Montreal Tigers storm past Surrey Jaguars to claim GT20 Canada cricket championship

The Montreal Tigers were crowned champions of the 2023 Global T20 Canada cricket tournament after defeating the Surrey Jaguars by five wickets in Sunday’s final at a packed TD Cricket Arena in Brampton, Ont.

Jamaican star Andre Russell provided late-match heroics for Montreal in the final over, hitting the match-winning six on the last ball with the target set at 131 runs. The Tigers needed 13 runs off the final six deliveries.

“I hope everyone in Canada was watching that because that’s what we’re about, that’s why we’re here, to entertain and put on a show,” said Tigers captain Chris Lynn of Australia.

Sherfane Rutherford was also instrumental in the win, stepping up when it mattered most for the second straight match. He hit the ball to the boundary for four runs before launching a pair of sixes over the stands, which were filled with cheering Tigers fans.

The 24-year-old from the West Indies played hero on Saturday, hitting three straight sixes to lift Montreal over the Vancouver Knights to reach the final.

“That’s why they’re here; they’re big-game players,” Lynn said of Rutherford and Russell.

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Russell finished the match with 20 runs on just six balls, while Rutherford had 38 runs on 29 balls. Lynn added 31 runs on 35 balls, including a six of his own.

The third edition of the six-team tournament consisted of 25 matches in Brampton over 17 days, with Montreal claiming its first-ever title. Vancouver won the tournament in 2018, followed by the now-defunct Winnipeg Hawks in 2019. The 2023 edition also featured the Toronto Nationals, Brampton Wolves and Mississauga Panthers.

Jatinder Singh led the way for Surrey, which had won six straight matches. The 34-year-old Oman batsman hit a match-high 56 runs on 57 balls.

While the Tigers gave up three wides and a leg before wicket, the Jaguars surrendered two of each as they failed to defend their 130 runs.

Russell was among several marquee international cricketers competing in Brampton, with Shoaib Malik (Brampton), Harbhajan Singh (Brampton), Shahid Afridi (Toronto) and Chris Gayle (Mississauga) also taking part.

There were 36 Canadian players in the tournament, giving them a chance to shine alongside their cricket heroes in front of a global audience.

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