Canadian cricket legend John Davison walks off the field at the 2011 Cricket World Cup (Canada v Australia) surrounded by teammates. Photo Credit: International Cricket Council
As the World Cup opens in Australia and New Zealand it seems apt to reflect on Canada’s past presence at the World Cup, and prospects of future participation. Canada has featured at the last three World Cups, a decade that in the future may seem to represent a high point in Canada’s cricket history. Given the current state of Canadian cricket, and the barriers the ICC continue to erect to minimise participation by the Associate nations, it may be a long time before we se Canada at the World Cup again.
Their first appearance however was in 1979 in England, and qualification for that tournament may represent their greatest achievement, as only two associates qualified for a competition that featured only eight teams.
They reached the World Cup by placing second to Sri Lanka (soon to become a full ICC member) in the ICC Trophy, held immediately before the World Cup itself. Canada placed second in their qualifying group, ahead of Bangladesh, another country now playing Tests, losing only to Denmark. In the semi-final they easily beat Bermuda who had topped the other group before losing the final to Sri Lanka (Cricinfo 1979 ICC Trophy scorecards).
They were drawn in a group with Australia, Pakistan and England and understandably struggled losing all three games. There were highlights however, with Glenroy Sealey making 45 against a Pakistan attack featuring Safraz Nawaz and Imran Khan, part of a 54 run opening partnership with Chris Chappell. The same match saw John Valentine bowl Majid Khan for just 1, part of a spell that saw him bowl 9 overs for just 18 runs against Majid, Sadiq Mohammed and Zaheer Abbas. Canada managed to bat out their 60 over allotment against Pakistan, but failed dismally against England, all out for just 45. Bob Willis and Chris Old did the damage. In their final match against Australia, Sealey smashed four boundaries from Rodney Hogg’s first over, but that was the highpoint in an eight wicket loss.
Canada was not seen at the World Cup again until 2003. In the 1982 ICC Trophy (where only one team qualified for the World Cup), Canada finished third in their group behind Zimbabwe and PNG. Canada were treated harshly by the weather, losing only one game but having three rained out (CricInfo 1982 ICC Trophy scorecards). In 1986, again only one team would qualify, but Canada did not advance from their group finishing behind USA, Bermuda and Netherlands. Canada performed well against the weaker teams with Paul Prashad making three centuries but lost to all three opponents who finished above them (CricInfo 1986 ICC Trophy scorecards).
1990 saw an expanded ICC trophy tournament but with participation at the World Cup limited to one qualifier. The tournament was won by Zimbabwe who were given full member status shortly afterwards. Canada were in the same group as Zimbabwe, losing to them by 68 runs but qualifying for the second round thanks to wins over Malaysia and Singapore. They were less successful in the second round group, finishing last behind Netherlands, Bangladesh and Denmark. They did beat eventual finalists Netherlands, however, in a low scoring match (CricInfo 1990 ICC Trophy scorecards)
The 1994 qualifying tournament was held in Kenya and featured twenty teams, but with three qualifying for the World Cup. Canada placed second in their first round group, with the highlight being a 10 wicket defeat of Namibia, who Bhawan Singh (7/22) bowled out for just 51. The second round saw a good win over Ireland, but losses to Bermuda and one wicket loss to a UAE team that was recruited specifically for the tournament saw them fail to advance (CricInfo 1994 ICC Trophy scorecards).
The 1997 ICC trophy was held in Malaysia, and again Canada cruised through the first round, but struggled in the second, losing to Kenya and Denmark and having their match against Scotland washed out (CricInfo 1997 ICC Trophy scorecards).
