ROUND-UP
Follow UsThe 2024 edition of Global T20 Canada ended with the Toronto Nationals lifting the trophy despite finishing fourth on the points table. In a low-scoring final, the Colin Munro-led side defeated Montreal Tigers by eight wickets, chasing down the 97-run target in 15 overs.
How was this edition of the Global T20 Canada?
The low-scoring trend was seen throughout the tournament, as only in five games out of 25 did a team cross 160. Moreover, Brampton — the sole venue for the tournament — experienced a lot of rainfall during this period, and six games had to be abandoned.
All of this affected the tournament's quality overall, and the super over controversy during the Eliminator made things worse. The skipper of Bangla Tigers Mississauga, Shakib Al Hasan, didn’t agree to play a super over to decide the winner. The tournament organisers clarified that the rules had not been changed at the last moment despite the protests of Shakib and his teammates.
This ensured that Toronto Nationals, who had finished fourth on the points table with three wins, as many losses and one no result in their seven games, made to the finals and eventually lifted the cup.
Who were the top performers?
Batters
The Scottish left-handed opener Munsey had a stellar tournament for Brampton Wolves. The reverse sweep monster of Associate cricket batted in the middle order this season as David Warner and Aaron Johnson opened the innings for Brampton. Despite batting out of his usual position, he scored 218 runs at an average of 43.6 and a strike rate of 135.40. He carried the form he showed in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 into the tournament and was the key for Brampton with the bat in this edition.
Apart from Munsey, Bajwa impressed everyone this season with his batting. The Canadian all-rounder of Indian heritage scored 206 runs in the tournament at a stellar average of 68.66 and struck at 144.05 despite the low scoring rates throughout the tournament. When he scored 100 not out against Brampton Wolves in 55 balls, he became the only batter to score a century this edition.
Hobson, who plays for Western Australia most of the year, was the third-highest run scorer of the tournament despite batting lower down the order for Brampton. He scored 158 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 133.8.
Bowlers
The West Indian bowling allrounder was the tournament's highest wicket-taker with 14 wickets in just seven innings. In largely bowling-friendly and wet conditions, he proved hard to hit and gave only 6.92 runs/over on average. He also took a wicket every 10.64 deliveries in his spell. In fact, along with Jason Behrendorfd (3/8), he was the wrecker-in-chief for Toronto in the final and picked up two wickets for just 20 runs in his spell.
Siddique, who plays for UAE in international cricket, was stellar with his right-arm medium pace for Toronto. The Multan-born also picked 14 wickets, but he took an innings more than Shepherd. His bowling economy remained superb, as he gave only 7.53 runs/over in the tournament. Along with Shepherd and Behrendorff, he played a key role in Toronto winning the tournament.
The Australian left-arm seamer bowled a superb spell of 3/8 in four overs in the final and was the Player of the Match. He was also consistent throughout the tournament and picked 11 wickets in seven innings at an average of just 8.0 and an otherworldly economy of just 4.0.
How did the big guns perform?
David Warner - The Bull had a poor outing for Brampton Wolves in the league, scoring just 103 runs in seven innings at a strike rate of 127.16, with 44* being his highest score.
Shakib Al Hasan - You can understand how good was Shakib’s season from the fact that the biggest headline he made during the tournament involved a super over controversy. With the ball he was still decent, picking seven wickets in five innings, but he scored only 70 runs with the bat in six innings at a strike rate of 102.94.
Usman Khawaja - If Warner had a poor season, his Test opening partner Khawaja had an abysmal tournament. He scored just 74 runs, with a strike rate of 69.81 for Vancouver Knights. No wonder they got the wooden spoon this season.
Marcus Stoinis - Stoinis had a good season with the bat for Surrey Jaguars. He scored 133 runs in four innings at a strike rate of 143.01 and was the leading run-scorer for his side that finished second last on the table. With the ball in hand, he picked up six wickets at an average of 13.33.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz - The Afghan wicketkeeper failed to impress with the bat for Bengal Tigers Mississauga and scored only 115 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 133.72. More than half of his runs came in a single innings of 64(39), which he scored against Montreal.
Colin Munro - The Kiwi might return from the tournament as the winning captain but scored only 123 runs with the bat in eight innings at a strike rate of 129.47. He had no score of 50 plus in the season.
Sunil Narine - An alter ego of Narine the batter turned up for Surrey Jaguars as he scored just 21 runs in five innings. With the ball, he was dominant and picked 10 wickets in five innings at an average of 11.8 and an economy of 6.8.
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