Cricket Canada Wickets

Cricket Canada's Monthly Online Magazine

    

CONTENTS 

Canada’s Red Army In Quest For Namibia Glory



Monty Desai New Coach At The Helm



Cricket Canada Seeks To Develop Elite Players & Winning Teams



Halifax Cricket League On The Up And Up!



Toronto Cricket, Skating And Curling Club One Of Canada’s Finest For Almost 200 Years!



World Cup Lookback: Murray, Roberts Thwart Pakistan



Money Matters: Engaging In Volatile Markets - Dollar Cost Averaging



World Cup Lookback: Kalli Tames Lillee And Thommo



Caribbean Premier League Draft Set For 22 May 2019!



World Cup 2019 Shane Warne Thinks Australia Can Win

WICKETS

3

  The months ahead should prove to be very interesting in terms of the further development of Canadian Cricket. Come April, Canada’s Red Army Senior Team will be of to Namibia to face its rivals in a quest for ICC Division II Qualification.

February 2019 TMac Enterprises

Having undergone a rigorous training camp in Sri Lanka and with its new Coach, Monty Deasi, in charge the expectations are very high for Canada to do well in Namibia.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

On the distaff side Canada’s Women’s cricketers have also begun their training for an attempt on qualification for the next ICC Women’s World Cup. All eyes will therefore soon be on the Lady Reds, when they begin their quest for international glory.

CONTRIBUTORS

Further afield West Indies cricket fans the world over are now rejoicing at the news that Dave Cameron's controversial six year reign as Cricket West Indies’ President has finally ended. Pitted against former West Indies team manager Ricky Skerritt, Cameron lost by an 8-4 margin after the March 24 elections were conducted through a secret ballot.

132 Mullen Drive Ajax, Ontario L1T 2A4

Tony McWatt www.caribgraphic.com Colin Benjamin Frederick Halley Tony McWatt Richa Prabhakar Phillip Spooner

PHOTOGRAPHY Lynette Balram

GRAPHIC DESIGN BlueFlower Media

Emmanuel Nanthan, who was also standing for a fourth term as Cameron's deputy, was defeated by the same margin by Kishore Shallow, an entrepreneur, and president of the St Vincent & The Grenadines Cricket Association. Both Skerritt, who is 62, and Shallow, 35, are also CWI directors.

Cameron had to swallow the embarrassment of defeat on home turf after he is understood to have moved the CWI annual general meeting to Jamaica. The turnaround would have come as a major surprise for Cameron, who was part of the CWI for 17 years, having taken charge as board president in March 2013, replacing Julien Hunte, before which he was a vice president of the board.

Cameron served in the president's seat for three terms.

When the nominations for the elections were closed on February 24, Cameron and Nanthan were nominated twice: by the Windward Islands Cricket Board of Control (WICBC) and seconded by the Guyana Cricket Board (GCB), with the second hand of backing coming from his native Jamaica Cricket Association (JCA), subsequently seconded by the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA).

The opposition camp of Skerritt and Shallow were nominated by the Leeward Islands Cricket Board (LICB) and seconded by the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB).

Each of the six territorial boards (JCA, BCA, WICB, LICB, TTCB and Guyana Cricket Association) had two votes each. The votes can be cast by two representatives nominated by each of the territorial boards.

Placeholder for Cover

Cricket Canada's Monthly Online Magazine

 

WICKETS

  

4

Cricket Canada Wickets is published monthly by TMac Enterprises for online distribution. All rights reserved.

Reproduction of this publication in whole or part should be with the Publisher's permissions only.

Cameron’s ouster might be a bit of setback for Canada, at least initially as he and Cricket Canada’s President Ramjet Saini had developed a close relationship within the past few years. A relationship which Canadian Cricket had benefited from significantly, especially within the past two years with several top ranked Caribbean players, as well as a West Indies B Team, being involved in last year’s Global T20 Tournament. There was also the participation of the West Indies Development Team in the Inaugural CricketFest that was hosted by Cricket Canada as well as the Canadian Red Army Senior Team’s participation in Cricket West Indies Regional Super50 Competition last October.

With Cameron now no longer in the picture Cricket Canada’s President Ranjit Saini will have to try to develop a relationship with the Cricket West Indies’ new Head, Ricky Skerritt that he will hope can be just as fruitful to the benefit of Canadian Cricket. While the rest of the cricketing world watches to see how West Indies cricket evolves under its new leadership, Canadian interest will be far more focused on monitoring the developing rapport between the Presidential heads of Cricket Canada and Cricket West Indies.

Interesting times lie ahead!

