BRAMPTON: Sherfane Rutherford’s swashbuckling 84-run knock propelled Montreal Tigers to the top of the GT20 standings with a resounding six-wicket victory over Vancouver Knights on Tuesday.
Put into bat first, Vancouver Knights could only raise 149/4 in the allotted 20 overs despite Fakhar Zaman’s 73.
The Knights got off to a poor start to their innings as they lost Rayyan Pathan (6) cheaply with just 18 runs on the board in two overs.
Harsh Thaker (9 off 17) joined Fakhar Zaman in the middle and anchored the innings with a gritty 50-run partnership which ended with the former’s dismissal in the 10th over.
The pair, however, remained a touch slow as they conceded 44 runs in the process.
Fakhar Zaman then stitched another crucial partnership for the Knights, with captain Rassie van der Dussen, before finally perishing in the 16th over.
He top-scored for the Knights with a brisk half-century. His 53-ball 73 featured seven boundaries and three sixes.
Fakhar’s dismissal halted the flow of the runs for the Knights and their captain van der Dussen also perished a couple of overs later after a failed desperate attempt to hit big.
He scored a cautious 23-ball 26, hitting three boundaries.
Following his departure, Najibullah Zadran (8 off 13) and Corbin Bosch (12 off eight) found it difficult to score freely at the death as Montreal Tigers’ bowling attack did well to restrict them to 149/4.
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Set to chase 150, the Tigers accumulated 153/4 in 18.1 overs at the back of Sherfane Rutherford’s quickfire knock.
The Tigers had a contrasting start to their pursuit as they lost three quick wickets with just 21 runs on the board inside three overs.
Following the slump, Dilpreet Singh attempted to anchor the innings and put on a vital 46-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Rutherford before getting run out in the ninth over.
He could score a run-a-ball 21, laced with two boundaries.
Following his dismissal, Rutherford launched a counterattack on the Knights’ bowlers with belligerent hitting and muscled his side over the line.
A fine exhibition of Power and Elegance 🙌#GT20Canada #GT20Season3 #GlobalT20 #CricketsNorth #VKvMT pic.twitter.com/pDPNGVr8QL
— GT20 Canada (@GT20Canada) July 26, 2023
He put on a match-winning 86-run partnership with Dipendra Singh Airee, who could add a mere 22 runs off as many deliveries amid the stand.
Rutherford, on the other hand, carried his bat all the way through and remained unbeaten with a blistering 53-ball 84 which featured seven boundaries and six sixes.
The six-wicket victory propelled Montreal Tigers to pip Brampton Wolves and claim the top spot in the GT20 standings. They are unbeaten so far in the ongoing extravaganza.
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