Eddie Norfolk
Canada’s Usman Limbada needs a return to his form in the 2009 ICC Under-19 World Cup Qualifier to restore confidence in his batting in the current senior World Cup Qualifier in New Zealand. Limbada produced Canada’s highest run aggregate of 288 from eight innings in the 2009 Under-19 Global tournament. But he averaged less than ten runs per innings in November’s World Twenty20 Qualifier and was out for four in Canada’s early loss of three wickets for just nine runs inside five overs against the UAE on Wednesday.
In 2009, Limbada hit 126 against Vanuatu Under-19’s. It was Canada’s only century of the tournament, and he later clinched a 23 run victory by bowling the last batsman. The game ended with 26 balls unused by Vanuatu. Vanuata U19’s made 280 all out chasing Canada’s 303 for eight.
Canada’s other leading batting aggregates from that 2009 event include a mix of players in the current squad for the World Cup qualifier and some on the sidelines. Ruvindu Gunasekera made 207 runs with a best score of 57 not out in 2009. He hit a couple of 40’s in warm-up games against the Netherlands and Uganda in New Zealand.
Nitish Kumar scored 139 runs from seven innings with a top score of 40 in 2009. Kumar struck a century against the Dutch last week and has begun to make an impact on the senior international stage.
But on Wednesday disaster struck as Kumar fell for one run, Gunasekera for two, then Limbada was out for four as Canada slumped to nine for three wickets. An element of respectability followed, but the prospects of a morale boosting win never materialized.
Hiral Patel, omitted from the current squad, scored 205 runs with a best score of 82 from eight innings in 2009. Rustam Bhatti captained Canada Under-19’s in 2009 but is not in the current squad. Bhatti had a top score of 87 and tallied 175 runs in the 2009 Under-19 Global event.
Canada’s 2014 squad in New Zealand includes Hamza Tariq who played in two of the 2009 Global Under-19 matches for Canada. He only had one innings in 2009 and scored one run. But Hamza Tariq hit an important 33 not out when Canada’s senior team beat Afghanistan by four wickets in an August 2011 T20 match at Maple Leaf CC.
Several players appearing for other countries in the World Cup Qualidier in New Zealand produced some useful performances with the bat in the Greater Toronto Area in the 2009 ICC Under-19 Global tournament.
Hong Kong’s Irfan Ahmed struck 293 runs including three fifties in 2009. His best score was 90 against the USA U19s. A game Hong Kong lost by one run when the USA’s last pair just completed a run off the last ball of the 50 overs. Irfan Ahmed and Jamie Atkinson, who struggled with the bat in Canada in 2009, combined for a second wicket stand of 61 in Hong Kong’s opening round win against Scotland on Monday. Ahmed hit 75 and Atkinson made 27. Niazkat Khan was out for a duck but in 2009 scored 182 runs from eight innings.
Papua New Guinea (PNG) opener Tony Ura missed out with a duck on Monday in an important win against Kenya. Ura had a successful time in last November’s ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier in the UAE. In 2009, Ura tallied 228 runs from eight innings in the GTA. The PNG squad includes Heni Siaki who hit a century in 2009 against the Netherlands. On Monday his brother, Lega Siaka, hit one of two centuries that carried PNG to an eight wicket win against Kenya. It was Lega Siaka’s debut in 50-over games with List A status.
The Netherlands Tom Guijters scored 192 runs from eight innings in the GTA in 2009, and some other players from that Under-19 World Cup qualifier may well make contributions in the present tournament in New Zealand.
However, the likes of Usman Limbada need to re-gain belief and confidence in his game, mirroring the recent thoughts of coach Andy Pick. The overall Canadian squad must hit form and carry Canada to one of the two available berths in the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup, not just with the bat, but with the ball and in the field. .
After the U19’s game with Vanuatu in September 2009, I asked a couple of the Canadian squad if they had been aware before play began that the Vanuatu players chased down and tried to chase down even well struck balls from opposition bats. The answer was no. A disappointing answer, but not a surprise.