Source: Cricinfo

’ 

The 2019 ICC World Cricket League Divi-

replaced by the ICC Cricket World Cup

sion Two has been scheduled to take place

League and the ICC Cricket World Cup

in Namibia from April 20-27, 2019. It forms

Challenge League. The top four teams will

part of the 2017–19 cycle of the World

join Scotland, Nepal and the United Arab

Cricket League (WCL) which will determine

Emirates in the 2019–21 ICC Cricket World

the qualification for the 2023 Cricket World

Cup League 2 and gain ODI status. The

Cup.

bottom two teams will progress to the 2019–21 ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League, along with other teams from the

ment, the World Cricket League will be

World Cricket League.

WICKETS

Following the conclusion of the tourna-

5

The Six teams that have Qualified to participate in the Namibia hosted April 20-27

Tournament

Canada,

Hong

are

Kong,

Namibia, Oman, Papua New

Guinea

and

the

United States. The Canadians will open their campaign with an April 20 fixture against Hong Kong at the Wanders Affies Park.

Canada’s

remaining

matches in the Tournament will be on April 21 versus Oman; April 23 against Namibia; April 24 vs Papua New Guinea and on April 26 versus their key rivals the

Lanka, once it became clear that no other

United States. The top two teams from the

place provided much needed quality

Round Robin stage will contest the April 27

opposition and training arrangements.

Final.

Institute of Sports (IOS), from Nagpur India, who have a long history of relation-

As part of its Namibia preparations Cricket

ship with Cricket Canada were able to

Canada has managed to secure somewhat

make all required arrangements to sup-

last minute arrangements for a Red Army

port Cricket Canada athletes training for

practice tour to Sri Lanka. Several other

the qualifier.

training venues were considered, including those in Antigua, Trinidad and South

As a result the Canadian Senior Men’s

Africa but Sri Lanka was eventually identi-

squad has been practicing hard in Sri

fies as the preferred choice.

Lanka ahead of the WCL 2 Qualifiers. The

WICKETS

squad held its first practice session at

6

The puzzle was solved in favour of Sri

Panadura Ground on 10th March 2019.

eve of starting of the qualifier in Namibia in April 2019.

Players: Bhavindu Shakya Adhihetty, David Johan Jacobs (Captain), Dilon Alex Heyliger Harsh Thaker, Hiral Dashrathbhai Patel, Mark Montfort, Navneet Singh Dhaliwal Nikhil Dutta, Nitish Roenick Kumar, Ravinderpal Singh, Rodrigo Augustine Thomas Romesh Eranga Galkandage Don, Ruvindu T Gunasekera, Saad Bin Zafar, Srimantha Adrian Wijeyeratne, Sukhdeep Singh Brar, Varun Sehdev Coaching Staff: Daulat Khan, Henry Osinde

This world class training tour includes, cricket, mental and physical fitness as well as strategy sessions among other things. The training management has enforced a strict diet and training regime.

The training is focused around team work, developing new skills and acclimatisation to foreign environments.

Following is the list of players and coaching staff, that were training in qualifier shall be selected after the pre tour to South Africa and on the

WICKETS

Sri Lanka. The final team for the

7

  Andhra Cricket Association and Lyca Kowal Kings (TNPL).

Monty has a proven track record of bringing out the best of whichever team he has been part of. He was the batting coach of the Afghanistan National Team who were the Champions of 2019 ICC World cup Qualifiers.

Also, he coached Rajasthan Royals, when they qualified for the IPL Semi Finals in 2013.

In his reaction to Monty Desai’s coaching appointment Cricket Canada’s President Ranjit Saini said “Monty is a great addition to any team and Cricket Canada will benefit from the rich experience he brings to the table. Monty’s expertise would be the much-needed strategic support to the senior men’s team as Cricket Canada embarks on a hectic schedule this month onwards.”. Mr. Saini went on to say that “I have known Monty for many years and seen him grow as a successful coach. His willingness to support Cricket Canada is much appreciated. This is the best it can get and we are all excited”

WICKETS

Cricket Canada has announced that Internationally acclaimed and well known cricket coach Monty Desai has been appointed as the Head Coach of the Cricket Canada senior men’s squad for the upcoming 2019 ICC World Cricket League Division 2 qualifiers.

8

Other than providing coaching assistance to the IPL Teams such as Rajasthan Royal and Gujrat Lions, Monty has an abundant coaching history with various teams in the past, including Afghanistan, Nepal, many regional squads in India and Cricket Canada as well.

Monty brings with him vast experience of over twelve years at National and International levels. He is currently the head coach for

Cricket Canada’s Red Army Senior Men’s Squad is currently undergoing intense training in Sri Lanka as a precursor to the Division 2 qualifiers, scheduled to be held in Namibia.

Monty is currently with the team in Sri Lanka and is carefully analysing each player’s performance as they undergo their vigorous preparation. Monty has previously worked with many of the Canadian players and is well known to the staff.

