Cricket NL went into the final day of the Eastern T20 facing the almost impossible task of beating New Brunswick by at least 145 runs in order to overtake Nova Scotia on net run rate and earn a spot in the final against Quebec. If New Brunswick batted first the maths meant that Newfoundland could not make the final no matter what, so the first order of the day was winning the toss, which captain Rahul Vashishtha duly did.
What followed was an astonishing all-round batting effort, taking the team to the highest total of the tournament – 283/9. Top scorer was Nick Baxter with 74 from 26 balls, but Rahul Vashishtha (21) and Adeel Ilyas (30) put on 52 for the first wicket from only 4.4 overs. Gurman Khurana (44) put on 108 with Nick, passing 145 runs just the 11th over – after that, every run gave the team a better chance and Maanik Arora (49) and Rakesh Negi (27) kept up the momentum leading to the big total.
This meant that New Brunswick had to be restricted to 138 or less, but despite a whole hearted effort in the field, they managed 154. Despite the disappointment of not making the final, the team finished on a high, and should be proud of their third place finish. The final was eventually rained out, leaving Quebec champions
Scorecard
Nick Baxter finished with the second highest run total for the tournament – 187 runs at an average of 62, as well as being our top wicket-taker with 7.
