RODRIGO THOMAS 2019 GT20’s Best Canadian Batsman.
WI C KE T S
Vol II #1 August 2019
1
CONTENTS 5
Rodrigo Thomas: 2019 GT20’s Top Canadian Batsman
TMac Enterprises 132 Mullen Drive Ajax, Ontario L1T 2A4
8
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Tony McWatt www.caribgraphic.com CONTRIBUTORS Abigail Rajkumar Eddie Norfolk Norm DaCosta Frederick Halley Tony McWatt
35
Team Canada’s Bermuda ICC T20 Qualifiers Glory Quest
Keybase Financial Money Management Basics For Professional Cricketers
38
Caribbean Premier League
16
GT20 Canada 2019 Season Review
Honors Reds 40 WI Perreira
32
Busy Times Ahead For Cricket Canada’s Men’s Teams
42
Lara, Sarwan Join West Indies India Series Training Camp
46
Euro T20 Cancelled.
VOL 2. ISSUE 1
PHOTOGRAPHY Lynette Balram GRAPHIC DESIGN Preema Graphics
Rajkumar: 34 Abigail Dedicated To
Fostering Canadian Women’s Cricket
WI C KE T S
AUGUST 2019
3
Canadian College Cricket Presents Nationals Week!
T
he Inaugural Canadian College Cricket Women’s National Championship will be taking place from September 3rd and 4th in King City, Ontario. The 5th Annual Canadian College Cricket Men’s National Championship will also be taking place from September 4th to 7th in King City, Ontario. The Championships will be followed by a Woodbine Banquet Hall, September 8 formal Awards Gala to celebrate the players’ success Canadian College Cricket is a youth focused organization that fosters the cricket community and provides a platform for youth between the ages of 18-25 to pursue a postsecondary education while playing a sport they love. This year, 20 teams and over 300 students will be participating in Nationals Week! All games will be live streamed on Canadian College Cricket’s Facebook page. Canadian College Cricket will also award scholarships to high achieving players. The purpose of the event is to continue growing cricket at a national level within the university and college spectrum, while enabling students a chance to compete competitively.
WI C KE T S
Canadian College Cricket was founded on a core belief: the national following of cricket deserves a platform to connect, to compete, and to grow. Its founders were of the belief that there is a lack of opportunity for students who played cricket in high school to continue their sport in postsecondary institutions. As such Canadian College Cricket was established to continue students’ development in cricket simultaneously with the pursuit of higher education.
4
The momentum for this sport deserves to be sustained by the demonstration of commitment among athletes and fans in both physical and digital spaces. Online, Canadian College Cricket can be found on Facebook, Instagram, and at their website. Canadian College Cricket can be followed across these platforms by all those who are interested in being kept up to date with news on cricket, upcoming events, and exciting announcements. Canadian College Cricket’s pledge is to showcase the talent of Canadian cricket players online and to develop their sport through matches on the field.
R o d r i g o T h o m a s , C a n a da’ s 2 0 1 9 G T 2 0 B at t i n g S ta r !
W
ith 291 runs from 7 innings at an average of 41.57 and a strike rate of 149.23, Rodrigo Thomas was undoubtedly the Canadian batting star of the 2019 GT20 Tournament. Playing for the Toronto Nationals, not only did Thomas outscore all of his Canadian counterparts who played in the Tournament, but he also out batted most of the other superstars as well. Only JP Duminy (332), Shaiman Anwar (296) and Chris Lynn (295) who all played for the eventual champions the Winnipeg Hawks, as well as Toronto Nationals’ Heinrich Klassen (326) had higher aggregates than Thomas during the twenty-two match Tournament.
That innings included 5 sixes and 7 fours. Along with Klaasen, who scored a 49 ball 106, Thomas added a massive 136 for the second wicket to help the National post 238 off its 20 overs at 11.9 runs an over. Incredibly it proved to be insufficient as the surging Winnipeg Hawks posted 201/5 off the 11 overs that were possible in the rain and bad light affected fixture to secure the win and progress to the next round.
