Canada cricket captain Saad Bin Zafar is shown in this handout image provided by Cricket Canada. Canada playing Bermuda today in Hamilton, Bermuda, with a berth in the in the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup at stake. THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Cricket Canada **MANDATORY CREDIT**

HAMILTON, Bermuda - Canada is headed to the ICC Men's T20 World Cup for the first time ever after defeating Bermuda by 39 runs Saturday.

Canada won the toss and elected to bat first at the National Sports Centre. Each team was restricted to 18 overs, down from 20, due to the delayed start and weather conditions

The Canadian batsmen finished strongly with Nicholas Kirton sparking a 20-run final over for a total of 132 runs for four wickets. Opener Navneet Dhaliwal led Canada with 45 runs.

Bermuda's batsmen had no answer for Kaleem Sana's accuracy and Jeremy Gordon's pace, all out for 93 in the 17th over. Both bowlers took three wickets with Bermuda's lower order crumbling from 85 for five to 93 all out.

The Canadians failed to qualify for the eight previous editions of the T20 World Cup, which has expanded to 20 teams in 2024 when it will be co-hosted by the West Indies and U.S.

Canada, Bermuda, the Cayman Islands and Panama were competing in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup Americas Region Final, a double round-robin format, for a berth in the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Canada and Bermuda both finished with 4-1-0 records with one no-result. But Canada, which lost to Bermuda by 86 runs in its opening match, won the tournament by a superior net run rate (3.98 to 2.41).

"A lot of cricketing gurus here wrote us off after the first day but I believe God could not have written a more dramatic script for us," said Canada captain Saad Bin Zafar, before hoisting the tournament trophy surrounded by his teammates.

"He tested our patience and self-belief but we kept a positive mindset throughout the tournament … Every day was a fight after that for every run, because we were chasing that run rate

"It's our dream to play in a World Cup," he added.

Sana was named player of the match after taking his three wickets at the expense of just four runs. He was also named bowler of the tournament after taking 15 wickets in total.

"I can't describe my feelings right now," Sana said after receiving his reward.

Bermuda's Kamau Leverock was named both the tournament's top batsman, with 233 runs, and MVP

The Cayman Islands (1-3-0 with two no results) finished third and Panama (0-4-0 with two no results) fourth after their early match Saturday was called off.

Both matches Friday — Canada against Panama and Bermuda against the Cayman Islands — were cancelled due to inclement weather. Tropical Storm Philippe lashed Bermuda with heavy rains and winds before being downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone Friday as it churned northward toward Atlantic Canada and New England.

The cancellations set up the tournament decider between Canada and Bermuda.

Play was delayed an hour Saturday due to morning showers. And when play resumed, the cricketers had to deal with high winds.

The wind was such that if a fielder's cap came off, they had to chase it. Only 40 of Canada's runs came in the nine overs playing against the wind.

Canadian opener Aaron Johnson was the first to go, caught by Dominic Sabir at 15 in the fifth over with Canada having 28 runs on the board. Pargat Singh followed in the 10th over, caught by Charles Trott at the boundary on nine runs, leaving Canada at 56 for two.

Harsh Thaker was caught going for the boundary, exiting for 21 in the 15th over with Canada at 95 for three. Dhaliwal was caught on the next ball.

Captain Delray Rawlins held Canada to five runs in the penultimate over. But Canada hammered Leverock in the final over with Kirton slugging two sixes and a four.

Kirton finished at 26, off just 10 balls, and Dilon Heyliger on 10. Sabir took two wickets at the expense of 34 runs in his four overs.

Sana, one of the tournament's top bowlers, frustrated the Bermudian batsmen in the early going when play resumed. Bermuda managed just four runs from the first three overs with Sana conceding just one in his first two overs,

Canada struck quickly with Thaker removing opener Tre Manders, well caught by Johnson at slip, in the second over with just two Bermuda runs on the board.

A 14-run fourth over helped the home side turn up the heat. But Canada's bowlers continued to make life difficult with Bermuda at 52 for one after nine overs.

Leverock was dismissed in the 10th over, caught at 23. And Rawlins followed soon after, caught by Johnson with Bermuda at 55 for three. Terryn Fray was then stumped for 30 with the score at 63 for four.

Bermuda needed 70 runs from its last seven overs. A six and a four from Allan Douglas Jr. in the 13th over helped the Bermuda cause. But Douglas exited in the 14th over via a acrobatic diving catch by Heyliger off a Jeremy Gordon delivery, leaving Bermuda at 85 for five.

Douglas scored 22 off 12 balls, with his departure marking the end of Bermuda's resistance. The home side needed 47 from its last four overs, falling well short.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 7, 2023

News from © The Canadian Press, 2023