BRAMPTON: Logan van Beek returned scintillating figures of 4/12 before Aaron Johnson’s unbeaten 48 led Brampton Wolves to a dominant 52-run victory over Mississauga Panthers in the rain-affected opening match of GT20 Canada.
Wolves were a massive 52 runs ahead of the target as per the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method when the downpour started.
The home side, set to chase a meagre 122, showcased brilliance with the bat as they raised 99/1 in nine overs.
Wolves’ opener Johnson was their hero with the bat as he scored an unbeaten 48. He conceded just 26 balls and smashed five boundaries and three sixes.
New Zealand international Mark Chapman played a supportive role with an unbeaten 30 off 22 deliveries. His knock featured three boundaries and a six.
The hosts had a contrasting start to their pursuit when their opener Usman Khan (12 off six) perished in the second over with just 23 runs on the scoreboard.
Zahoor Khan could pick a lone wicket for the Mississauga Panthers.
Put into bat first, the Panthers’ batting lineup faltered and could only accumulate a paltry 121 despite Azam Khan’s half-century.
Click to watch GT20 Canada Live on ARY ZAP
The visitors got off to a poor start to their innings as they lost three wickets for a mere 23 runs in the fifth over.
Coming out to bat at number five was wicketkeeper batter, Azam Khan, who attempted to anchor the innings by putting on a vital 57-run partnership with Navneet Dhaliwal, who scored 29 off 32.
Dhaliwal’s dismissal triggered another collapse in the Panthers’ batting lineup and their mainstay Azam Khan also fell victim to it.
He waged a lone battle for the Panthers with 65 off 55 deliveries, laced with five boundaries and three sixes.
Besides Azam and Dhaliwal, only Chris Gayle (10) could make it to the double figures while the rest remained clueless against the Wolves’ bowling attack.
With a resounding 52-run victory, Wolves got the behold of the top spot in the ongoing GT20 while Panthers sank to the bottom.
READ: Pakistan squad reaches Colombo for second Sri Lanka Test