Global T20 Canada: Smith, Warner fail to fire

Warner faced two balls for one run while Smith, the former Aussie skipper, managed three runs off 10 balls.

Warner and Smith (in pic) are serving a 12-month bans handed down by Cricket Australia for their roles in the ball-tampering incident during the third test against South Africa in Cape Town in March.

 

Runs remained elusive for Steve Smith and David Warner as the former Australian captain and vice-captain played on opposing sides Monday in Canada’s Global Twenty20 cricket tournament.

Warner faced two balls for one run as his lean return to cricket continued for the Winnipeg Hawks who beat Smith’s Toronto Nationals by 56 runs in the seventh match of the star-studded league.

Smith fared only a little better, scoring three runs from 10 balls as the Nationals were bowled out for 108 in reply to Winnepeg’s 164-6. He also conceded 34 runs from two overs in an unproductive contribution with the ball.

READ: Steve and I are good mates, says Warner

Warner and Smith are serving a 12-month bans handed down by Cricket Australia for their roles in the ball-tampering incident during the third test against South Africa in Cape Town in March. But both are free to play in the Canadian tournament which is not covered by their bans.

Warner has struggled for runs on his return to cricket, making scores of 1, 4 and 1 in his three innings to date for the Hawks. Smith made 61 in his first outing for the Nationals but has since had scores of 10 and three and has no wicket for 41 runs from three overs.

After Warner’s failure with the bat on Sunday, the West Indies’ Lendl Simmons made 44 from 34 balls and captain Dwayne Bravo made 41 from 31 balls to guide Winnipeg to 164 as it batted first.

Tion Webster took 4-22 from 2.2 overs and Bravo and Fidel Edwards contributed two wickets each as Toronto was bowled out for 108 in 17.2 overs. New Zealand’s Anton Devcich top-scored with 34 from 19 balls and Kieron Pollard made 25 from 34 deliveries.

In the later match Sunday, the Vancouver Knights beat the Montreal Tigers by 18 runs.

South Africa’s Rassie van der Dussen made an unbeaten 83 from 56 balls with six fours and five sixes in Vancouver’s 166-6. Lasith Malinga took 3-41 as the best of the Montreal bowlers.

The Tigers were bowled out for 148 in 19.4 overs after looking strongly placed at 98-3. New Zealander George Worker made 43 from 33 balls and Australia Moises Henriques made 40 but Montreal’s middle and late order failed to fire. New Zealand’s Tim Southee took 3-20 from his four overs and left-arm spinner Saad Bin Zafar took 3-21.

Winnipeg and West Indies B lead the league with two wins apiece, though Winnipeg has play one game more.