Canada hosted the ICC Trophy in 2001, with all matches played on turf pitches in the Toronto area. In a memorable tournament Canada placed third, and qualified for the World Cup. Canada’s success was founded on the recruitment of two players who were Canadian born but raised in Australia and New Zealand. Both John Davison and Ian Billcliff had played first class cricket in their home countries and brought that experience to an already strong Canadian side, captained by Joe Harris, one of three other players with first-class experience. Canadian born and bred spinner Barry Seebaran, and young keeper Asish Bagai showed that Canada could develop top class cricketers domestically through their important contributions. The tournament had a different format with teams divided into an upper division 1 and lower ranked teams competing in Division 2. Canada finished in 4th place in their Division 1 group, avoiding a play-off against Division two winners. The second round was a tense affair. Canada lost their first match to Namibia by two wickets, foiled by a 31 run 9th wicket partnership. A solid win over Denmark followed by a comprehensive defeat of the old enemy USA put Canada in a strong position to make the final and gain immediate qualification. A loss to Ireland however put them in the 3rd place play-off against Scotland, with a place in the World Cup on the line. Sanjay Thuraisingam took 5/25 as Scotalnd made just 176, and Canada had no trouble chasing down the total (CricInfo report). Joe Harris said afterwards “This will open doors for all the youngsters who aspire to play cricket at a good level here. The possibilities (from this outcome) are endless, really; hopefully, it will help cricket in North America – both the US and Canada – really grow.”
Two years later Canada were playing in the World Cup for the first time in 24 years. Their opening match was against Bangladesh, and despite a battling 42 from Billcliff, they managed just 180 when they batted. They gained their first World Cup victory by 60 runs however, mainly through the unheralded bowling of Austin Codrington, whose gentle medium pace was too much for the Bangladesh batting line up. He took 5/27 as Canada bowled out Bangladesh in 28 overs (CricInfo report). Their second match was against Kenya, and again Billcliff (71) batted well to take Canada to 197. Kenya struggled in reply, particularly to Davison, but eventually won by 4 wickets with 9 balls to spare (CricInfo report). After two good performances the next match was highly disappointing. Canada were bowled out for 36 by Sri Lanka (at one point being 12/6), no-one reaching double figures. This was the lowest total in ODI history, and has been immortalised on YouTube. Sri Lanka knocked off the runs quickly. Canada’s next match was against West Indies, and is known for the extraordinary innings by John Davison. His top score in the ICC Trophy was 35, and he had done little in the previous three matches, but opening the innings he hit the West Indies attack to all corners of the ground. He made a hundred in 67 balls- a record at the time, smashing six sixes and eight fours. He made 111 out of 156 before he was brilliantly caught on the boundary (Youtube video). Unfortunately the rest of the Canadian batting could not contribute significantly, and a final total of 206 was no obstacle to a West Indies batting line up featuring Lara, Gayle, Sarwan and Hinds.
The next match saw another Canadian set records, although of a less spectacular nature. The hosts South Africa batted first, and Canada had them in some trouble at 23/3 thanks to debutant Ashish Patel. They rebuilt to total 254, which was always going to be an intimidating target against Pollock Ntini and Donald. After Davison and Chumney had gone with only 8 on the board, Canada opted for survival, which they were successful in achieving, batting out their 50 overs losing just 5 wickets. The record was set by Ishwar Maraj who carried his bat for 53 from 155 balls – in the words of CricInfo “one of the most tedious half centuries you can ever hope to see.” This was the slowest scoring innings of over 50 in an ODI, at just 34.19 runs per 100 balls (CricInfo report).
Their final match was against New Zealand, who needed a comprehensive win to advance to the next stage on net run rate. Davison again batted superbly, making 75, including three sixes off an over and a fifty off 25 balls. Again, though, the rest of the batting struggled, and New Zealand were faced with a target of 197. They believed they needed to accomplish this in 16 overs to be assured of advancing, and lost wickets quickly. At 118/5 they opted for a safe win, which they accomplished with relative ease (CricInfo report). Apart from the one match against Sri Lanka, Canada emerged from the tournament with considerable credit, with a first win over a full member, and giving Kenya, New Zealand and West Indies competitive matches.
