Eddie Norfolk
Canada Under-19s beat Namibia Under-19s by 4 wickets with 8 overs to spare on Thursday (January 18) to keep hopes alive of a place in the championship quarter-finals of the 2018 ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup (U19 CWC). The thin cord of hope in Group C remained in tact as Bangladesh U19 lost heavily to England Under-19s on Thursday. Canada U19s would need to beat England by a large margin on Saturday (January 20) in Queenstown in order to jump into second place above Bangladesh on net run rate (NRR).
The top two teams in each of four U19 CWC groups advance to the Championship Quarter- finals. The lower two teams take part in the Plate competition to decide 9th to 16th places. So, Canada U19s would need to beat England by a large margin on Saturday (January 20) in Queenstown in order to jump into second place above Bangladesh on net run rate (NRR).
Currently, England U19s top Group C with 2 wins from 2 games and an NRR of +3.278. Bangladesh U19s is in second place with 2 wins and 1 loss from 3 games and an NRR of +0.438. Canada is third with 1 win, 1 loss and an NRR of -0.277. Namibia U19s lost all 3 group matches, so will be participating in the Plate competition.
Canada U19s can point to a come-from-behind win to overtake USA U19s on NRR in the 2017 ICC Americas U19 Qualifier on NRR. That tournament was a double-round robin with just three teams, but Canadian coach Farouq Kirmani did say before this ICC U19 CWC that “anything can happen in a 50-over match.”
However, I expect that coach Kirmani will be telling the Canadian players to play a solid game against England U19s on Saturday. A performance that might demonstrate, once again, that Canada can play cricket at a quality level internationally despite the challenges of playing out-of- season without any kind of major dome that could provide better indoor practice opportunities to assist in tournaments played during the Canadian winter.
It should be remembered that funds to acquire and equip indoor cricket facilities in Canada have been established and operate beyond the control of most provincial cricket governing bodies and beyond the control of the national governing body, Cricket Canada.
So although I recognize the mathematical possibility of Canada being able to beat England by a wide enough margin to beat England and jump into second place in Group C, above Bangladesh, my core hope is that Canada will play well against England. Not many England U19 batsmen have appeared at the crease in their first two games, so three or four early wickets would certainly help the young Canadians cause. But it seems difficult to imagine a repeat of the come-from behind last day win against the USA Under-19s that carried Canada to this ICC U19 Cricket World Cup as the current ICC Americas Under-19 champions.
Background to current Group C standings
Bangladesh U19s had beaten Namibia U19s on the opening day of this tournament, then beat Canada U19s on Monday (January 15). But England U19s quickly captured wickets of potentially powerful top-order Bangladesh batsmen on Thursday. There was some recovery but England roared to an early victory to bolster an already healthy NRR that reflected England storming to victory in about half the available overs against Namibia on Monday.
Canada U19s lost to Bangladesh U19s on Monday despite a spirited performance that should help the players confidence when casting an eye on Bangladesh’s recent performances in Under- 19 internationals. Bangladesh U19s beat India U19s, for example, in the November 2017 Asian Youth Cup before losing a semi-final against Pakistan U19s. Bangladesh’s bowlers may have won the day if rain had no halted that game.
Akash Gill’s all round efforts rewarded against Namibia
Medium-pacer Akash Gill took 4/43 as Canada bowled out Namibia for 193 on Thursday.
Rishiv Joshi, Rommel Shahzad and Aran Pathmanathan each took two wickets. Namibian captain Lohan Louwrens top-scored with 38. Six other Namibian batsmen reached double figures but failed to reach 50 or more.
Gill, a left-hand bat, then joined Arslan Khan in a third wicket stand of 110 that carried Canada from 20/2 towards victory at 130/3. Gill was out for 50. Captain and right-hand bat Arslan Khan, partnered by Kevin Singh, continued on a path to victory until Arslan Khan was caught on 72 with Canada just 12 runs short of victory. Two wickets fell in the 40th over before two boundaries from Kevin Singh carried Canada to victory. The second boundary also took Kevin Singh to 53*. Akash Gill was named Man-of-the-Match for his all round efforts.
Arslan Khan had top-scored with 63 of Canada’s 198 all out (48.3 overs) in the opening game loss by 66 runs to Bangladesh U19s. Right-arm pace bowler Faisal Jamkhandi took 5/43 against Bangladesh and had Towhid Hridoy caught off the last ball of the innings for 122. Bangladesh recovered from the loss of two early wickets to reach 264/8 from 50 overs.
Tough Test for Young Canadians on Saturday
It will not be easy for Canada U19s against England U19s on Saturday (January 20). The game may develop into a battle for respectability for Canada rather than making a wild attempting to blast quick runs with wickets tumbling quickly. A solid performance against England U19s that might, possibly including a win would gain respect for this Canadian squad and the coaches who have helped player development and performance.
A big win that propels Canada U19s into second place in Group C, above Bangladesh U19s, is not expected by the cricketing pundits but that possibility did not seem to be on many people’s radar a few hours before Thursday’s game against Namibia.
Player Commitment
The Canadian players have shown strong commitment to playing cricket, including time spent on coaching courses in Canada and overseas. Several clearly have hopes of playing the game at a high level. Faisal Jamkhandi has spent recent winters playing and at coaching camps in India. Akash Gill spent last winter and this winter playing in New Zealand. Rommel Shahzad took part in Darren Lehman cricket camps and was selected for a tour of England in 2017. Kavian Naress spent a month in Sri Lanka after the Canadian 2017 cricket season ended. Clearly the parents have provided financial support to these players and the rest of those in the current squad and those on the fringes of selection.
Looking forward: Canada’s Senior Poised for WCL Division 2
Meanwhile, Canada’s senior squad continues indoor fitness and net practices in Toronto before flying to South Africa next week for outdoor practice and warm-up games ahead of February’s ICC World Cricket League Division 2 in Namibia. Canada’s opponents in this tournament are: Kenya, Namibia, Nepal, Oman and the UAE. The top two of six teams in WCL Division 2 advance to the ICC World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe in March. The 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup is being hosted by the England and Wales Cricket Board.