BRAMPTON: Chris Lynn’s quickfire knock steered leaders Montreal Tigers to a convincing 23-run victory over Toronto Nationals in the rain-affected fixture of the GT20 Canada.
The heavy downpour here on Sunday, after resulting in the abandonment of the 16th GT20 fixture between home side Brampton Wolves and Mississauga Panthers, also affected the second duel of Sunday.
The wet outfield here at TD Cricket Arena forced a delayed start to the match, which was reduced to six overs per side.
After winning the toss, Toronto Nationals’ captain Hamza Tariq put table-toppers Montreal Tigers into bat first.
Openers Chris Lynn and Muhammad Waseem set the tone with a brisk 63-run partnership as the Tigers finished at 77/2 in six overs.
The opening duo baton charged Nationals’ bowlers before Faheem Ashraf drew a much-needed breakthrough for his side in the fifth over by dismissing Waseem.
He smashed one boundary and two sixes on his way to a 13-ball 24.
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Meanwhile, Chris Lynn stood his ground firm and carried his bat all the way through with an unbeaten 38. His 18-ball knock featured two boundaries and three sixes.
For the Nationals, only Faheem Ashraf could pick up a wicket.
Set to chase 78 in six overs, Nationals’ openers failed to imitate Lynn and Waseem as they found it difficult to score freely.
After failing to score big, opener Darren Bravo (15 off 15) opted to retire out at the end of the fourth over with just 36 runs on the board.
His opening pair JJ Smit (16 off nine) followed his footsteps, two balls later and also walked back to the pavilion.
Skipper Hamza Tariq and hard-hitting all-rounder Sikandar Raza, pairing for a mere eight deliveries, could not pull off a miracle as the Nationals succumbed to a 23-run defeat.
With a dominant 23-run victory, Montreal Tigers strengthened their grip on the top position in the GT20 standings while Toronto Nationals remained at fourth.
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