Nigel Reed
Somewhere in the world the sun is always shining. For that reason, cricket never really has an off-season. The closer to the tropics you are, the more the sun shines and the more cricket you can play.
Such is the case in the West Indies where, in the depths of a Canadian winter, the neighbouring islands of Antigua and Barbados are hosting the third edition of the Caribbean Twenty20.
Canada is one of three international teams competing. The Canucks will join the Netherlands and English county team Sussex in completing the line up for the ten team tournament. Divided into two round robin groups of five, the group winners and runners-up will advance to the semi-finals.
It is more than just the start of a new year for Canada. The team has been overhauled since last year’s World Cup with the arrival of a new coach, the appointment of a new captain and a sprinkling of new players. There is definitely a fresh look and, I sense, a fresh feel about the challenges ahead.
Those challenges will come thick and fast in Antigua. Canada failed to progress beyond the group stages last year, winning only one game in the process. The Canadians failed to build on their solitary victory over English T20 champions Hampshire (who went on to reach the Final) but it shows that in this form of cricket there is no such thing as a sure thing.
Canada’s transition is evolving under the watchful eye of Michael Dighton. The 35-year-old Australian is, himself, in transition from player to coach. An aggressive opening bat, Dighton brings a wealth of playing experience to the role, and perhaps more importantly, that will to win which epitomizes so many Aussie athletes.
He has worked his players hard in recent months. On arrival last fall Dighton was far from satisfied with general fitness levels and set about leading by example. Gradually his new charges began to satisfy his expectations while he began to revamp some of the playing personnel.
When the fitness training was complete Dighton led Canada on a pre-Christmas tour to Barbados. The results overall were not impressive, due in some part to experimentation with the team, but by the time the squad returned to Canada all agreed it had been a useful learning curve which would serve them well in the future.
One man who must learn quicker than most is Jimmy Hansra. The newly appointed captain is a fine player but the responsibility of leadership does not sit well with all. A cricket captain is not just the man who wins or loses the toss. In this sport the team captain is expected to make rapid decisions with almost every delivery.
It is the captain’s job to decide who bowls when and for how long. He must then attempt to set a field which will complement the bowler’s style while keeping his team-mates alert and engaged from ball to ball. In T20 one errant field placing can cost a lot of runs so Hansra must be able to take decisive action and simultaneously take advice from other senior players when necessary.
The Caribbean T20 may give a new crop of Canadians a chance to prove their worth. Young paceman Jeremy Gordon, who hails from Guyana, is on standby for his debut while another quick bowler, Manny Aulakh has graduated to the senior squad after representing Canada at last year’s U19 World Cup qualifiers. There is only one way to tell if the ‘new’ boys are up to the task – throw them in at the deep end and find out whether they sink or swim.
This is no winter vacation. Though there is a social side to the event, the Caribbean T20 will be a tough, competitive test for this new-look Canada. It will also act as an ideal dress rehearsal for the World T20 qualifying tournament which is barely two months away. When Dighton and his troops get to Dubai in March the heat will be on in more ways than one.