Mohammed Shaikh, Director in portfolio of the national teams, welcomed Monty Desai as the head coach and said “It’s a great excitement that Monty Desai is our head coach. We are con-

fident in his skills that will lead us to the top of the qualifier. In an illustrious coaching career, Desai is known for his successful and well documented contributions”.

"It has been thrilling to spend these last few days in Sri Lanka with a combination of seasoned players with whom I have previously engaged after having gained additional experience myself.”

"At the same time, the new faces to this game, are equally good, and bring their own unique value to the team. It is evident that we are working with a wide range of skills, and along with the wealth of experience brought by our captain Davy Jacobs. It is easy to be very optimistic at the onset of this journey."

Cricket Canada looks forward to bringing vast improvement and precision in its performance ahead of WCL Div 2 Qualifiers next month where Canada is placed with strong opponents in Hong Kong, Namibia, Oman, Papua New Guinea, and the United States.

The matches would be in a round-robin format with Canada facing Hong Kong in its

first match on 20th April 2019.

During his days as an IPL talent scout Desai developed some paticular mannerisms that quickly became famous with the league. “He sneaks in quietly. He prefers to stay invisible. But he is always on the lookout. There is a black book tucked under his right arm. A pen clipped to the book. Club cricketers come and say hello. Monty Desai acknowledges them quietly and shifts his focus immediately to the match he has come to watch at the Wankhede Stadium!”

Desai was one of the main talent scouts at Rajasthan Royals, one of the two IPL franchises suspended by the Lodha Committee for two years as a fallout of the probe into the 2013 IPL corruption scandal. Desai's contract expired on December 31, 2015 Desai's database is a black A4-size diary in which he has noted down names since 2008, when he joined Royals. Although he was on the lookout for all kind of players, Desai confessed that he has a soft corner for bowlers. What he is looking at, more than anything else, is how the player reacts to different situations. "Bowling is

WICKETS

Desai was thrilled about taking charge of the national team for a crucial tournament. "There is an excitement to begin this journey, where so much is at stake as six countries will be participating in the ICC World Cricket League, Division II Tournament, in Namibia next month," he was quoted as saying by cricketcanada.org.

9

they had signed up and for Desai to help them identify names that can fill gaps in their squads. "Clearly I know the player's strengths and weakness and where exactly he can play a role and the new franchises are asking me that."

something which has always been taken as labour class in our game," he says. "But if somebody has the courage, after being hit for a six, to come back and bowl a beautiful yorker and get a dot ball, I don't know how many people are able to watch and store that data. The bowler's figures could read four overs for 40 but out of that there might have been only two or three bad balls. So that is what I am looking for."

A thorough Mumbaikar, Desai graduated as a mechanical engineer, and is a Level 3 certified coach who was involved for three years as an assistant coach with the World Cricket Academy. There, he met the likes of Andy Flower, a "dear friend and mentor", who was then the Essex coach.

WICKETS

"I enjoy the fact that my eyes have seen everything: from grassroots cricket to the pathways of somebody who has represented the country like Ajinkya Rahane, Stuart Binny, Ravindra Jadeja.

Players who were with Royals before ending up with the Indian team."

10

Desai knew his experience as a scout with Royals would not go to waste. Two IPL franchises had expressed their interest in him. But he wanted a long-term role that would allow him to "build" teams, which remains his primary goal and desire. The franchises also wanted to know about the unknown players

Desai says he is proud to have been part of the scouting team that identified unknown and little-known names such as Pravin Tambe, Dinesh Salunkhe and Sanju Samson and offered them a platform. He considers himself just another cricket fan who is interested in watching the game. The only difference is that he is always on the lookout for talent.

"It keeps you in touch," he says. "It keeps you not rusty. And it is a good way to keep on adding to my database. Never know when I can use it."

 

Under the Elite Player Development Core the strategic objectives that have been identified for fulfillment are as follows: Talent identification, development and retention; Development of HP infrastructure; Organize High level competition; Development of high level coaches and officials and the development of an Accredited Academy System.

As a means of fulfilling these Elite Player development core objectives Cricket Canada has also identified a number of strategic initiatives that should be implemented. These are listed as follows:

• Monitor and improve elite player fitness (physical and mental) • Develop national and regional high performance centers • Develop elite player monitoring database (fitness, match performance etc.)

• Develop capacity for pre-match analysis and preparation • Develop talent scouting program • Start new elite league/ competition in Canada • Accreditation programme for private academies

WICKETS

Developing Elite Players and Winning Teams are the two final core objectives of Cricket Canada’s adopted Strategic Plan.

11

• The number of high-level coaches.

• The number of participants in HP programmes.

• The number of high level umpires.

• The number of leagues achieving HP status.

