The ongoing Global T20 in Canada is making quite a name for itself, with a great ensemble of current and retired international cricket stars. However, the second-round match between the Toronto Nationals and Montreal Tigers had to be delayed by almost two hours owing to a protest by the players.
According to ESPNCricinfo, both sides - Toronto Nationals, led by former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh and George Bailey's Montreal Tigers - initially refused to take the bus to the ground at the scheduled departure time from the team hotel due to unpaid wages.
League owners have also been informed
"The game between Montreal Tigers & Toronto Nationals on Wednesday was delayed due to procedural issues between the players, the GT20 league, and the franchise owners. All the stakeholders had a meeting and addressed the concerns," said a press release from the organisers.
It needs to be mentioned here that Yuvraj's side needed to win all their remaining matches in order to stand a chance of making it to the playoffs. However, due to the situation, they were willing to forfeit the match in order to demand their wages.
"Global T20 Canada management is doing their best to popularise the game in North America and as a new entity in cricket, are bound to come across certain hurdles," the release said.
"On behalf of GT20 Canada, we sincerely thank all the stakeholders, players, and support staff for their constant support and confidence in us. We deeply regret the inconvenience caused to our sponsors, broadcasters, and millions of fans across the globe," the release went on to add.
ESPNcricinfo reported that the protest is not limited to only these two teams. Quoting sources, it said that there are other squads too which have informed the team and league owners, namely the Bombay Sports Limited, that they will refuse to take the field for the playoff stage beginning on Thursday if the wages are not paid.
Meanwhile, another controversy erupted earlier on Wednesday when Pakistani cricketer Umar Akmal revealed that he was approached by a former player for match-fixing during the league. According to highly placed PCB sources, Akmal had reported the matter to the organizers as well as the PCB's Anti-Corruption Unit.
