Shakib Al Hasan's Bangla Tigers Mississauga refuse to play Super Over in GT20 Canada, get knocked out of tournament
A controversy erupted in GT20 Canada 2024 as Shakib Al Hasan's Bangla Tigers Mississauga were eliminated after they refused to play the Super Over in the Eliminator against Toronto Nationals. Subsequently, the organizers decided to award the match to Toronto Nationals.
Bangla Tigers Mississauga were scheduled to take on Toronto Nationals in the Eliminator of GT20 Canada 2024 at the CAA Centre in Brampton, Ontario on Saturday, August 10. However, the match could not be held due to weather conditions. It was then decided to pick the winner via a Super Over.
Bangla Tigers, however, refused to turn up for the Super Over. It may be noted that had the game been washout completely, Shakib's team would have progressed to Qualifier 2 based on finishing higher in the league table. However, following the Bangla Tigers' refusal to play the Super Over, the match was awarded to Toronto Nationals. They progressed to Qualifier 2, while Bangla Tigers were eliminated.
Releasing an official statement (as quoted by wisden.com) over the controversy, the organizers of GT20 Canada explained:
"The eliminator match of GT20 Canada Season 4 between the Mississauga Bangla Tigers and the Toronto Nationals was delayed due to rain. After repeated inspections, the umpires along with the match referee decided, going by the tournament regulations, that a super over would be played between the two teams at 7:30 pm with the toss to be held at 7:10pm."
"At the time for the toss, the Toronto Nationals captain was present, but the Bangla Tigers team refused to appear. The match referee explained the plausible consequences of the said action to the captain and thereafter the umpire subsequently called off the match," the official statement added.
"Based on the report of the match referee, the Tournament Technical Committee unanimously decided to award the match to the Toronto Nationals who advanced to play the Brampton Wolves in the second qualifier," the statement concluded.
Qualifier 1 of G20 Canada between Brampton Wolves and Montreal Tigers was also washed out. The Tigers progressed to the final based on finishing first in the points table.
Toronto Nationals beat Brampton Wolves by 5 wickets in Qualifier 2 of GT20 Canada 2024
Having advanced to Qualifier 2, Toronto Nationals defeated Brampton Wolves by five wickets to progress to the final of GT20 Canada 2024. Toronto Nationals won the toss and opted to bowl first in Qualifier 2. Romario Shepherd claimed four wickets as Brampton Wolves were held to 141-8.
Toronto Nationals chased the target in 18.2 overs as skipper Colin Munro top-scored with 36, while Mohammad Nawaz hit 27*. Toronto Nationals will take on Montreal Tigers in the final of GT20 Canada 2024 at the CAA Centre in Brampton, Ontario on Sunday, August 11.