Toronto Nationals emerged champions of the GT20 Canada 2024 edition. In a one-sided final, they beat the Montreal Tigers by eight wickets.
Bowling first, Toronto put up an exceptional effort with the ball, restricting Montreal to a paltry total of 96/9. While chasing the small target, their batters made light work of the same, as they got over the line easily in just 15 overs with eight wickets remaining as well.
Jason Behrendorff and Romario Shepherd grabbed three and two wickets, respectively, for Toronto to set up the win while Andries Gous (58*) and Rassie van der Dussen (30*) ensured the chase was a comfortable one for them in the end.
Throughout the GT20 Canada 2024, there were impressive performances from individual players not just for Toronto, but across all the teams. That said, here is the best-playing XI from the tournament after the final.
Best playing 11 of GT20 Canada 2024
Openers: George Munsey, Nick Hobson
George Munsey from Brampton Wolves ended up as the leading run-scorer of the GT20 Canada 2024 with 218 runs from six innings. He averaged an impressive 43.60 with a strike-rate of 135.40.
The left-handed opener also scored a couple of fifties with a high score of 69. His partner at Brampton Wolves, Nick Hobson would accompany him at the top in this team as well.
Hobson scored 158 runs from six innings, emerging as the third-highest-run-getter in the tournament. He averaged 79 with a strike-rate of 133.89. The top-order batter from Australia also scored a half-century (51*), which was his best score in the tournament as well.
Middle-order and all-rounders: Reeza Hendricks, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Dilpreet Bajwa, Marcus Stoinis (C), Romario Shepherd, Sunil Narine
Reeza Hendricks had a decent run with the Vancouver Knights in this season of the GT20 Canada. He was the fourth-highest run-getter of the tournament with 154 runs from seven innings. Hendricks may not have been at his best, but he can still provide stability at the crucial number three position.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz would handle the duties behind the stumps. Gurbaz scored 115 runs from six innings with a strike-rate of 133.72 and a personal best score of 64.
Canadian all-rounder Dilpreet Bajwa was a standout performer for the Montreal Tigers. While he did not impress much with the ball, he scored 206 runs from six innings and was the second-highest run-getter as well. Dilpreet was brilliant with an average of 68.66, strike-rate of 144.05 while he also amassed an unbeaten hundred.
Marcus Stoinis, captain of the Surrey Jaguars, will also lead this side. Stoinis scored 139 runs from four innings, striking at 143.01. He also picked up six wickets and thus played a key role with both the bat and the ball.
Another key all-rounder in this side would be Romario Shepherd. He ended the tournament as the leading wicket-taker of the GT20 Canada 2024, grabbing 14 wickets from seven innings with an economy of 6.92. Shepherd was instrumental in Toronto's win, picking up a couple of wickets in the final as well.
Sunil Narine, with 10 wickets from five innings, would lead the spin attack. He is also known for his exploits with the bat and can come in handy as a floater when needed.
Bowlers: Kaleem Sana, Saad Bin Zafar, Akhil Kumar
Left-arm pacer Kaleem Sana picked up nine wickets for Montreal Tigers. He maintained an impressive economy rate of 5.06 throughout the season.
Saad Bin Zafar, his countryman from Canada, also put up a decent display, picking up six wickets with an economy rate of 4.18, keeping things tight for the batters.
22-year-old pacer Akhil Kumar completes this team. The right-arm quick bagged six wickets from seven innings with best figures of 3/31.
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