The Toronto Nationals used both bat and ball to oust reigning champions Montreal Tigers by 8 wickets in the finals to clinch the fourth edition of Global T20 Canada on Sunday.
The Torontonians won their first title in a major T20 tournament in North America. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attended the Global T20 Canada tournament, met the Montreal Tigers’ management, and received a shirt.
Toronto Nationals Triumph Over Montreal Tigers in a Rain-Delayed Thriller
Toronto skipper Colin Munro won the award, and his determination to lead his team to victory in the first over proved well-deserved. Montreal struggled and managed only a meager total of 96/9 in the 20 overs. Andries Gous then hit a game-tying half-century to ensure the Toronto Nationals won the division. The innings was remarkable as he broke a finger shortly after arriving at the crease. But the American national overcame the pain to remain unbeaten on 58 runs off 49 balls and ensured that the Toronto Nationals had a stunning victory.
The tough pitching conditions at TD Stadium in Brampton were made even more difficult by heavy rain that delayed the approach for several hours. Australian bowler Jason Behrendorff took advantage of the situation to put on a spectacular swing bowling with a remarkable figure of 3/8 in four overs. This sparked a batting collapse in Montreal’s top order and put Toronto firmly in a driving position. The Tigers suffered their first blow early on when Toronto pacer Romario Shepherd sent opener Praveen Kumar to the pavilion in the second over.
Montreal suffered a double blow the next year when Jason Behrendorff picked off Gerhard Erasmus (2) and Tim Seifert (0) on consecutive deliveries. Chris Lynn (3) didn’t last long either, as the Montreal skipper tried to kill Behrendorff, only to give it to Toronto wicketkeeper Unmukt Chand with ease.
