The two matches between the neighbours were expected to be crackers in the ongoing ICC World T20 Americas “A” qualifiers, and the first one between USA and Canada lived completely up to it’s billing, as it got tied at the end of the stipulated 20 overs of play at the same total with same number of wickets lost for both and then got decided in the super-over, which Canada won eventually to get home with the win. But, USA are closing in and definitely, the “gap” is not much anymore.
Even the super-over went right down to the wire, with Canada ever so closely edging out their perennial opponents by the thinnest of margins (i.e a single run). After both the teams were tied at the same total of 140 at the end of the regulatory 20 overs, Canada made 16 runs in their super-over and restricted USA to 15 to win the nerve-chilling hell-breaker of a game. Can’t wait now for their 2nd match in the tournament.
Both Canada and USA did not lose any wicket in their super-over and while Canada’s Navneet Dhaliwal and Rizwan Cheema’s efforts read 6,4,1,1,Wide,1 & b2 to reach 16, USA’s Jaskaran Malhotra and Steven Taylor managed to get 1,6,0,lb1,2 & 4 to eventually reach 15, when 5 were needed off the final ball to again tie the score or a maximum to win the game. The third ball of the over by Cecil Pervez being a golden dot-ball proved to be the difference.
Canada thus take the lead in the points table after the conclusion of the first round of double round-robin format for the Americas “A” qualifiers, also involving Belize and Panama, after both Canada and USA posted comprehensive victories over both of them in the first two rounds of matches.
Elsewhere, Belize broker their duck in the tournament after registering a 12-runs victory over Panama in their final group match of the first round of matches. Defending a paltry 104/5 set by themselves in their 20 overs, Belize bowlers struck at regular intervals to bowl out Panama for only 92 runs to set-up the win. What was a bizarre incident was when Belize’s opener Howell Gillett retired out after struggling throughout his 23-ball innings, making only 8 runs in the process.
Brief Scores:
USA 140/8 in 20 overs (Sunny Sohal 38, Steven Taylor 24, Elmore Hutchinson 21, Saurabh Netravalkar 12 n.o, Nitish Kumar 3/6, Romesh Don 2/39, Cecil Pervez 1/26) tied with Canada 140/8 in 20 overs (Rizwan Cheema 32 n.o, Navneet Dhaliwal 29, Nitish Kumar 23, Nikhil Dutta 22, Steven Taylor 2/2, Elmore Hutchinson 2/23, Saurabh Netravalkar 1/20, Roy Silva 1/22)
Canada (16 runs) won the super-over over USA (15 runs) by 1 run
Belize 104/5 in 20 overs (Aaron Muslar 30, Kenton Young 19, Herbert Banner 16 n.o, Irfan Hafejee 1/12, Kengarbhai Ahir 1/20) beat Panama 92 all out in 17.4 overs (Mahmud Jasat 16, Soyeb Chohan 13, Irfan Hafejee 12, Francis Sutherland 3/27, Jonathan Benjamin 2/16, Herbert Banner 2/16) by 12 runs
