Global T20 Canada, CWI B Team vs Montreal Tigers, 16th Match, Round 2: 5 Talking Points

The round two of the Global T20 Canada got underway as the table toppers CWI B Team squared off against the bottom-placed Montreal Tigers. After winning the toss, MNT skipper Lasith Malinga inserted CWIB into bat first.

Malinga led from the front as he provided the early breakthrough before Sandeep Lamichhane’s spell of 3/31 helped the Tigers restrict CWIB to 162. Shamar Springer top-scored with a fluent and good-looking 62 and he was the one who held the innings together.

Sunil Narine then came and scored a blistering 61 and almost killed the chase. Moises Henriques, Sikandar Raza and Najibullah Zadran contributed as the Tigers won their second game and ended the season on a positive note.

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#5 Lasith Malinga once again gets an early wicket and continues his good form

Once again in this game, Malinga was at the top of his game. The 34-year-old Sri Lankan great got rid of Sherfane Rutherford in the first over. It was a quick, fast yorker and Rutherford was late in getting his bat down as he saw his off-stump knocked out. Malinga had once again given the Tigers an early wicket.

The Tigers’ skipper also came back and finished the innings well as he gave away just 10 runs in his final two overs to end with figures of 1/22. It’s been more than 10 months since Lasith Malinga last played an international game for Sri Lanka. However, in this Global T20 Canada tournament, he's been at the top of his game.

He has led the Montreal Tigers from the front and has been the pick of the bowlers for his team. The Sri Lankan fast bowler has taken early wickets, controlled the run flow and has been quite effective at the death as well.

#4 Sandeep Lamichhane’s spell

The 17-year-old leg-spinner from Nepal, Sandeep Lamichhane has made all the right noises so far in his short career. He has developed a happy knack of picking up wickets and that too at crucial junctures. He might go for a few runs but he is a big wicket-taking option.

After playing the IPL earlier this, Lamichhane has been fairly consistent in this tournament. He has picked up a wicket in every game he has played. However, in this second round game, he produced his best performance of the series as he took 3/31.

He came onto bowl in the 3rd over of the innings and after getting hit for 3 consecutive fours, he got the big wicket of Brandon King who was looking very good. He then dismissed Nicholas Pooran and Shamar Springer in his last two overs as he helped the Tigers gain control of the innings. He bowled really well and foxed most of the Windies batsmen as he finished his four-over spell with 3/31

#3 Shamar Springer’s top scores with 62 as CWIB manage 162

Shamar Springer was CWI B Team’s hero in their first when he won the game against the Tigers. He had scored an unbeaten 27 then and today he top scored against the same opposition.

Opening the batting, he lost his opening partner early and then saw Brandon King strike a few lusty blows before taking centre stage. He made 62 in 40 balls as his knock put the table-toppers in a good stead. He hit 7 fours and 3 sixes in his innings as he shared a crucial 72-run partnership with Nicholas Pooran for the third wicket.

He played the situation brilliantly and was eventually dismissed by Tigers’ best bowler Sandeep Lamichhane as he tried to hoick one over long-off. Springer was dismissed in the 15th over and after his dismissal, CWIB could score just 41 runs and finally ended up with 162 in their 20 overs as none of the other batsmen could get substantial scores.

#2 Sunil Narine’s blazing 61

Sunil Narine has been getting starts throughout this competition. But he hadn't crossed the 30-run mark in this tournament even once.

However, in what turned out to be the Tigers’ last game of the tournament, he scored a superb 25-ball 61 helping his team get off to a flying start. In his 25-ball knock, the West Indian spinner-cum opener smashed 9 sixes and had just one four.

Narine thumped one over the mid-wicket boundary in the first over to get going. By the end of the 5th over, Narine had reached 29 in 16 balls before he went berserk in the final over of the powerplay. He thrashed Derval Green for 4 back-to-back sixes and brought up his fifty in style (in 21 balls). He was eventually dismissed for 61, but the damage had already been done. He set it up for the middle-order to walk in and get the job done.

#1 Montreal Tigers end the tournament on a high

Chasing 163, the Tigers needed to hunt the target down in 12.5 overs so that their net run rate would move into the positive. However, even that wouldn’t have been enough for them to have a chance to qualify for the playoffs. Hence, after the blistering start from Narine, MNT slowed down but more importantly won the game with 15 balls to spare.

Narine and George Worker were dismissed in the 8th over but Moises Henriques and Sikandar Raza steadied the ship and shared a 38-run stand before Najibullah Zadran walked in and finished things off with a 12-ball 29.

It was just the second win for the Tigers and they finished the season on a high.