Neil Davison writes for the Canadian Press
“Canada opens play at the Caribbean T20 cricket tournament this week, looking to impress its new coach and gear up for a key world Twenty20 qualifying tournament in March….
With newly installed Australian coach Michael Dighton at the helm, the Canadian team prepared for the tournament last month with a 10-day camp in Barbados where it played seven T20 games against Barbados and a Combined Campuses and Colleges side.
“This is a format we’ve been concentrating on the last few months and training for it and we just can’t wait to get out there and dance under the lights,” said Canadian captain Jimmy Hansra.
The 26-year-old from Abbotsford, B.C., was a structural engineer with Armtec, an infrastructure and construction materials company. But he stepped away before the World Cup last February to become one of six players currently under contract with Cricket Canada
“I miss wearing my suit and going to an office where I can be served coffee once in a while,” he joked. “But obviously I put on my sweats and go sweat it outside in the gym. I guess that’s my office now.
“It is a big change for me. It’s very different. It’s two different professions but I’m enjoying it so that’s the reason I put my job on hold. My company’s been more than accommodating enough.”
He made more as an engineer but couldn’t turn down the opportunity to play high-level cricket”