Beyond the Test World

Hansra guides Canada to victory

Canada won the Auty Cup with a 34-run victory over USA in Toronto, but the visitors battled back after a poor opening day to ensure the game remained competitive, even if the seemingly narrow winning margin was slightly deceptive.

Jimmy Hansra hammers a six on his way to his century, Canada v USA, Toronto, August 16, 2011

Canada captain Jimmy Hansra hammers a six on his way to his century  •  ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Canada won the Auty Cup with a 34-run victory over USA in Toronto, but the visitors battled back after a poor opening day to ensure the game remained competitive, even if the seemingly narrow winning margin was slightly deceptive.
In a bid to prevent negative play in the two-day match, it was agreed the first innings would be limited to 45 overs a side and the second to 40 overs. The result of this was that Canada's first-innings lead of 73 meant that barring a second-day collapse, they were always likely to be able to post too many runs for the USA to chase.

Martin Williamson is executive editor of ESPNcricinfo and managing editor of ESPN Digital Media in Europe, the Middle East and Africa