May 10
The much anticipated Twenty20 match is just 48 hours away and organisers are making final preparations after five months of planning.
A number of last-minute changes have been made to the teams which will be captained by two of the greatest players the game has ever seen – in any era. West Indies legend Brian Lara – the holder of the highest scores in Test and first-class cricket will lead the International XI and Sri Lanka’s enduring hero and swashbuckling batsman Sanath Jayasuriya will skipper the Asia team.
“This game is a hugely exciting event for cricket in Canada and I hope it helps to spread interest in the sport and continues our development in cricket here,” said Ravin Moorthy, Cricket Canada President.
“We are pleased to welcome some of the biggest names from the cricket world to Toronto for this game. We have had some challenges in staging the event but we are sure everyone will enjoy this spectacle of cricket.”
The majority of the International XI will be arriving in the city from early evening onwards and there will be interview opportunities – either telephonic or visual. These will be possible during the course of today, Thursday, May 10.
Both teams will be training at the Rogers Centre on Friday afternoon before a press conference to announce the final composition of both XIs.
WHAT: Press Conference to announce teams – one-on-one interviews will be available afterwards.
WHERE: The Rogers Centre – GATE 9
WHEN: 12 midday on Friday, May 11
Players currently here in Toronto and available for interview:
Asia / Canada XI: Sanath Jayasuriya (SL), Chanaka Welegedera (SL), Saqlain Mushtaq (PAK), Mushtaq Muhammad (PAK, team manager), Sunil Joshi (IND), Ashish Bagai (CAN).
International XI: Grant Flower (ZIM, player/coach), Prosper Utseya (ZIM), Brendan Taylor (ZIM), while Stuart MacGill (AUS), Jacob Oram (NZ), Tim Southee (NZ), Kyle Mills (NZ) will be arriving later on Thursday evening.
Update : Pakistan Players
We know that you have all been waiting impatiently for us to announce what is going on with PCB and the Pakistani players. We have not made an official announcement as of yet because we are still hopeful that we will be able to get the Pakistani players. We want to assure you that we are working tirelessly and are still in negotiations with PCB and we will not give up until it is logistically impossible for the players to be here.
Over the last 24 hours, several key government officials from Pakistan have stepped up and have supported our efforts. The High Commissioner of Pakistan in Canada has wrote a direct letter to the head officials in the government of Pakistan and now it is a matter of the reputation of the country, not just the PCB. Furthermore, Cricket Canada has been kind and are exploring all options of the Canadian cricket team touring Pakistan later in the year, given that the security measures meet the requirements.
Nothing has been written in stone yet, and we will keep you all posted as soon as we get more information. Please remain patient and support the organizers in their efforts.