Some people, including me, think there is – or should be – a bit more to international cricket than a collection of selectors picking a squad, then expecting the team manager and coach to sort out what happens. Now we might have introduced more of a behind the scenes fitness program over the last seven years than previously existed, but there is still a long way to go on various fronts.
There are some cameras that can produce good quality video available at reasonable prices in recent years. What a pity that when two, three or four grounds at Maple Leaf Cricket Club are in use for an international or national tournament, provisions have not been made to film the action, except for some televised games, such as the Al Barakah Canadian Thanksgiving tournament and some of last year’s CIBC National Cricket League and international games.
When the Champions League took place in 2013, I noticed the career records of some of the Trinidad and Tobago squad did not include their efforts in Canada’s CIBC National Cricket League or the related All Star Games. Rizwan Cheema had a good knock in a re-scheduled Saturday morning Game 2 of the All Star Series that may not appear in his career record on some recognized sources of cricketing statistics. Somebody might have sent a daily news release to the media in the Caribbean, particularly those in Trinidad and Tobago during the National Cricket League and the subsequent All Star series.
Still the ICC and some other outlets, including Cricinfo (ESPN Cricinfo) and Cricket Europe are bringing daily news and scores from the ICC World Cup Qualifier. Perhaps it’s time for me to hibernate from cricket for the rest of the winter, but some instincts will keep me looking out for news of the senior team in New Zealand, and Canada’s Under-19’s in the ICC Under-19 Cricket World Cup next month.
The top four in the ICC Under-19 World Cup qualifier in the Greater Toronto Area were Ireland, Afghanistan, Papua New Guinea and Canada.
Ireland and Afghanistan have already qualified for the 2015 ICC World Cup due to top placings in the 2011-2013 ICC World Cricket League. So there must be hope of a top two spot for Canada from the current tournament in New Zealand. The players in the squad can control that aspect of Canadian cricket by performing with due belief and building confidence, despite the games being played out-of-season.
My original thoughts before the game against the UAE read: “a good start in the style of a win against the UAE should help launch a successful campaign. And if Usman Limbada is not included in the eleven against the UAE, well some of the other batsmen could do with bagging some good scores after lean times in the warm-up games. Good starts in game one of a series, or on day one of an ICC Intercontinental Cup 4-day game have not always been part of Canada’s recent cricketing history.”
Limbada was in the team against the UAE but made just four batting in the number three spot. The two opening batsmen, Ruvindu Gunasekera and Nitish Kumar made useful runs in the warm-up games, so they will surely feature in the Canadian team against Hong Kong on Friday and will be expected to put runs on the board.
Who knows who will bat a number three for Canada in that game? Perhaps Limbada in a joint faith move by the coach, perhaps one of the players who made a start lower down the order against the UAE, or perhaps someone else will come into the team.
Whatever the specific detail of the team and batting order against Hong Kong and in the remaining group A matches, there is a major need for the Canadian batsmen to put runs on the board at a reasonable rate, or better.
In 2009 Canada Under-19’s beat Afghanistan Under-19’s by five wickets on the last day of the ICC Under-19 Global tournament at Maple Leaf Cricket Club. Ruvindu Gunasekera provided the backbone for Canada’s innings with 57 not out after Afghanistan made 165. Nitish Kumar took three for 26 with his off-spin bowling.
Strategically it would have been useful if Cricket Canada had sorted out a proper series of matches for a Canada A team or Canada Under-25’s since 2009. It in absence of strategic achievement in such areas, whoever gets picked for the national team needs to perform. A few slices of buttered bread beyond crumbs from the past might restore a bit of faith for some of the players and team, allowing for the bread not to be buttered, or to be a different food for any player with special dietary considerations.
The underlying concept is that success breeds success on the field. Winning becomes a habit.
Eddie Norfolk