Toronto Nationals vs Montreal Tigers, GBL T20 2023, Today Match Prediction 29 July 2023

TON vs MOT Match Prediction & Analysis

The number 3 team in the points table, Toronto Nationals will be taking on the second-placed Montreal Tigers in Brampton. This will be the first of the two consecutive head-to-head encounters between the two teams.

Montreal Tigers, following a hat-trick of wins, were humbled by the Brampton Wolves in the last match. In spite of some of the biggest T20 stars in their batting order, the Tigers failed to chase down 144 runs. 

Toronto Nationals, on the other hand, avoided a hat-trick of losses as their bowlers outplayed Mississauga Panthers, restricting them to 115-9 bowling first. As Colin Munro continued his batting form, the Nationals secured their second win of the season chasing down the target with 6 wickets in hand.

There are still many vulnerabilities in Toronto’s batting lineup as only Munro looks in good touch while others continue to fail to impress. The batting is in big trouble and if it was a bigger total, something over 165, Toronto Nationals would find themselves on the back foot.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Toronto Nationals Preview

The win must have come as a relief for the Toronto Nationals skipper Hamza Tariq who decided to bat at number 3 while promoting Nicholas Kriton to open the innings in his place.

Tariq was unbeaten on 25 off 21 deliveries at number 3 as the Nationals chased down the 116-run target. After struggling to score runs, this inning, though not very impressive, should give the skipper some confidence going ahead.

Nicholas Kirton is another crucial batsman in the top order but lacks consistency. He will play a key role along with the in-form Colin Munro as Toronto Nationals look to capitalize on the momentum and try to reach number 2 in the points table.

However, the real trouble for the Nationals starts from number 4 onward in their batting order. Gerard Erasmus, Amaan Kapoor, and JJ Smit haven’t made any significant contributions in the middle and lower order.

Once they are 4 down, Toronto Nationals would less likely bounce back and finish the innings on a high. The key to their win will once again be the bowling attack. Saad Bin Zafar, Fazalhaq Farooqi, and Farhan Malik have been consistent with the ball and will be the key players to watch out for.

Toronto Nationals Predicted Playing XI:

Hamza Tariq (c & wk), Colin Munro, Nicholas Kirton, Gerhard Erasmus, Armaan Kapoor, Faheem Ashraf, JJ Smit, Saad Bin Zafar, Zaman Khan, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Farhan Malik

Montreal Tigers Preview

Skipper Chris Lynn would be hoping for a quick turnaround after the recent loss against Brampton Wolves. Lynn has struggled to score runs since his fifty against Mississauga Panthers in the successful run chase. 

While the skipper will be eager to get back to scoring runs, he would also be expecting Shakib Al Hasan and Sherfane Rutherford to step up and strike partnerships in the middle order.

The bowlers continued their form as they bowled out the Panthers for just 143 runs bowling first in the last game. Carlos Brathwaite and Aayan Khan bagged 4 wickets each. 

There are also others who’ve made an impact with the ball like Kaleem Sana, Shakib Al Hasan, and Dipendra Singh, it is only Brathwaite who’s been really consistent.

In the batting lineup, it’s not just Lynn who’s struggling to score runs in the top order. Muhammad Waseem hasn’t reached double digits in his last 3 outings.

Shakib Al Hasan holds the key to the middle-order batting at number 3 and will be the most crucial batsman for Montreal Tigers. There’s Dilpreet Singh at 4 who got a few good starts but hasn’t converted them into anything significant. However, there’s Carlos Brathwaite in the lower order who’s known to be a match finisher and will be one to watch out for.

Montreal Tigers Predicted Playing XI:

Chris Lynn (c), Muhammad Waseem, Shakib Al Hasan, Sherfane Rutherford, Dipendra Singh Airee, Dilpreet Singh, Carlos Brathwaite, Aayan Afzal Khan, Srimantha Wijeratne (wk), Abbas Afridi, Kaleem Sana

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The pitch is a balanced one but has been on the slower side in the recent matches. Batters are struggling to score big and the bowlers are enjoying their time on this surface. There would be scattered thunderstorms on the match day with a high of 24 degrees Celsius.

TON vs MOT Pitch Report

This will be the 14th match of GT20 Canada to be played at the CAA Centre in Brampton. The two teams will meet again on this ground on the very next day. Though the average 1st innings score at this venue is over 160 runs, the recent matches saw teams batting first finish with much less. Chasing a 170-run target would be a big ask for both teams and anything around that would be a match-winning score.

Toss: To Bowl

Montreal Tigers won 3 consecutive matches bowling first before failing to chase in the last game. Bowling first would be their preferred choice on winning the toss. Toronto Nationals, with an in-form bowling attack, will also prefer to bowl first and put the Tigers on the backfoot with early wickets of their out-of-form openers.