Maple Leaf North-West Ground A (Bermuda won toss): Canada beat Bermuda by six wickets

Bermuda captain Terryn Fray has said his side “will go back to the drawing board” after concluding their ICC T20 World Cup Americas Regional Final campaign with another defeat by Canada yesterday.

Bermuda failed to capitalise on a brilliant 70, off 42 balls, from Delray Rawlins as they slipped from 100 for two to 131 all out after choosing to bat first. Canada needed just 16 of their 20 overs to reach the target and end the group stages with a perfect record of six wins from six matches.

Fray cited inconsistency and an inability to carry out pre-match plans as reasons for the team’s shortcomings.

“I just think that we fell short in a couple of departments,” Fray said.

“We were never consistent. We had plans that we tried to follow but on the day executing those plans is what matters.

“I thought Canada played really well throughout the tournament, so congratulations to them. We’ll go back to the drawing board, continue to work hard and come back stronger for the next one.”

Rawlins, who struck four boundaries and six sixes, dominated an 83-run second-wicket partnership with Alex Dore. Once Rawlins departed in the eleventh over to finish as the third-highest run scorer in the tournament with 200 runs, Bermuda lost their way.

Onias Bascome (20) and Zeko Burgess (12) were the only other Bermudian batters to reach double figures. Saad Bin Zafar (three for ten), Kaleem Sana (three for 26) and Dillon Heyliger (two for 26) were responsible for tightening the screws on Bermuda’s batters after the tenth over.

Canada, who were already confirmed as the thirteenth team to qualify for the 2026 T20 World Cup after Bermuda were beaten by Cayman Islands on Saturday, were untroubled on their way to victory, reaching their target with plenty in hand.

Bermuda did not get the start they were looking for when Tre Manders, who scored 69 on his return to the side against Cayman, was dismissed with the first ball of the match by Kaleem Sana.

But Rawlins then took charge with his first six off Heyliger’s bowling coming at the end of the second over. The pace bowler got the same treatment in his next over with back-to-back maximums.

Sixes followed off Jaskaran Buttar and Harsh Thaker, with a swept boundary for Rawlins to reach his second fifty of the tournament off 25 balls.

With Rawlins taking most of the strike, Bermuda raced to 66 for one at the end of the powerplay. The left-hander offered a chance on 63 off Buttar’s bowling in the eighth over, but Pargat Singh put down the catch in the deep.

Dore, a spectator for most of his stand with Rawlins, tried to go big off Buttar but was caught by Bin Zafar in the ninth over.

At the halfway stage of their innings, Bermuda were 100 for two, with a great opportunity to post a total that could challenge Canada but it was not to be as the bowlers fought back, profiting mostly from poor shot selections by the Bermuda batters.

Bin Zafar won the battle of former captains when he enticed Rawlins into searching for another boundary only to pick out Shivam Sharma in the deep.

Fray’s struggles with the bat continued as the captain was removed by Heyliger for one. Jonté Smith followed for a five-ball duck as the seamer finished his spell with a double-wicket maiden.

Bermuda batters were making a quick beeline for the exit, with Bascome getting a thick outside edge before shocking decision-making led to Dominic Sabir being run out.

Although Sabir picked up two wickets in one over, Canada were never troubled in their run chase.