The second match of the GT20 Canada 2023 saw Vancouver Knights (VK) lock horns with Toronto Nationals (TOR) at the CAA Centre on July 21. TOR emerged victorious in the rain-reduced 15 overs game by nine runs.
Asked to bat first, the Toronto-based team posted a competitive total of 151/3 in the allotted 15 overs. Colin Munro shined with the bat for TOR, smashing quickfire 78 runs off 45 balls supported by six fours and as many maximums. Shahid Afridi also contributed fiery 23 runs off 12 deliveries to the team’s total. Among VK bowlers, Nawab Singh, Corbin Bosch and Reeza Hendricks picked up a wicket each.
In reply, the Vancouver-based side faced an early setback in the form of Hendricks (1). However, they bounced back well, with Fakhar Zaman scoring a decent 36 runs off 24 balls and Vriitya Aravind hammering 31 runs off 19 balls.
Aravind smashed three fours and two sixes during his cameo knock, displaying an array of shots that left the spectators in awe. The 21-year-old cricketer executed a few brilliant strokes featuring the famous helicopter shot, a reverse scoop and much more. The video of the same was shared by GT20 Canada on their official Twitter handle.
“Vriitya Aravind displaying some exceptional skills, shades of the Helicopter shot and 360-degree style,” GT20 Canada captioned the clip.
Here’s the video:
Vriitya Aravind displaying some exceptional skills, shades of the Helicopter shot and 360-degree style 🤩#GT20Canada #GT20Season3 #GlobalT20 #CricketsNorth #VKvTN pic.twitter.com/V5we6v3PGo
— GT20 Canada (@GT20Canada) July 21, 2023
Coming back to the match, the stand between Zaman and Aravind was soon broken by the TOR bowlers pushing the team on the back foot. Although Rassie van der Dussen scored a sensational 24-ball 51 runs and tried his best to shift the match in VK’s favour, he failed to get his team across the line. Vancouver eventually lost the rain-affected contest by nine runs. Gerhard Erasmus was the most successful bowler for Toronto, bagging two scalps for his side.
Munro was adjudged ‘Player of the Match’ for his exceptional batting performance.