• The number of high performance games/ year.

• Develop elite/ high level coaches • Develop high level officials through training, experience and incentives to improve qualifications • Develop player retention strategy targeting transition from youth to senior, senior player contracts, post retirement retention (coaches, scouts, selectors)

WICKETS

Cricket Canada has also established a series of Metrics, as a means of monitoring its progress on the implementation of the foregoing strategic initiatives. The Metrics that have been identified to serve as a measuring stick on Cricket Canada’s implementation of its established Elite Player Development Strategic Initiatives are as follows:

12

• The number of players making transition from HP programmes to national teams.

In regard to its Core Objective to develop Winning Teams, the Strategic Objectives that have been identified for fulfillment are to improve the performance of representative teams through the use of state of the art training techniques that are designed to develop and increase the following: Physical Fitness; Cricket Skills; Mental Fitness; Team/Match Preparation and Performance Monitoring.

As with its Elite Player Development Strategic Module, Cricket Canada has also identified a series of Metrics that can be used as yardsticks to measure its actual progress being made on the implementation of its Winning Teams Strategic initiatives. These are as follows:

• Fitness levels of national player pools • Individual player performance analysis/ ratio of positive trends • Number of high performance matches played by each player • Run rate curve for batting performance • Economy rate for bowling performance • Number of players (male, female, junior) • Sponsorship revenue • % ICC contribution to revenues

Several international tournaments have been scheduled for Canadian teams to compete in this year, beginning with the April ICC Division II Qualifiers in Namibia. As such come this December there should definitely be sufficient evidence available as to allow judgment on the extent to which Cricket Canada has fulfilled its established Elite Player Development and Winning Teams Strategic Objectives.

WICKETS

• One day match ranking

13

Nova Scotia Cricket Association - Halifax Cricket League On The Up And Up!

WICKETS

The Halifax Cricket League (HCL) has undergone significant change in the previous 12 months as the sport booms in the Province of Nova Scotia.

14

Prior to 2018, the League ran as one Division of 3-4 teams managed by the Nova Scotia Cricket Association (NSCA). The 2018 season witnessed the introduction of a two-Division structure, with each of the 4 squads (Halifax

Blue, Gold, Green and Red) each expanding to 30 players and fielding teams in two divisions.

The addition of Division 2 was a resounding success, with many players new and old receiving significantly increased opportunities in the absence of provincial standard players. The resulting impact on Division 1 was a noticeable increase in the competitiveness and skill level as teams were able to place greater emphasis on performance, as all players were receiving

This restructuring is intended to have many benefits. Firstly, it gives clubs autonomy to run their own affairs and allow competitive forces

The NSCA has a long and proud history, and the future is looking very exciting for cricket in Nova Scotia.

WICKETS

Over the 2018-19 offseason, the NSCA has continued the evolution of the HCL by dissolving the 4 League managed squads and creating an independent club structure in its place.

Emerging from the shadows of the previous squads are four brand new clubs. East Coast Cricket Club, Halifax Cricket Club, Nova Scotia Avengers Cricket Club and Titans Cricket Club have formed over recent months and are showing great progress in readiness for the 2019 Season. The League will continue to be played in 2 divisions, with each club having a Division 1 and Division 2 team.

to increase the standards of each. From a NSCA perspective, this new structure allows the HCL to be managed by a sub-committee with delegates appointed from each of the 4 clubs, removing the provincial body from day-to-day league management and allowing focus to pivot to broader growth of the sport within Nova Scotia. there will be a continuing investment into the high performance and provincial team programs to ensure Nova Scotia’s proud record of top 2 finishes at every Eastern T20 championship held to date is maintained, on top of producing players who can contribute at the national level. Increasing the volume and qualifications of coaches and umpires will receive greater focus. And most importantly, the NSCA now has the capacity to grow participation in the junior and women’s categories, as well as in regional areas throughout the province.

adequate opportunities. Numerous new players started the season in Division 2 and pushed their way into Division 1 as time progressed, benefiting from opportunities to impress early in the season that they may not have previously received.

15

From May to September, TCSCC’s cricket players, from the beginner to the competitive athlete, have the oppor- tunity to participate in its outdoor cricket program. Competitive players train indoors during the off- season.

 ’ Cricket at the Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club (TCSCC) dates back to 1827 and has continued with a long tradition of distinction in the sport. The Club boasts one of the finest cricket pitches in North America.

The Club also offers a "Stragglers" program for those who still enjoy playing a competitive match against visiting teams and touring sides. Cricket is one of TCSCC’s founding sports and remains a dynamic and challenging program at the Cricket Club.

The history of Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club dates back to 1827, when the Toronto Cricket Club was founded. The Toronto Curling Club was organized in 1836 and the Toronto Skating Club was officially founded in 1895.