WI C KE T S
As the Toronto Nationals opening batsman, Thomas’ belligerent hitting often proved to be the anchor of his team’s innings, along with that of his fellow teammate Heinrich Klassen. Thomas’ highest score was his 40 ball 73, made during the Toronto Nationals playoff match against the Winnipeg Hawks, in what proved to be his eight and final innings of the Tournament.
5
Prior to his eight match 72, Thomas had also recorded fifties in two previous matches. He scored a 47 ball 65 for the Nationals in their July 29 match against the Winnipeg Hawks. That innings included 5 sixes and 3 fours. Thomas’ second fifty of the Tournament was posted during the Toronto Nationals August 7 match against the Montreal Tigers. His 56 ball 70 in that innings included 5 sixes and as many fours. Thomas also posted a 31 ball 41 in the very first match of the Tournament, the Toronto Nationals July 25 encounter against the defending champions Vancouver Knights. His other sores in the Tournament were 28, 8, 7 and 6. Born in the Caribbean island of St Vincent, Rodrigo Thomas made his List A debut for Canada, as a left handed opening batsman, during the 2018 Caribbean Regional Super 50 Competition. He scored an attractive 55 ball 63 on debut in an innings that included 10 fours and 1 six and which brought immediate attention to his power hitting abilities. Thomas has so far appeared in 8 List A matches for Canada, amassing 169 runs at an average of 24.14 runs.
WI C KE T S
Following his outstanding 2019 GT20 exploits Thomas was expected to be a mainstay of Canada’s batting during the August 18-25, Bermuda hosted ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Americas Region Final. He however fell cheaply for just 5 in his debut T20 International match against the Cayman Islands, a disastrous start from which he never quite recovered. In his five T20 innings during the Bermuda Tournament, Thomas scored just 30 runs at a paltry average of 7.50
6
Despite the disappointments of his Bermuda returns, at just 28 years old Rodrigo Thomas is still young enough and obviously sufficiently talented to be around Canadian cricket for many more years to come. With Canada now scheduled to play quite a few more tournaments during the remaining months of this year, Thomas will certainly have more than enough opportunities to continue to prove his mettle and solidify his position at the top of the Canadian batting order.
With Rodrigo Thomas 1. City of Birth: Kingstown, St. Vincent 2. Favorite Childhood Memory: Celebrating Christmas with my family
16. Favorite Sport outside of Cricket: Basketball but I’m not good at it
3. Childhood Ambition: Pro Cricketer
17. Hobbies Outside of Cricket: Playing video games
4. Favorite School Subject: Physics
18. Favorite Toronto Restaurant: Joeys
5. Favorite Book: The Alchemist
19. Music Most Listened To: Hip Hop, Reggae, Gospel
6. Favorite Movie: Guess Who with Bernie Mac 7. Top 5 Favorite TV Shows: The Flash, Suits, Prison Break, The Walking Dead, Once Upon a Time
20. Top 5 Bucket List Items: Skydiving, fly a plane, learn to ski, vacation in Bora Bora, visit the pyramids in Egypt
8. Favorite Food: Callaloo Soup 9. Favorite Vacation Spot: Bequia, St. Vincent 10. Greatest Young Adult Influence: My Dad 11. Most Admired International Cricketer – Bowler: James Anderson 12. Most Admired International Cricketer – Batsmen: Chris Gayle, Matthew Hayden, Brian Lara, Adam Gilchrist
14. Most Memorable Cricket Moment: Being a part of the cricket team that won the first ever interschool championship 15. Cricketing Ambition: To play in a World Cup
WI C KE T S
13. Most Embarrassing Cricket Moment: Getting out on the second ball I faced when many family mebers had come to watch me bat!
7
Canada Seeking 2020 T20 World C u p Q u a l i f i c at i o n
C
anada Mens National Senior Team has headed off to Bermuda aiming to secure a place in the ICC T20 World Cup Qualifier (Global) to be played in the United Arab Emirates in October 2019. The tournament involves the four countries that advanced from two 2018 Americas Qualifiers: Bermuda, Canada, Cayman Islands and USA. Canada will need to finish in the top two to advance.
