The TD Cricket Arena in Brampton witnessed a spectacular showdown as the Montreal Tigers were crowned champions of Global T20 Canada Season Three, edging out the Surrey Jaguars in a sensational last-ball victory. Chasing a target of 131, the Tigers displayed nerves of steel as they reached 135/5 with five wickets in hand. Jatinder Singh’s brilliant half-century (56*) and Iftikhar Ahmed’s crafty spell (2/8) kept the Jaguars in contention till the final ball. However, Sherfane Rutherford (38*) and Andre Russell (20*) formed a match-winning partnership of 29 runs in just twelve balls to guide the Montreal Tigers to a memorable title triumph.
Winning the toss and opting to field first, the Montreal Tigers started with enthusiasm. The Surrey Jaguars’ openers, Mohammad Haris (23) and Jatinder Singh (56*), made a cautious start, reaching 35/0 at the end of the powerplay. Jatinder Singh anchored the innings, remaining unbeaten with a crucial half-century. The Tigers’ A. Afzal Khan provided the breakthrough, dismissing Mohammad Haris (23) in the sixth over. Litton Das (12) joined Jatinder Singh and kept the scoreboard ticking. At the halfway mark of ten overs, the Jaguars were 58/1. However, wickets fell at regular intervals, with A.Afzal Khan also removing Litton Das (12) in the eleventh over. Skipper Iftikhar Ahmed (8) and Dilpreet Singh (15) lost their wickets in the same over, bowled by Carlos Brathwaite. Ayaan Khan’s quickfire knock of 26 runs in 15 deliveries towards the death overs provided a late surge. The Surrey Jaguars finished with a competitive total of 130/5.
In response, the Montreal Tigers’ innings had a shaky start. After a dropped catch, Muhammad Waseem (0) was bowled by an impressive delivery from Spencer Johnson. At the end of the powerplay, the Tigers were 35/1. Chris Lynn (31) batted well to contribute, but Iftikhar Ahmed’s impressive spell dismissed him in the eleventh over. Ahmed continued his magic in the same over, also removing Dilpreet Singh (15) to put the Jaguars in a strong position. With five overs to go, the Montreal Tigers needed 53 runs with six wickets in hand. Sherfane Rutherford (38) and Dipendra Singh (16) struggled to score runs against Iftikhar Ahmed, who conceded just one run in the sixteenth over. Rutherford launched an attack against Matthew Forde in the eighteenth over, hitting a six and a four to bring the equation down to 25 runs needed off 12 balls. Dipendra Singh retired out, bringing Andre Russell (20) to the crease. Spencer Johnson bowled the penultimate over, conceding 12 runs to the pair of Russell and Rutherford. With two runs needed off the last ball, pacer Ammar Khalid couldn’t hold Andre Russell back, who powered his second maximum of the over to secure the title for the Montreal Tigers. The Tigers finished with a thrilling score of 135/5.
Brief Scores:
Surrey Jaguars – 130/5 (Jatinder Singh – 56 runs in 57 balls, Mohammad Haris – 23 runs in 22 balls, Ayaan Khan – 26 runs in 15 balls, Ayaan Afzal Khan – 2/21, Andre Russell – 1/24, Abbas Afridi – 1/31)
Montreal Tigers – 135/5 (Sherfane Rutherford – 38* runs in 29 balls, Chris Lynn – 31 runs in 35 balls, Andre Russell – 20* runs in 6 balls, Iftikhar Ahmed – 2/8, Ayaan Khan – 1/12, Spencer Johnson – 1/31)
Result: Tigers won by 5 wickets (with 0 balls remaining)
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