The years 1956 and 1957 were exciting for many Toronto sports enthusiasts. In 1956, amalgamation of the old Toronto Cricket Club and the Toronto Skating Club took place, followed in 1957 by the inclusion of the Toronto Curling Club. It was such a brilliant and sensible thing to happen and was the result of a process that began in 1954.

At some point that year, four men sat on the Veranda Lounge of the Toronto Cricket Club to discuss the future of the two clubs they represented, the Toronto Cricket Club and the Toronto Skating Club.

All three clubs, which eventually became the Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club, faced problems of being seasonal. Each had bought property, erected a clubhouse, and constructed playing surfaces. In every case, the large capital expenditure was fully utilized for only six months of the year. The Toronto Cricket Club had a large land area for expansion, but limited operating capital. The Toronto Skating Club had capital but no space for expansion.

WICKETS

The Toronto Skating Club, at 568 Dupont Street, needed space for training skaters as well as rehearsal space for its popular revenue-raising carnivals. In this post-war period, the popularity of professional ice shows and the construction of free, outdoor skating rinks meant a major reduction in revenue. Moreover, most of its members now lived north of St. Clair Avenue.

16

647-669-9320

The Toronto Cricket Club at its Armour Heights property was facing its own problems. With little or no support in the public school system, cricket was not a popular sport in Canada. Only those few schools associated with the Anglican Church

amalgamation. Special general meetings of the Toronto cricket Club took place in June and October, 1956.

On Monday, June 18, 1956, all eyes were on a 25-cent coin as it was tossed in the air to determine whether the word "cricket" or "skating" would come first in the name of a proposed new club. On that historic evening, J.L. Bonus, second vice-president of the Toronto Cricket Club, tossed the coin. F.J. Boland, president of the Toronto Skating Club, called "heads" but lost the toss, and the newly amalgamated club became known as the Toronto Cricket and Skating Club.

The coin used in the toss is in the Club's archives, still carefully taped to a yellowing piece of paper on which is typed the account of its historic role.

of Canada fielded teams and, even there, the shortening of the school year from September to May had an impact on the sport. Thus, the Toronto Cricket Club could not attain and sustain a membership sufficiently large to cover its annual expenses. During its leanest years it survived by selling off lots on the periphery of its Wilson Avenue property including lots to the east which fronted on Saunders Street, named after Dyce Saunders, a club member in the late 19th century.

At the same time, the Toronto Curling Club was facing expropriation of its clubhouse and property on Huron Street by the University of Toronto.

The three clubs had their problems but each also had assets.

The skating club owned valuable midtown property and had a substantial bank account from its early successful carnivals. The cricket club sat on ten acres of land. The curling club also owned a valuable property that would bring a considerable price from the university and, as well, it had a sizable bank balance.

Thus, there was sufficient enthusiasm for amalgamation.

By joining forces, a new club could remain open year-round, avoid staff layoffs and offer members an expanded repertoire of sporting and socializing activities.

In April 1957, the membership of the newly merged club voted unanimously to expand the recent merger by adding the third club, the Toronto Curling Club. Its name was affixed to the end of the new club's name making it the Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club.

At amalgamation, new club members were anxious to preserve and nurture the qualities that had shaped each of the three entities into strong, dedicated communities.

Considerable care and activity went into ensuring that the club partners enjoyed equal participation. For example, the presidency of the new club was rotated between members of the original three for the first three years.

Measures such as this helped to weave three different groups into a unified and active organization.

Today the Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club continues to serve as a vital community for individuals, families and sports enthusiasts.

In the 60 years since amalgamation, the Club's membership has nearly doubled, and the regulations and facilities have evolved to meet the changing tastes of each generation. What hasn't changed is the original vision and pursuit of excellence that was at the heart of the Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club in 1957. The Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club fields competitive teams in the Toronto & District Cricket League.

A committee was struck with J.A. (Sandy) McKechnie, a member of the Toronto Skating Club, and eight men representing both clubs.

The committee worked for almost a year to put together an amalgamation proposal.

On March 12, 1956, at a meeting of the Toronto Skating Club held at the Royal Ontario Museum, a majority of members voted overwhelmingly for

WICKETS

During this time, legal counsel was working to sort out the myriad legal issues involved in the amalgamation of three historic clubs.

17

’   With the conclusion of the trials for the National Squad in Feb 2019 a group of 18 players have had the opportunity to propel their game to the next level by participating in a rigorous training camp. The expectations from the squad are high as a great responsibility has been placed upon them. The squad is a good mix of experienced and young talent that will now have to translate the preparation into performance.

