The Alberta Cricket Association experienced the practice of the 2024 National Men’s T20 Championship as a tumultuous event that was by turns exciting and frustrating to the extent that fans were riveted to their seats. The adventure from bizarre to remarkable only emphasized the heart and skill of Alberta’s summer cricket competition.
Match 1: Match abandoned due to wet ground conditions
The opening match took place on August 19, 2024, matched against Newfoundland. Unfortunately, as things go in sport, the match was abandoned due to wet ground conditions, which left everyone disappointed, both team’s players and supporters alike.
Match 2: Alberta Bounces Back
Alberta against Saskatchewan, which was a match of all-around superb performances. After Saskatchewan won the toss, Alberta batted first, scoring 149 runs for 6 wickets. Saskatchewan, in response, came undone for just 66 runs, handing Alberta an easy 83-run victory.
Writam Chatterjee was the standout player scoring 4 wickets for just 15 runs in 4 overs. Chatterjee’s sharp bowling contributed to the uprooting of Saskatchewan’s batting. Yasoob Haq starred with the bat as well, scoring an impressive 43 runs for 28 balls with four 6’s and one 4 to set up the win.
Match 3: Dominating Nova Scotia
The next opponent was Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia won the toss and decided to bat first. Short innings, 40 runs was not enough to pass. Alberta chased down the total and won the match by 10 wickets.
Bowler Kanwar Mann torched Nova Scotia for 4 wickets from just 8 runs over 4 overs of play. Rajeer Keerthiwardena contributed with the bat, scoring 22 runs from 21 balls with a wide of one six and three fours. Overall Alberta was able to have success with all players demonstrating their capability.
Match 4: A Close Loss
The contest against British Columbia (BC) was a tough contest. BC won the toss and batted first and scored 111 for the loss of 8 wickets. Although Alberta gave it their best efforts, they were able to make a solid score of only 99 all out and lost the match by 12 runs.
Man of the match for BC was Sukhjinder Singh with an outstanding performance of 5 wickets for only 21 runs in 4 / overs – including a maiden over. Uday Bhagwan Singh also assisted BC with 38 from 41 balls. The Alberta batsmen toiled at the run chase and it was a disappointment for them to lose the match so narrowly.
Semi-Final: The End of the Journey
With enough points to advance, Alberta’s semi-final match occurred against Ontario. In a cold and windy day, Ontario won the toss and put Alberta in first to bat. Alberta scored a soft total of 97 runs and too their credit, battled hard but Ontario reached the final total with 5 wickets to spare and Alberta moves on from this tournament.
The standout performer for Ontario was Meet Patel with 3 wickets for 24 runs in 4 overs. Parth Chaudhari endeavoured for Alberta with a score of 35 from 31 balls including two 6’s and a 4. Alberta’s batting innings were full of trials and tribulations, however, it proved that Alberta’s tournament was finished.
Captures Moments
Despite not advancing to the finals, Team Alberta showed significant growth throughout the tournament. They demonstrated resilience and adaptability, with notable performances from Parth Vyas, Rajeer Keerthiwardena, Writam Chatterjee and Kanwar Mann. The team’s ability to bounce back from losses and secure wins against tough opponents showcases their potential.