The next (and as it turned out last) ICC trophy was held in Ireland, with five of twelve teams not only qualifying for the World Cup but awarded full ODI member status. Canada beat Namibia by 2 runs in the tournament opener, Davison making 125, and the result appealed by the Namibians who believed there was a scoring error. Canada finished second in their group, losing only to Scotland, giving them immediate World Cup qualification. They lost to Ireland in the semi-finals, but then beat Bermuda to place third (CricInfo 1990 ICC Trophy scorecards).
The 2007 World Cup changed formats again, and Canada were in a group of four. Captained by Davison their best hope of a win came in their first match against Kenya- unlikely semi-finalists in the 2003 Cup. Canada got off to a decent start, with Geoff Barnett (Canadian born, but New Zealand raised) making 41, but made just 199, which the Kenyans passed with ease (match report). They then played England who put 279 on the board, although Dhaniram dismissed Bell Joyce and Pietersen in a 3 over spell to reduce them to 161/4. Canada batted well (particularly Asif Mulla with 58 but fell behind the run rate, making 228/7 (match report). Their final match was against New Zealand, where they lost by 118 runs. New Zealand put up an intimidating total of 363, thanks in part to a 20 ball half century from MacCallum. Canada’s reply was more than respectable, with Davison hitting a rapid fifty, well supported by Barnett, Bagai, and Billcliff, and they made their best World Cup score of 249/7. Although opportunities were limited in this tournament, Canada performed respectably, and were not bowled out by England or New Zealand.
Qualification for the 2011 World Cup was via the Cricket World Cup Qualifier, with twelve teams competing for four World Cup places (CricInfo coverage). John Davison was not available, and the side was led by Bagai. Canada placed second in their group, beating Oman, Uganda, Namibia, and Scotland and losing to Ireland. Moving on to the next round, they beat Kenya and Afghanistan but lost to Netherlands and UAE. They placed second on net run rate however qualifying comfortably for the World Cup, and losing to Ireland in the final- their best placing in a World Cup qualifier.
And so to the 2011 World Cup, with yet again a change of format. Canada opened the tournament against Sri Lanka and were outclassed. Jayawardene hit a century, Sangakarra 92 as Sri Lanka made 332, and Canada’s reply saw the first three wickets down for 12, and all out for 120 (CricInfo match report). Their next game on paper was easier, against Zimbabwe but resulted in a defeat by 175 runs. It followed a similar pattern to the first match, with Zimbabwe posting 298 and Canada bowled out for 123, after losing their first three wickets for 7 (match report).
After two disappointing games, Canada bowled well against Pakistan, a good all round performance restricting them to 184, and with a genuine chance of a major upset. The batting, however was again not up to the challenge, 104/3 rapidly becoming 138 all out as Afridi took five wickets (match report). Against Kenya Henry Osinde led the way with four wickets, as they were bowled out for under 200. Bagai (64*) and Hansra (70) led Canada to their second World Cup victory with 5 wickets to spare (match report). Next up was New Zealand, and another big loss. Canada’s fielding fell apart as New Zealnd posted 358, but Canada managed 261/9 in reply thanks to Bagai and Hansra both making half centuries (match report).
Canada finished their World Cup journey in spirited fashion against the defending champions, Australia. Hiral Patel scored a sparking half century, taking on Brett Lee and Shaun Tait. One shot in particular was outstanding, a back foot six over cover off Shaun Tait (Youtube). Canada reached 150/2 after 28 overs, but then fell apart, and the final total of 211 was a disappointment. Canada created some early chances but Australia had little trouble recording an eight wicket win (match report).
The 2014 World Cup qualifier is still fresh in the memory, and marked a major decline in Canadian cricket. Canada failed to advance from their group, losing to UAE by 80 runs, to Hong Kong by 9 wickets, to Scotland by 170 runs, and beating only Nepal. They placed 8th after beating Uganda and losing to Netherlands in placing games.
Canada may appear in the World Cup again but it would be a major surprise to see them there in four years time. There are certainly some promising young players, but opportunities will be few and funding meagre over the next few years. However the outstanding achievement shown through qualifying for four World Cups shows that there is always hope, and Cricket canada needs to start a rebuilding process to attain the goal of qualification.
Dave Liverman