WICKETS

Never before, in the history of women’s cricket in Canada has so much support been forth-

18

coming to a team to prepare itself for international competition. As the training continues, the squad is preparing to embark on a first ever preparatory tour overseas that will give them an opportunity to put all the training and plans together and to develop some game savviness and a winning mindset.

Most notably, there has been a great spirit and enthusiasm in the camp. Players, particularly the newer and younger players have acknowledged that they have benefitted from the focused attention received in a competitive setting and are more eager than ever to learn and improve on their skills.

From the perspective of one of the selectors “We should endeavor to create a situation where the newcomers to a team are able to constantly challenge the senior players to ensure that the drive to improve is constantly on.”

The road ahead is challenging.

Defending the title that was won in 2012, followed by a long period of lack of competitive opportunities will require that all players come out with guns blazing and a steely determination to succeed at all cost.

It is important that we raise awareness of women’s cricket in Canada and hopefully as a result we will get more players, followers and patrons.

WICKETS

Cricket Canada National Women’s Training Squad Achini Perera, Hiba Shamshad, Kainat Qazi, Shefali Moorty, Sonali Vig, Mahwish Khan, Hala Azmat, Kamna Mirchandani, Mahrukh Imtiaz, Monalisa Chimutashu, Chuntell Martin, Maliha Baig, Miryam Khokhar, Amnajit Virk, Nicole Samuels, Terisha Bess, Saniyah Zia, Habeeba Bader.

19

Investing in Volatile Markets – Dollar -Cost Averaging “Markets have been volatile...Is now the right time to invest? Do I have enough money set aside to make an RRSP contribution before the deadline?”

When the RRSP deadline approaches, these are common questions that many Canadians are asking themselves in the months of January and February each year. They can sometimes lead you to experience undue stress both financially and psychologically. But what if you could do something to make both of these questions irrelevant?

Starting a dollar-cost averaging strategy by setting up automatic pre-authorized contributions directly from your chequing account into your RRSP can solve both of these dilemmas. And it’s easier than you think.

WICKETS

How does it work?

The concept is simple. Set up automatic withdrawals from your chequing account on a regular basis that are sent directly to your RRSP and immediately invested.

This can be set up as a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly contribution to ensure you are always saving. The more you can save each period the better but you can start doing this at as low as $25 per contribution. The institution where you have your chequing account does not need to be the one where the RRSP contribution is sent and every financial institution in the country can facilitate this. It is usually just a matter of signing off on a form or two.

20

What is Dollar-Cost Averaging?

Dollar-cost averaging is a very simple yet effective strategy that involves investing a fixed-dollar amount on regular intervals as described above. Investing a fixed-dollar amount allows you to buy more units of the investment when prices fall and fewer units are bought when prices rise. This can result in lowering your average unit cost over time which reduces the concern of buying high or poor market timing. You need not concern yourself with whether now is the right time to invest as you will always be investing. It ensures you never miss out on market gains or recoveries by always

being invested. I’ve provided three examples below to help illustrate how this works and the potential benefit over the long term.

Figure 1 In Figure 1 above, you can see the dollar-cost averaging approach in comparison with a lump sum purchase of an investment. Rather than making a single lump-sum investment in January, the investor contributes $100 each month into the same investment at the current price of the investment on that date. Over the 6 month period the investment price fluctuates from $10 down to $8 and eventually rises back up to $11. The investor’s $100 buys more units when the investment price has dropped, like in March, and fewer units in June when it is higher. In total, they invested $600 and were able to purchase 65 units. This works out to an average price of $9.23 per unit. If they had invested the entire $600 in January they would have only purchased 60 units with an average price of $10 per unit. In this example, if the investor cashed out the investment at the end of June they would have actually achieved a better return as a result of the investment dropping in value over certain periods than they would have if they invested as a lump-sum.

It is important to note that if the investment had gone straight up that the average cost per unit on the dollar-cost averaging strategy would be higher and the return in the end would be lower than the lump-sum approach. However, since we have no way to predict the fluctuations the dollar-cost averaging approach will always reduce the possibility of buying high and selling low. We will explore this in the second example on the next page.

In this similar example, the investment price rose to a high of $11 in February, reached a low of $8 in April and finished below the initial investment price in June closing at $9. This is an example where the dollar-cost

the most challenging 10-year periods to invest, January 31 2008 – January 31, 2018. The graphs below show the results if you had bought the S&P/TSX Composite Index as a $12,000 lump sum at the beginning of the 10 years versus someone investing $100 at the end of each month over the 10 year period.

averaging investor wound up buying higher at certain periods and sold at a lower price than their initial purchase in the end.

As you can see, despite buying an identical investment the two approaches produced markedly different results. Since the investment was down at the end of the period the lump-sum approach resulted in a loss.

Meanwhile the dollar-cost averaging approach resulted in a modest gain due to acquiring additional shares while the investment price was lower.

