BRAMPTON: Colin Munro played a berserk 78-run knock before a sensational last over by Zaman Khan led Toronto Nationals to a narrow nine-run victory over Vancouver Knights in a rain-affected second fixture of Global T20 (GT20).
The Nationals piled up a massive total of 151/3 in the first innings — reduced to 15 overs due to the rain interruption — at the back of a swashbuckling half-century by Munro, followed by Shahid Afridi’s fireworks.
The Nationals had a contrasting start to their innings as their skipper Hamza Tariq perished cheaply (seven off eight) with his side at 26/1 in the third over.
Following the early blow, Munro baton charged Knights’ bowlers amid his 76-run partnership with Nicholas Kirton.
The New Zealand opener dominated the second-wicket partnership with belligerent hitting while Kirton rotated the strike on his way to a 21-ball 22 before Reeza Hendricks got rid of him in the 11th over.
Joining Munro at the crease, Shahid Afridi turned back time and played in his trademark style and added further to the misery of the Knights’ bowlers with a brisk cameo.
He smashed two boundaries and two sixes on his way to a 12-ball 23, which lasted in the penultimate over.
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Munro, on the other hand, carried his bat all the way through and top-scored for the Nationals. His 45-ball 78 featured six boundaries and six sixes.
For the Knights, Reeza Hendricks, Nawab Singh and Corbin Bosch could pick up a wicket.
Set to chase 153, the Knights fell just nine runs short of the victory as they could accumulate 142/4 despite skipper Rassie van der Dussen’s half-century.
Knights’ captain van der Dussen played a fighting 51-run knock from 24 balls and kept his side in the hunt.
He, however, could not muscle his side over the line, courtesy of an exceptional final over by Zaman Khan, who successfully defended 13 runs off it, leaking just three runs.
Zaman Khan also brought curtains on Dussen’s gutsy knock on the final delivery and scripted a thrilling victory for the Nationals.
The victory marked Toronto Nationals’ first in the ongoing GT20 and lifted them to claim the third spot in the standings.