5 October, 2023
By Tony McWatt
The Canadian ICC 2024 T20 World Cup Qualification juggernaut gathered further momentum with a massive 166run victory over Cayman Islands in their second-leg return fixture at the Bermuda hosted Americas Qualifier. Batting first the Canadians posted 196/5 in their 20 overs. Cayman Islands in reply were skittled out for 30 in just 11.3 overs.
The massive margin victory, their second in succession and immediately following the previous day 163run mauling of Panama, placed the Canadians firmly at the top of the tournament points table with six points from 4 matches played. With a superior net run rate of 4.388, the win also catapulted the Canadians ahead of their Bermudian hosts who with an equal number of points and a game in hand were boasting a net run rate of only 3.189. The stage has also now been seemingly set for the winner to emerge as tournament champions and secure the available 2024 ICC T20 World Cup qualification spot when the two teams, Bermuda and Canada, clash on Saturday, October 7 in their second leg encounter.
Canada’s posted twenty-over 196/5 was built on the foundation 0f a reputation restoarati0n half-century from their number three batter Pargat Singh. With scores of 9, 0 and 3 in his first three tournament innings, Singh’s place in the side may have been in serious jeopardy. He firmly squashed any such doubts, however, with a superlative 82 made from 60 balls and including two sixes and seven fours.
Singh had entered proceedings following the early loss of the previous day’s unbeaten centurion Aaron Johnson, for only three off the fifth ball of the very first over. Johnson was caught by Patrick Heron to become the first of the Cayman Islands’ opening bowler Conroy Wright’s two victims in the innings. Wright would later, eventually, also claim the prize scalp of Singh on 82, eighteen runs short of what would have been a most deserved and much welcomed century.
Before his departure as the fourth wicket to fall in the innings, Singh featured in two significant partnerships, The first was with Navneet Dhaliwal who contributed 29 as the two added 75 for the second wicket. 79/2-11.3 overs, however, very quickly became 91/3-13.1, when Harsh Thaker was senselessly run out for 5.
Nicholas Kirton, in at number five, was delightfully aggressive in scoring 32 from just 15 balls with two sixes and an equal number of fours. He and Singh added 45 in partnership for the fifth wicket.
Following Singh’s departure at 136/4-16.6, Dillon Heyliger again provided some late innings pyrotechnics with a quickfire 19, made from just 6 balls and including two sixes and one four. He was well matched by Nikhil Dutta, whose fourball 17 featured two sixes and one four. The pair added 24, eventually not much needed, runs off the last five deliveries of the twentieth and final over. For the Cayman Islands, Convoy Wright finished with the best figures of 2/38-4. left
Chasing 197 for victory, Cayman Islands’ batters proved to be utterly clueless against Kaleem Sana’s unerringly accurate and pacy left arm seam bowling. Sana dispatched both Cayman Island openers in his first two overs. First he had Akshay Naidoo lbw without scoring off his fourth ball, then off the fifth in his second over he trapped Patrick Heron in identical fashion and for the exact score, or rather more accurately no-score!
Cayman’s precarious 2/8 after 2.5 quickly worsened to 3/12-3.6, with Harsh Thaker getting the better of Ramon Sealy the captain, caught by Johnson after scoring only 5. Sana then clean bowled Omar Willis for his third zero score victim, and Thaker too joined the duck-hunting party by having Brian Corbin castled without scoring.
5/17-5.3 deteriorated even further with the further losses of Romeo Dunka, caught by skipper Saad Zafar off Nikhil Dutta’s off-spin for 4, and the unnecessary run out of Alistair Ifill, who was found short of his crease by Navi Dhaliwal’s pinpoint accurate direct wicket-hitting throw.
Sana claimed his fourth victim by trapping Conroy Wright lbw for 4. In-between Dutta captured his second then third; first Alessandro Morris lbw for the sixth duck of the innings then, finally, Kevon Basil bowled for 1, to end proceedings with Cayman Islands all out for 30 in 11.3 overs.
Sana finished with 4/18-4 to take his tournament wickets tally to 13, while Dutta’s figures were incredibly 3/0-1.3. Harsh Thaker also chipped in with 2/5-4.
Summarized Scores:
Canada 196/5-20 Ovrs. P Singh 82, N Kirton 32, N Dhaliwal 29. C Wright 4/38-2.
Cayman Islands 30/10-11.3 Ovrs. K Sana 4/18-4, N Dutta 3/0-1.3, H Thaker 2/5-4.
Canada won by 166 runs.