In our final example we will compare real investment results using actual historical market data from one of

Data source: Morningstar.ca

Data source: Morningstar.ca

As you can see, the results are actually quite similar in the end. The lump sum investor finishes with $14,551 at the end of the 10-year period while the dollar-cost averaging investor finishes marginally ahead at $14,832.

The difference between the two strategies is the experience of the investor. The lump sum investor is in negative territory approximately 47% of the time while the dollar-cost averaging investor is only in negative territory 16% of the time. Again, if the investment had simply gone straight up the dollar-cost averaging would not have benefitted the investor since they would have been buying at higher and higher prices. However, we cannot predict what types of fluctuations the investment will experience and they do not go up in straight lines.

Setting up pre-authorized contributions on a periodic basis (bi-weekly, monthly, etc.) will ensure a disciplined approach to saving that will prevent you from having to scramble to come up with some cash at the RRSP deadline. It will make it easier for you to save and result in less short-term pain in terms of budgeting and spending by avoiding the spending crunch required for you to save up a decent sum of money in a short period of time. It should also reduce any concerns you have about stock market volatility and prevent you from attempting to time the market. It keeps you invested over the long term and reduces the potential for emotional investing decisions.

Make your life simpler and more worry-free by setting up automatic pre-authorized contributions to your RRSP (or TFSA) today.

WICKETS

Figure 2

21

WICKETS

Caribbean Premier League Draft Set For 22 May 2019!

22

The Hero Caribbean Premier League’s player’s draft will take place on Wednesday 22 May 2019 at the Gfinity eSports Arena in London.

The state-of-the-art production facility will

allow CPL fans from around the globe to follow the action which will be hosted by a world-class panel of pundits.

Full details of where the draft will be broadcast will be confirmed nearer the date of the event.

Each of the teams will have the option to retain a maximum of six players. The players that they can potentially retain is as follows, although there is no obligation to retain any players from the 2018 squads.

Lynn, Kieron Pollard, Shoaib Malik, Evin Lewis, AB de Villiers and Steve Smith. Each team can draft a maximum of five overseas players but only four of these players will be allowed in each starting XI. The ICC Americas player does not count in this overseas category.

Speaking about the upcoming draft, Michael Hall, the CPL’s Tournament Operations Director said: “This year’s player draft promises to be even better than previous editions. We made the decision to stage the draft 2 months later than usual to ensure that all of our franchises have a clearer picture about the international commitments of the overseas players they may be eyeing up. We want to make sure that we provide teams and the fans with the best possible playing talent.”

Three (3) West Indian players One (1) Overseas player.

The team’s Marquee Player from 2018 The team’s ICC Americas Player from 2018 As well as the maximum of six retentions teams are also allowed one “Right to Match” option in rounds 7-17. This means that if a team selects a player who is a national from another team’s franchise territory that team can match the offer and draft the player ahead of the team who selected them originally.

In the past, players who were selected in this spot included the likes of Chris

WICKETS

The Marquee Players may be signed before the draft and will sit in the second spot on the draft list.

23

World Cup Throwback 1975: Murray-Roberts Thwart Pakistan!

West Indies and Pakistan, the unpredictables of cricket, produced the first thriller of the inaugural World Cup. Majid Khan took over as Pakistan captain from Asif Iqbal, who was ill, and chose to bat. Most of the Pakistan batsmen were plying their trade on the county circuit, and that came handy when they faced Andy Roberts, Keith Boyce, Bernard Julien and Vanburn Holder.

Mushtaq Mohammad made a watchful half-century, Wasim Raja made a fifty too, and Majid top-scored with 60. But was 260 enough against the versatility of Clive Lloyd's men?

Mushtaq was not sure. "Anything in the region of 260 was a very good winning target. But against West Indies, we were apprehensive as they had a mighty batting order."

His fears were allayed when the livewire Sarfraz Nawaz snapped up three quick wickets - Gordon Greenidge, Roy

Fredericks and Alvin Kallicharran. Soon, 36 for 3 became 99 for 5. Lloyd was still there when Deryck Murray joined him.

But once again, Pakistan struck. Javed Miandad was known as an upcoming young bat, but little did West Indies know that he could also give the ball a tweak. Lloyd departed in dubious circumstances, given out to a googly.

There were plenty of overs left, but Murray was running out of partners. At 203 for 9, Mushtaq bet his last dime: "No way were they going to win."

But two pesky batsmen were at the crease: Murray was known to keep his cool in tight situations and Roberts was no rabbit. There were still 16 overs left and Murray needed to make sure Roberts batted till the end.

