It was by no means a banner year for Canadian cricket, particularly at the elite level, where the senior national team, following a series of disappointing results in 2015, were almost absent from the international scene. It thus became very much a year of re-building, and planning for the future. The highest priority now for the national team is the upcoming ICC Division 3 tournament, to be held in May, likely in Uganda.
Canada’s decline was highlighted by not a single mention on CricInfo’s review of Associate cricket in 2016, and the ICC are devoting most of their resources in the Americas to the USA, despite years of dysfunctional governance, and lack of performance on the field. This was highlighted when the ICC announced that the Americas office will re-locate from Toronto to Colorado Springs.
Cricket Canada had its own governance issues. The AGM was held in March, and was unable to hold elections. These were deferred to May, and held via electronic balloting. Former CC president Ranjiit Saini was elected president again. It is understood that there still remains considerable internal confusion over the election process and the by-laws governing the association.
The most significant development at the elite level was the development of the national high performance programme under the direction of highly regarded coach Zubin Barucha. Nominations were solicited, selectors despatched to regional tournaments, and a camp held over two weeks in August. A large number of players were evaluated, and a high performance pool created of players with high potential to feed into the national team. The high performance pool was the source of a team that beat Bermuda in Toronto, and later had a short tour to Bermuda, winning all their matches .
The year concluded with 10 players travelling to India for a month long training under the direction of Zubin Barucha.
The results of this programme will be tested next year as it is anticipated that it will bring new faces into the national squad to play in ICC Division 3. It did mark the most comprehensive evaluation of the talent across Canada in years, with a clear path open to all to national recognition.
National teams
The senior national team had its quietest year in decades, with the only international fixture being the Auty Cup, played in California in October. Nitish Kumar captained the team, and Davy Jacobs of the Ontario Cricket Academy acted as coach. Canada won the first two games of the three match series to retain the cup, before losing game three.
The Under 19 squad competed in the U19 World Cup in January and February. They faced tough competition, losing to Sri Lanka and Pakistan in first round matches, but somewhat disappointingly also falling to Afghanistan and Ireland before beating Fiji in the match for last place.
Ravindu Gunasekera captained an Americas XI that competed in the West Indies domestic 50 over competition in January. Nitish Kumar, Srimantha Wijeyeratne, Navneet Dhaliwal, Hamza Tariq and Jeremy Gordon were also in the squad. The team lost every match but gained valuable experience.
Akashdeep Gill, Abrassh Khan, Aran Pathmanathan, Arslan Khan, Krishen Samuel, and Rommel Shahzad were part of an Americas squad competing in the West Indies Cricket Board Regional U19 Event in St Vincent and the Grenadines.
The Canadian U17 squad were unbeaten in a tri-series against the USA and Bermuda in Houston in July, with 4 wins in four games. The side was led by Arslan Khan, and was selected following a successful U17 Canada Cup tournament earlier in the month.
The womens game continues to struggle to grow in Canada but the February appointment of Monali Patel is a step in the right direction. The highlight of 2016 for womens cricket was the MCC tour; the MCC brought a strong side, featuring two greats of the modern game, Charlotte Edwards and Claire Taylor. They outclassed a Canada Select XI in three one sided matches but those selected gained valuable experience. Unfortunately there were suggestions that some of the best players in Canada were overlooked as they were playing in an unaffiliated league.
Cricket Canada’s grassroots development efforts are now led by former national team player Zubin Surkari who was appointed development officer early in 2016. Zubin is focussing on coach development, with a new programme for training community coaxhes launched in December.
Nikhil Dutta, Nitish Kumar and Hamza Tariq were drafted by teams competing in the Carribean Premier League but saw little or limited playing time; nethertheless, their selection illustrates the potential of professional opportunities for Canada’s top players.
The Provinces
Cricket continues to grow at the grassroots level. Alberta in particular seems to be experiencing significant growth outside of the main urban centres, with this site featuring stories of new initiatives in Fort MacMurray, Cold Lake, Lethbridge, St. Paul, and Pincher Creek. Further north, for the first time we featured reports of cricket in the Yukon, meaning that the sport is active in every province and territory bar the NWT.
Western Canadian cricket is embracing “Big Bash” tournaments, T20 competitions with substantial prize money, featuring local squads bolstered by paid imports. The format has now spread to BC, Saskatchewan, and Alberta, and seems popular, as well as providing opportunities for players at the national level to earn some money through cricket.
While the Big Bashes flourished, the Western John Ross Robertson Tournament was cancelled following the very late withdrawal of teams from BC and Alberta. Ray Ramrattan, president of the hosts Cosmos club posted on Facebook as follows:-
“Cosmos and the Manitoba Cricket Association put in a lot of time and energy into preparing for this tournament. For the visitors to pull out a mere two days before the start is a slap in the face, blatant disregard for common decency, selfish and a tragedy towards a long standing tradition. Sincerely hope that the break lasts only this year.”
Ontario cricket has experienced a serious divide over the last few years, with two competing bodies claiming to represent the province- the Cricket Council of Ontario, and the Ontario Cricket Association. Fortunately these differences now appear to be resolved with a joint statement issued in July.
Saskatchewan also had been in limbo due to governance issues, but these were resolved with the assistance of arbitration, and cricket continues to grow there.
Alberta won the Western T20 tournament, and Quebec the Eastern, despite being beaten by Newfoundland and Labrador.
Space precludes a full review of the various leagues across Canada. Our league standings page provides a snapshot, but we’d welcome any contributions providing a more detailed picture.
Conclusions
2016 saw the loss of two major figures in Canadian cricket. Bhan Deoranine was a leading light in Nova Scotian cricket, and also a force on the national scene died in August. We also lost Johnny Bujan, former national team manger, TDCA board member and tireless worker for cricket in the Toronto area, who died in April . May they rest in peace.
In the 2016 Wisden, Faraz Sarwat wrote that “through a witch’s brew of ignorance, incompetence, unaccountability and even spite, Canada’s administrators have run the game into the frozen ground”. 2016 has brought more positive news, albeit not marked by international success. It is to be hoped that 2017 will show the results through strong performasnces at the ICC Division 3 tournament, finally establishing a proper governance structure at national level, and by building on the high performance structure put in place. At grass roots level, cricket is surviving, but not flourishing, hampered by lack of infrastructure and support. There remain massive challenges.
In conclusion I wish all involved in cricket in Canada a very happy and successful 2017, from the national team down to those trying to get cricket established in the “wilderness”. I also thank all those who have supported and contributed to this site in 2016, with particular thanks to Eddie Norfolk for his tireless coverage of grass roots cricket wherever it is played in Canada.
Dave Liverman