P L AY I N G R O L E
Navneet Dhaliwal Captain
RHB/RMF
Ontario
The tournament consists of a double round robin with games scheduled from August 18 until August 25.
Abraash Khan
RHB/RMF
Ontario
Cecil Pervez
RMF
Ontario
Dilon Heyliger
RMF/RHB
Ontario
The top two teams will advance to the United Arab Emirates hosted ICC T20 World Cup Qualifier (Global) to be held this coming October.
Hamza Tariq
WK/BAT
Alberta
Harsh Thaker
RHB
Ontario
Junaid Siddiqui
RALS/RHB
Ontario
Nikhil Dutta
ROS/RHB
Ontario
Nitish Kumar
RHB/ROS
Ontario
Ravinderpal Singh
RHB
British Columbia
August 21: Bermuda v Cayman (AM); USA v Canada (PM)
Rizwan Cheema
RHB
Ontario
August 22: Cayman v Canada (AM); USA v Bermuda (PM)
Rodrigo Thomas
LHB
Ontario
August 24: Cayman v USA (AM); Canada v Bermuda (PM)
Romesh Eranga
LMF
Alberta
August 25 Canada v USA (AM); Cayman v Bermuda (PM)
Saad Zafar
LOS/LHB
Ontario
August 18: Bermuda v USA (AM); Canada v Cayman (PM) August 19:Bermuda v Canada (AM); USA v Cayman (PM)
WI C KE T S
Navneet Dhaliwal has been named captain for the Canadian squad. Dhaliwal has replaced Davy Jacobs who recently withdrew from selection in deference to his business commitments. NAME
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
8
THE SELECTED CANADIAN SQUAD IS AS FOLLOWS:
P R OV I N C E
Mike Sharma
Manager
Ingleton Liburd
Interim Head Coach
Henry Osinde
Asst. Coach
Daulat Khan
Asst. Coach/Analyst
Mohin Vadiwala
Physio
WI C KE T S
MANAGEMENT STAFF:
9
CANADA’S ICC AMERICAS WT20 QUALIFIER CAMPAIGN OFF TO AN IMPRESSIVE START
T
he Canadian National Men’s Team’s Campaign to progress to the next stage of qualification for the ICC 2020 T20 World Cup got off to a most impressive start with an opening match 84 run victory over the Cayman Islands. Batting first in the August 18 encounter Canada posted 196/6 off its 20 overs then restricted the Cayman Islands to 112/7 off their 20 overs to clinch the 84 run victory. Canada’s innings was piloted by an aggressive 48 ball 101 by Ravinderpal Singh which included 6 fours and 10 sixes and was compiled at an incredible strike rate of 201.41. Singh featured in a 75 run partnership with Nitish Kumar for the third wicket after Canada had suffered the early fifth over double losses of Rodrigo Thomas for 5 and Navneet Dhaliwal for 23, to be left tottering at 29-2. Kumar’s 41 was made off of just 30 balls. His innings also included 4 boundaries and 1 six. Singh’s was eventually the sixth wicket to fall with Canada’s score then on 186 in the eighteenth over. Dillon Heyliger’s breezy 11 off just eight balls, including 1 six, then saw to Canadians to their eventual total of 196/6 at the end of the 20th over. Bowling for the Cayman Islands, Manning captured 2 wickets for just 3 runs off one over. Wright finished with figures of 2-34 off 4. Needing 197 for victory, the Cayman Islands got off to a disastrous start losing their first five wickets for only 13 runs. Canada’s Romesh Eranga captured the wickets of the opening batsmen Hauptfleisch for 1 and their number three Seneveratne for 6, from the second and fifth balls of his first over, to leave the Cayman Islands reeling at 5-2 after 2 overs. He then added a third scalp of Willis for 1 in his second over. The Cayman Islands then slipped further losing the wickets of Cato via the run out route and Manning lbw to Junaid Siddiqui without scoring to be reeling at 13-5.
