saturday, the losing team from Eliminator 1 will compete against the winner of Eliminator 2 for a spot in the championship round.

A place to watch

Fans can watch live matches on FanCode and Star Sports 2 (HD) in India. Matches will also be streamed on FanCode.

Quick Scores

Mississauga Panthers: 56/10 (Shreyas Movva: 17 in 14 balls; Nikhil Dutta: 10 in 15 balls; Sandeep Lamichhane: 3/6; Matthew Forde: 2/8; Iftikhar Ahmed: 2/13).

Muhammad Harris scored 37 runs in 23 balls, Iftikhar Ahmed scored 8 runs in 9 balls, Usman Qadir scored half of a point, and Cecil Parvez scored one. The Surrey Jaguars scored 59/2.

With 66 balls left, the Jaguars had an 8-wicket victory.

Vancouver Knights: 128/7 (Corbin Bosch: 30 runs off of 26 balls; Harsh Thaker: 23 runs off of 18 balls; Sikandar Raza: 2/15; Shahid Afridi: 2/16; Farhan Malik: 1/14).

Toronto Nationals: 103/10 (Darren Bravo: 28 in 26, Nicholas Kirton: 19 in 11, Hamza Tariq: 14 in 10, Zaman Khan: 14 in 9, Harsh Thaker: 4/29, Corbin Bosch: 3/11, Junaid Siddique: 2/30).

With 25 runs, VK prevailed.