Three sixes in final over send Montreal to Global T20 Canada final

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Published Aug 05, 2023  •  5 minute read

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From an entertainment standpoint, Saturday’s Global T20 Canada semifinal match was exactly what fans want from T20 cricket, a match where you have an idea who is going to win, only for that opinion to change about 40 times.

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So in a match like that, someone has to step up and provide the climax. And Sherfane Rutherford delivered for the Montreal Tigers in a big way, dramatically completing a run chase in the final over to send the Tigers to the championship match against the Surrey Jaguars on Sunday.

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Needing 15 runs in the final over and down to Montreal’s last wicket, Rutherford was at the strike facing Knights bowler Rayyan Pathan. Three mighty sixes later, his teammates rushed out of the pavilion to mob him.

“It was a bit nervy for me, especially batting needing 15 to win” the native of Guyana said. “The key for me was to keep batting and keep digging in deep because the more I bat, the more confidence I start to get.”

“I know they had to bowl Pathan and I was waiting for it. That was my matchup. But I was a bit nervous because there were nine wickets.”

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Rutherford’s knocks completed a 138-run chase for the Tigers, who sent the Knights to bat first. Vancouver’s openers gave the two-time finalists the early edge, with Mohammad Rizwan making 39 and Corwin Bosch making 36. At one point Vancouver was 90 for one. But then in the 13th over, Abbas Afridi struck in a big way.

His natural hat trick consisted of taking the wickets of Bosch, captain Rassie van der Dussen and Najibullah Zadran. To make things worse for Vancouver, the Tigers completed the grand slam when Aayan Khan got Rizwan out on the first ball of the next over. Suddenly, the score became 90 for five.

“That was the key for us,’ Rutherford said. “I think they were going to score more, about 150-160.”

“Getting those wickets early put a lot of pressure on the younger guys.”

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Afridi ended up with five wickets. But the Knights were bolstered at the end of their innings by Harsh Thaker. The Canadian made 26, including three boundaries and a six.

Unlike the Knights, the Tigers had difficulty getting anything going. Openers Muhammad Waseem and Chris Lynn were out for 13 and seven respectively. Srimantha Wijeyeratne was then dismissed for six.

Dipendra Airee had a decent innings, making 25, including two boundaries. Andre Russell made an appearance in the sixth partnership and after consecutive sixes, it looked like he would be the one to carry Montreal over the finish line. But that ended when he was bowled out by Reuben Trumpelmann.

With the final over looming, the Tigers lost both Aayan Khan and Kaleem Sana, setting the stage for Rutherford’s dramatics.

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Junaid Siddique again did much of the damage for Vancouver, taking four wickets. Bosch took two as did Fabian Allen. But it was the decision to bowl Panthan that van der Dussen faced questions about after.

“It was a collective decision,” he said. “He plays Rutherford quite well generally.”

“They’ve played together and against each other for years. Generally he’s quite tough to hit. He bowled very well in his first over but just unfortunately, it was all going to come down to that. We bowled him because we knew we needed to get Sherfane out. It was always a gamble.”

The loss ended Vancouver’s incredible run in this tournament. Champions in 2018, they lost in an extra over to the Winnipeg Hawks the following season.

“Now we have a win, a runner-up, and a third,” van der Dussen said.

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The Tigers face a Jaguars team that has won six consecutive matches since losing its first game to the Tigers at the start of the tournament.

Surrey Jaguars surge into final of Global T20 cricket tournament

Vancouver Knights eye spot in Global T20 Canada cricket final

Vancouver vs. Montreal

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