3 player battles to watch out for in GT20 Canada final between Montreal Tigers and Toronto Nationals ft. Chris Lynn vs. Jason Behrendorff
Montreal Tigers are all set to lock horns with Toronto Nationals in the final of the 2024 GT20 Canada on Sunday (August 11) at CAA Centre, Brampton. The Tigers will look to defend their crown, which they won by beating the Surrey Jaguars last year.
This time, the Chris Lynn-led side stood first on the points table in the group stage with four victories, one loss, and two no-result games in seven appearances. Their Qualifier 1 game against Brampton Wolves was abandoned due to incessant rain, and they progressed to the summit clash due to their higher position on the points table.
Meanwhile, the Nationals secured three victories and as many losses, while one game was washed out, as they managed to finish fourth in the standings and qualified for the playoffs.
In their Eliminator game, Bangla Tigers Mississauga refused to play a super over after the rain delay, as the Nationals received a walkover. Then, the Colin Munro-led team prevailed by five wickets over the Wolves in the Qualifier 2 to reach the final.
On that note, let's take a look at three player battles which could make up for an interesting match-up in the GT20 final.
3 player battles to watch out for in GT20 Canada final
#1 Chris Lynn vs Jason Behrendorff
Explosive opening batter Chris Lynn has had a disastrous GT20 2024 season, as opposed to last year, where he emerged as the leading run-getter. The right-handed batter has scored only 24 runs in five innings and will need to be at his very best to help the team defend their title.
However, the major resistance to him will be posed by Toronto Nationals pacer Jason Behrendorff, who dismissed him for a golden duck earlier this month. He bowled a peach of a delivery to induce an edge of Lynn, who was caught by the wicketkeeper.
Behrendorff has been in impressive form, taking eight wickets in six games at an exceptional economy of 6.44. So, it will be interesting to see who wins the battle among the veteran Aussie players.
#2 Colin Munro vs Azmatullah Omarzai
The Nationals skipper Colin Munro has garnered 123 runs in seven innings at an average of around 18 and a strike rate of over 130. Nevertheless, he is coming off a match-winning innings of 36 off 20, which helped the team to seal the finale spot.
However, in his previous meeting against the Tigers, his innings was cut short by a terrific delivery from Azmatullah Omarzai. The right-arm pacer extracted a little seam movement from his good length ball which also kept low, and breached the defense of Munro on 1 off 2. Omarzai is in good form in the tournament, grabbing 10 wickets in five games.
With both players expected to face each other in the powerplay overs, it remains to be seen who comes out on top and helps his team prevail at the end.
#3 Romario Shepherd vs Dilpreet Bajwa
Another interesting battle could be witnessed between Romario Shepherd and Dilpreet Bajwa.
Nationals pacer Shepherd is the second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 12 wickets in six innings. Meanwhile, Bajwa is the second-highest run-scorer with 206 runs in six appearances at an average of 68.66, and a top knock of 100*.
The Tigers will need a good start from Bajwa, while an early breakthrough from Shepherd will be vital for the Nationals, which makes up for an interesting watch.