Toronto Nationals overcame Vancouver Knights by eight wickets in the opening match of the Global T20 Canada 2024 season in Brampton on Thursday, July 25.
The outcome enabled the Toronto Nationals to claim the top spot on the Global T20 Canada points table with a formidable NRR of 2.068. As of now, Vancouver Knights are ranked second on the six-team standings owing to their huge defeat.
Brampton Wolves, Mississauga Panthers, Montreal Tigers and Surrey Jaguars are yet to launch their respective campaigns in the tournament.
Junaid Siddiqui and Colin Munro flatten Vancouver Knights in Global T20 Canada 2024 opener
After winning the toss and electing to field first, Toronto Nationals fast bowler Jason Behrendorff dismissed rival captain and opening batter Usman Khawaja for three off 10 balls.
While Reeza Hendricks and Munir Ahmed added some stability to the Knights innings with a 40-run partnership, Junaid Siddiqui’s three-wicket burst and Saad Bin Zafar’s double-strike tilted the tide back in Toronto Nationals' favour.
Siddiqui eventually bagged figures of 4/25 while Zafar and Muhammad Rohid claimed two wickets each to restrict the Vancouver Knights to 110.
Chasing 111, Toronto Nationals captain Colin Munro shared a 41-run partnership with wicketkeeper-batter Unmukt Chand. While Chand was caught plumb in front by Sandeep Lamichhane for a run-a-ball 23, Munro unfurled the innings of the match with a calculated 44-run knock from 39 balls.
Soon after Paul van Meekeren dismissed Munro, Rassie van der Dussen and Nicholas Kirton scored the remaining runs to steer the Toronto Nationals to an eight-wicket win with more than five overs to spare. Rassie launched a boundary and three huge sixes towards the closing stages of the run-chase while Kirton nudged around four unbeaten runs from nine deliveries.
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