Player protest delayed the match between Yuvraj Singh-led Toronto Nationals and Montreal Tigers on Wednesday, at the Global T20 Canada tournament. The players of both the teams refused to board their buses from their hotel to the match venue protesting against unpaid wages, according to ESPNcricinfo.
A press release from the organisers said, "The game between Montreal Tigers & Toronto Nationals on Wednesday, August 7th, 2019, 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."
Bombay Sports Limited are the owners of the league. Reportedly, as per the contract, the players were to be paid around 15 per cent of the salary before the start of the tournament, and the next instalment by the end of the first round, which ended on August 4. However, majority of the players haven't been paid at all, leading to the protest, said the report.
The Toronto Nationals needed to beat the Montreal Tigers—led by former Australian captain George Bailey—to advance to the play-offs. The protest raised fears that the match would be abandoned and Nationals would exit the tournament. But the match was finally played after a delay of more than two hours. Toronto Nationals posted 189/5 in 20 overs and then bowled out Montreal Tigers for 154 in 19.3 overs, thus booking their place in the play-offs.
Yuvraj Singh, however, did not play as he is yet to recover from a back injury. Australian all-rounder Moises Henriques led the team in his absence.
