The 2024 National Men’s T20 Championship was a roller coaster of excitement with fireworks of brilliance and tough lessons for the Saskatchewan Cricket Association. The team from Saskatchewan had their ups and downs, probably; they had their way from the excitement of a well-fought victory to the sting of challenging defeats. Let’s take a closer look into their progress throughout this championship.
Match 1: Nova Scotia vs Saskatchewan-A Rainy Start
Having started the tournament on a mashed note, the first game of Saskatchewan was against Nova Scotia on August 19, 2024. The sad thing was that this game needed to be abandoned because of the wet conditions of the ground. It was an irritating start for the team that came all its way just to give a good account of itself but instead had to look forward to the next chance when it could display its prowess on the field.
Match 2: Alberta vs Saskatchewan – A Hard Fight
The next challenge was against Alberta for Saskatchewan. Called to bat second by winning the toss, Saskatchewan would hope to set a reachable target. Alberta made 149 runs, losing 6 wickets in their innings. Unfortunately, Saskatchewan had a below-par batting performance, managing only 66 runs with the loss of 9 wickets. In the end, Alberta won by 83 runs.
Stars for Alberta were Writam Chatterjee, who ran riot with the ball, taking 4 wickets for 15 runs, while Yasoob Haq went berserk with the bat, scoring 43 runs off 28 balls with four sixes and a boundary. The batters of Saskatchewan were throttled by the precision of Chatterjee and the aggressive innings of Haq.
Match 3: Saskatchewan vs BC
BC won the toss and elected to field in the third match of Saskatchewan, who posted a decent total of 135/6 which was easily chased down by BC, achieving 139/2 and winning the game by 8 wickets.
BC’s victory came after the performance of Uday Bhagwan Singh, who scalped 2 victims for 21 runs in his 4-over quota and a fine 52-run knock from 44 balls, laced with one six and five boundaries from Mansab Gill. Sahil Chaudhari was the top scorer for Saskatchewan, making a gallant knock of 55 runs from 57 balls, studded with two maximums and four boundaries, which was all in vain.
Match 4: Saskatchewan v Newfoundland and Labrador – Thumping Finish
Saskatchewan opted to fight first in their final game against Newfoundland and Labrador. They made a highly competitive score board of 153 runs losing 3 wickets. Newfoundland and Labrador failed to fight it out during the run chase and lost the plot to Saskatchewan by a thumping margin of 78 runs getting all out after contributing 75 runs towards their total.
The most economical bowler in the match was Rishi Vashisht, who bowled and claimed up to 3 wickets while giving away only 16 runs. Among other prominent players, there was Pushpit Sharma, who exhibited 78 runs from 59 deliveries, studded with 1 six and 6 boundaries. This victory was a psychological booster for the team, indicating that it could do greater things.
Despite not advancing to the semi-finals, Team Saskatchewan showed significant growth throughout the tournament. They demonstrated resilience and adaptability, with notable performances in their wins against Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador.