Majid bowled Sarfraz out could get him that one Ultimately, five runs were over. Majid had to pick options and he chose Raja.

in the hope that he wicket. It backfired. required off the last from the remaining

WICKETS

Roberts tried to pull the first one and missed, but the ball hit his pads and they ran two. They then stole another two to midwicket, taking advantage of the fielders not having been brought in, to tie the scores. Was there a further twist in store? It wasn't to be, as the batsmen had decided to run no matter where the ball went.

24

West Indies won, but the Man-of-the-Match award went to Sarfraz, after Tom Graveney, the adjudicator, missed the last bit of West Indies' innings.

Source: Cricinfo

settle. When the two sides had met in the Caribbean in 1972-73, he had been singled out for attention by the Australians and been given a verbal going-over.

He went after the bowlers from the off, but it was when Lillee, glowering and hostile, came back for his second spell that the fireworks started. Anything short was savagely hooked, and the faster and shorter Lillee bowled, the further the ball travelled. If he opted for an off-stump line, he was crashed through the covers off the back foot, and even when he found the edge, the ball fizzed to the boundary.

In ten balls from one to the other, the sequence went 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 1, 4, 6, 0, 4 - 35 runs. The crowd went delirious, and Lillee's scowling only egged them on. He finally had Kallicharran for 78, skying an attempted pull to midwicket, but by that time the proverbial horse had bolted. Seven days later, the two sides met again in the final.

Source: Cricinfo West Indies v Australia at The Oval was the most anticipated match of the group stages, pitting the Australia pace attack that had destroyed England the previous winter against some of the game's great strokemakers. And while the match itself was disappointing - West Indies romped to a seven-wicket win with 14 overs to spare - the clash between Dennis Lillee and Alvin Kallicharran was riveting.

In reply, Gordon Greenidge fell early and that brought Kallicharran to the middle.

The pitch was hardly conducive to fast bowling but Lillee, steaming in from the Vauxhall End, was fired up. Kallicharran, only 5'4", bareheaded, and with his shirt unbuttoned halfway down, decided to meet fire with fire. He had a score to

WICKETS

The Oval was overcast and sticky, and the packed terraces and impromptu steel bands made it seem more Kensington Oval than Kennington. There were also far more inside than the official 25,000 capacity, as walls were scaled and turnstiles stormed. Australia batted first and were bowled out for 192, which they got thanks largely to a sixth-wicket stand of 99 between Ross Edwards and Rod Marsh.

25



A week after Australia completed a dramatic series victory in India by winning their last three matches, ending a dismal run of 22 defeats in 26 completed one-day internationals, Shane Warne believes the team are once again striking fear into opponents and can be spurred to World Cup glory by the reintegration of David Warner and Steve Smith.

Warner and Smith’s 12-month bans for ball-tampering came to an end this month and they will be free to join up with the rest of the World Cup squad when they get together for a training camp in April.

I think Australia have just started to believe they can win again and I think other teams are now saying, ‘Hang on, Australia might have just found something,’” Warne said.

“Suddenly there is a bit of fear again about playing Australia. I think no one has feared Australia in any format over the last 12 months. They always thought they could beat them but now there is a bit of worry.

WICKETS

“To win a World Cup you have to get together, create a sense of fun and you start to get on a bit of a roll together. The reintegration of Smith and Warner should be fun rather than cagey. It should be fun for those guys to get together.

26

“Smith and Warner are going to be hungry, determined and excited to be back playing rather than

worrying about answering questions.

I think they’ll just be excited to get out and play and they’ll be determined to show how much they’ve missed the game and how good they are, and that could rub off on the team and take the team with them. I don’t think there will be any issue with Smith and Warner coming back.”

Having played in six of the past eight World Cup finals, including the most recent in 2015, which they won, Australia are unused to simply making up the numbers. They are third favorites for the competition, behind the hosts and the ICC’s top-ranked side, England and India respectively.

“Australia have been pretty ordinary for the last 12 months, I think they’ve played poorly,” Warne said.

“But Australia perform really well in big tournaments. You add Smith and Warner back into that side and they’re going to give it a shake.

“England have so many match-winners. I love the style of cricket they play. They’re very well led by Eoin Morgan, and this is the best chance they’ve have had in recent times. India – anyone with Virat Kohli in their side has to be in with a chance, and their bowling attack is very good. So those two go in as favorites, Australia will be there as well, and I think the fourth [semi-final] spot literally could be any one of the other sides.”

Warne may be convinced Warner and Smith can flourish at the World Cup but he is also certain they will have to withstand constant abuse from the English crowds. “I’d be disappointed if the fans didn’t give it to them. They’re going to absolutely give it to them,” he said.

“Even if they hadn’t been out for a year, they were still going to get nailed by the crowd, the same as the Aussies give it to England when they go to Australia. They’re completely expecting it.”

Source: Cricinfo

@cocopalmstlucia