A fourteen-man MCC touring party, led by former England Test Match batsman, Jason Gallian, is jetting off to Canada next Wednesday (11th July) for the Club’s second overseas tour of 2012. Gallian, who played over 250 first-class fixtures during his career, in addition to earning three Test caps for England, will use his wealth of cricket knowledge and experience to captain the MCC side, which also contains Oxford MCC Universities all-rounder, Raj Sharma, alongside MCC Members from throughout the UK.
During the fourteen-day tour the MCC players will pit their skills against a range of invitational teams – each selected from the top club sides in Canada – in five 50-over matches and two Twenty20 clashes. They will also deliver three special coaching sessions for local primary schools, before the tour culminates with a coveted fixture against a Canada Select XI at Toronto CC on Sunday 22nd July.
Speaking about the tour, MCC Head of Cricket, John Stephenson, said:
“Whilst Canada boasts a rich cricketing heritage, there is undoubtedly vast potential and opportunity for the further development of the sport across the nation. The infrastructure now employed by Cricket Canada has set the foundations for this growth to occur, and it is evident that there is a lot of ambition and passion in the ranks to make this expansion happen.
“I am delighted that the Club can continue to support the ongoing development of cricket in Canada, and I hope that the 2012 MCC touring team will provide challenging opposition, and help to raise playing standards amongst Canadian sides.”
MCC last toured Canada in 2005. The 2012 touring party will be hoping to emulate the success of their predecessors, and in particular Somerset and England Lions batsman, Nick Compton, who recorded a hundred and two half centuries for the Club seven years ago.
Canada has a long association with cricket, dating back to 1844 when the nation played against the USA in the earliest international sporting contest of the modern era. Since being granted Associate Membership of the International Cricket Council in 1968, Canada has made four appearances in the ICC Cricket World Cup, most recently in 2011. The men’s national side now competes in the four-day ICC Intercontinental Cup competition and the one-day ICC World Cricket League Championship. When MCC touch down in Vancouver on Wednesday 11th July, the Canadian national players will be in Scotland, playing against the Saltires in the latest round of fixtures in both competitions.
MCC men’s teams will also be touring Italy and Tanzania in 2012, while an MCC women’s touring party will set sail for Holland on Monday 16th July.