High-flying Canucks headed to cricket World Twenty 20 Cup
Canadian national team fulfilled its billing as odds-on favourite to top its qualifying group and book its ticket for 2026 World Twenty20 Cup.
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Canada is flying high on the field.
The national team fulfilled its billing as odds-on favourite to top its qualifying group and book its ticket for the next World Twenty20 Cup to be played in India and Sri Lanka in 2026.
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“It feels great to qualify for the World Cup,’’ said an excited Saad Bin Zafar, Canada’s star all-rounder. “And to play the tournament in the biggest cricketing nation in the world is an incredible feeling. We just can’t wait.”
Canada played like champions during the last 10 days by strolling to an unbeaten 6-0 run in the four-team Americas Regional Qualifier at King City that’s about 40 kilometres outside of Toronto. Canada got the better of Bermuda, Cayman Islands and the Bahamas.
It will be Canada’s second straight appearance in this particular global tournament, having featured in it for the very first time in 2024 when it was hosted by the U.S. and the Caribbean.
Canada booked its spot on Saturday in grand style with a commanding seven-wicket walk-in-the-park stroll over the Bahamas. Starring in this win were Kaleem Sana and Shivam Sharma who pocketed three wickets each as the islanders were bundled out for a meagre 57. Then 22-year-old Dilpreet Bajwa lay the wood on them with an explosive unbeaten 36 off 14 balls.
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Canada crowned this magnificent run by chasing down Bermuda’s 131 with four overs to spare on Sunday. The Canucks beat Bermuda by six wickets on a steamy, sauna-like conditions that saw the temperature soar to 39C.
Bermuda’s Delray Rawlins was as hot with the bat as the weather as he clobbered 70 runs. Not to be outdone, Canada’s very own 18-year-old Yuvraj Sharma matched Rawlins’ outburst with a belligerent knock of 45 that was laced with three sixes and five fours off 23 balls.
Harsh Thaker posted an unbeaten 32 as the home team reached its goal off 15.5 overs.
Bin Zafar thoroughly deserved his player-of-the match award with a brilliant haul of three wickets for 10 runs off his four overs while speedster Sana weighed in with three wickets for 26 off 3.3 overs.
Canada joins host nations India and Sri Lanka, along with the other pre-qualified teams Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, the United States, the West Indies, Ireland, New Zealand and Pakistan.
Canada now turns its attention to the 50-overs tournament, where it faces heavyweights Scotland and Namibia in August at home.
“Apart from this competition I am hoping our board will prepare us for the T20 World Cup with a couple of tours,” Bin Zafar said.
While things on the field have been rosy, there has been a prickly scenario playing outside the boundary lines. The International Cricket Council’s anti-corruption group that found itself caught up here in the steamy weather has concluded its investigation into Cricket Canada and returned to London.
The anti-corruption unit quizzed members of the Canadian board and “including at least one” national player. All these individuals will have sleepless nights until this report is released later this year and, by all indications, it could turn out to be a bombshell.
This column has in the last three months pointed out several of Cricket Canada’s outlandish indiscretions that had fans shaking their heads.
Two sticking points have been the national body’s decision to hire a CEO who has been charged with fraud and theft by Calgary Police and then a national team player who was charged for trafficking and possession of 20 pounds of cannabis by Barbados police.
Cricket Canada also faces a lawsuit by former coach Pubudu Dassanayake for wrongful dismissal following the 2024 World Cup. The national body replaced him with Khurram Rasheed Chohan, who also found himself caught in this revolving door and was given his walking papers prior to the Americas qualifiers. He was replaced by former national team member Ingleton Liburd and he did a superb in the King City qualifiers.
“Ingy was terrific,” Bin Zafar said. “He planned for every match and the players were happy with the strategy he mapped out for each game.”
ENGLAND STUNS INDIA
England pulled off one of its most extraordinary victories on Tuesday by chasing down 371 runs to stun India by five wickets on the fifth day in the first of five Tests at Leeds.
Led by Ben Duckett’s dazzling 149 and a half-century from Joe Root (53 not out) and an unbeaten 43 by debutant Jamie Smith, England reached its target with ease. Duckett and Zak Crawley (65) set the pace with a superb opening stand of 181 runs and the rest was history even though Shardul Thakur and Prasidh Krishna with two each tried to slow down England.
In one of the most exciting Tests ever played, all four innings featured scores of over 350 with India’s combined total of 853, the fourth highest in a losing cause.
Scores: India 471 (Yashasvi Jaiswal 101, Shubman Gill 147, Risabh Pant 134, Josh Tongue four for 86, Ben Stokes four for 66) and 364 (K.L. Rahul 137, Pant 118). England 364 (Ollie Pope 106, Harry Brook 99, Jasprit Bumrah five for 83) and 373 for five.
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