Canada Super 60: Mississauga Masters face Toronto Sixers in men’s semi-final

VANCOUVER: It is now down to the Super Sixteen, or rather the Super Four. The Canada Super 60 Season 2 men’s semi-final line-up is locked in, with unbeaten Mississauga Masters set to face Toronto Sixers and Vancouver Anchors taking on Brampton Blitz.

Mississauga Masters topped the six-team league phase with 10 points from five matches, winning every game along the way. Vancouver Anchors finished second with eight points, followed by Brampton Blitz on six and Toronto Sixers on four.

The standings have therefore produced a 1-v-4 clash between Mississauga Masters and Toronto Sixers, while Vancouver Anchors will meet Brampton Blitz in the other semi-final. White Rock Warriors finished fifth with two points, while Montreal Royal Tigers ended the league phase without a win.

The top four were confirmed after the final round of matches at BC Place, where the leading sides delivered performances that offered plenty of clues about what to expect in the knockout stage.

Mississauga Masters continued their remarkable run by dismantling Toronto Sixers by 92 runs. Batting first, the Masters piled up 166/5 in their 10 overs, powered by a blistering 70 off just 24 balls from Alex Lees, including six fours and six sixes.

George Munsey added 27 off 15 balls before David Wiese provided another late burst with 23 off eight.

Toronto’s chase never got going and the Sixers slumped to 74/9. Kieron Pollard provided the only substantial resistance, smashing an unbeaten 40 off 24 balls, but even his late hitting could not prevent a heavy defeat.

Wiese was particularly effective with the ball, returning 3/9, while Saad Bin Zafar produced an extraordinary 3/2 to keep Toronto firmly under pressure.

For Toronto, the challenge now is to put that defeat behind them quickly. They will have to find a way to stop a Mississauga side that has yet to lose a game in the tournament.

Vancouver Anchors also entered the semi-finals on the back of a convincing victory, beating White Rock Warriors by 35 runs.

The Anchors posted 141/7 after being asked to bat first, with Aneurin Donald smashing 30 from 11 balls and Obus Pienaar contributing 31 off 12.

Chris Jordan added a rapid 30 from just 12 balls, including three sixes, as Vancouver kept the scoring rate high throughout their 10-over innings. Moeen Ali was dismissed for a duck, but the Anchors had already built enough momentum to post a challenging total.

White Rock managed 106/7 in reply. Dwaine Pretorius led the chase with 35 off 10 balls, while Hayden Dickson struck 29 from 12.

Martin Andersson then took control with 3/24, while Ben Sanderson returned impressive figures of 2/4 to ensure Vancouver closed out the league phase with another win.

Brampton Blitz, meanwhile, edged Montreal Royal Tigers by seven runs, winning 149/4 to 142/5. The result was enough to secure third place and set up their semi-final against Vancouver.

The women’s competition has already produced a champion, with Toronto Sixers Women successfully defending their title.

Toronto beat Vancouver Warriors Women by six wickets in the final after restricting the Warriors to 84/9 in 10 overs. Sophie Reid top-scored with 35 off 28 balls, while Marizanne Kapp added 16 from nine.

Toronto made light work of the chase, reaching 85/4 in 9.3 overs.

Ella McCaughan was the standout performer, finishing unbeaten on 36 from 20 balls with three fours and two sixes. Indu Barma stayed with her on 18 not out from 13 balls as Toronto secured their second consecutive Women’s title.

Attention now turns fully to the men’s knockout stage, with Mississauga Masters carrying the strongest form into the semi-finals. Vancouver, Brampton and Toronto will have to produce their best cricket when the margin for error disappears.

Canada Super 60 Season 2 is available in Canada on CBC and CBC Gem. In India, the tournament is being broadcast on Unite8 Sports 2 and streamed live on FanCode.