The fourth edition of the Global T20 in Canada is breathing its last breaths; however, rain has been plaguing the tournament without mercy lately. Just this week, as many as four games were washed out, two of which were play-off games. The first qualifier, which was to be played between Montreal Tigers and Brampton Wolves, was abandoned before the captains could come out for the toss. This saw the Montreal Tigers heading to the Eliminator against Bangla Tigers Mississauga since they occupied a higher position in the table than the Brampton-based team.
Even the Eliminator game was not spared from the rain’s wrath, with another washout seemingly on the cards. However, the script took an unexpected turn when Shakib Al Hasan’s team, the Bangla Tigers Mississauga, decided not to show up to play the one-over game as induced by the match officials to decide the winner. Shakib reportedly, did not come out for the toss to protest his dismay at the decision. As per the reports, the Bangla Tigers’ captain allegedly refused to accept the decision since his team had a higher standing in the table and was hoping to advance to the second qualifier based on that, in this case, where a game was not possible to be played because of the rain.
Since one of the captains thumbed the game down, the officials had no choice but to call off the game, awarding Toronto Nationals both the match and a place in the second qualifier.
This decision sparked a debate across the cricket world, forcing the league management to release a statement to defend their decision.
“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 7:10 pm. At the time for the toss, the Toronto Nationals captain was present, but the Bangla Tigers team refused to appear.”
The statement further said,
“The match referee explained the plausible consequences of the said action to the captain and thereafter, the umpire subsequently called off the match. 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.”
In International T20 games, at least a match of five overs per side is the threshold to get a result. In addition to that, the ICC does not allow inducing a super-over in case of a wash-out. For league cricket, however, such decisions are made under the light of the league’s own regulations.
Toronto Nationals seized the opportunity and defeated Brampton Wolves in the second qualifier. They then went on to triumph over Montreal Tigers in the final, securing their first-ever cup win.
It merits mention that fans and pundits have been criticizing the management of the T20 tournament during this season, which led to the washing out of six games in the 25-game tournament.