WI C KE T S
A 31 run partnership between Strydom (49) and Iffill (9) restored some order to the Cayman Islands innings. Taylor (19) and Wright (16) then added 29 for the eight wicket as the Cayman Islands innings eventually closed in the 20th over with the score on 112/7. 84 runs short of the required victory target.
10
Bowling for Canada Eranga finished with figures of 3-19 off four while Siddiqui (1/10), Heyliger (1/18) and Dutta (1/30) were the other wicket takers. The opening match victory took the Canadians to a maximum two points and a second place standing behind Bermuda.
R A I N H A LT S C A N A D A’ S V I C T O R Y M A R C H A G A I N S T BERMUDA
C
anada were well on their way to victory over Bermuda when rain stopped play with only 6 balls more needed to be bowled to make the match official. The match was eventually declared a No Result with the two teams splitting one point each. Bermuda elected to bat after winning the toss, and made a solid start until Dillon Heyliger dismissed both openers. He first had Kamau Leverock caught and bowled for 11 off the final ball of his third over. In the following over he then had Okera Bascome caught by Hamza Tariq for 23 to leave the Bermudians struggling at 36-2 after 8.1 overs. Nikhil Dutta had Allan Douglas caught to make the score 43/3 in the 10th over, at which point play was halted due to heavy rain. After a lengthy delay, play resumed with the Bermuda innings reduced to 16 overs. Canada bowled well to restrict Bermuda as they hit out in the final six overs, Eranga bowling a double wicket maiden for the 15th over, and Heyliger taking two more wickets in the 16th. Bermuda finished on 82/9. Bowling for Canada Heyliger with 4-16 off 3 overs was the principal wicket-taker while Eranga 2-4 off 3 overs was the most economical. Dutta 2-12 (3) and Bin Zafar 1-19 (3) were the other Canadian wicket takers. Chasing a victory target of 83 in 16 allocated overs, Canada opened with Rizwan Cheema and Rodrigo Thomas, The pair blasted 40 runs from the first four overs, placing Canada well ahead of the D/L/S score before rain intervened to prevent the Canadians from making any further progress towards their victory target.
Summarized Scores: Bermuda 82/9 (16 overs) Okera Bascome 23(29), Onais Bascome 14; Dillon Heyliger 4-16, Romesh Eranga 2-4, Nikhil Dutta 2-12. Canada 40/0 (10) Rizwan Cheema 25 (10), Rodrigo Thomas 13 (14).
WI C KE T S
Cheema was left not out on 25. made off of 10 balls with 1 four and 3 sixes. Thomas’ unbeaten 13 was made off of 14 balls and included 2 fours.
11
TEAM CANADA MARCHES ON IN BERMUDA WITH 4 WICKET WIN OVER ARCH RIVALS USA! The August 21, 2019, 6th Match of ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Americas Region Final played at Bermuda’s Sandys Parish, resulted in a most deserving four wicket win for Canada over their USA arch rivals. The win took Canada to the top of the Tournament’s four team standings, with 5 points from 3 matches played. Having won the toss and elected to take first strike, the US got off to a solid start with their openers, Xavier Marshall and Monank Patel, posting 39 off only four overs before the first wicket fell. Patel was the first to go, caught by Rizwan Cheema off the bowling of Saad Bin Zafar for a 12 ball 19, which included 2 fours and 1 six.
WI C KE T S
Marshall and Stephen Taylor then added 36 for the second wicket before Marshall fell, stumped by Hamza Tariq for 22 off Nikhil Dutta in the ninth over. From 75-2 the US declined to 111-5 in the 17th over as three further wickets fell at fairly regular intervals. Hayden Walsh, Timroy Allen and Cameron Gannon however then combined to add a further 33 runs, off just 4 overs, in aggressive sixth and seventh wicket partnerships that helped the US to reach 144/6 at the end of the 20th over.
12
Stephen Taylor, whose 31 ball 38 included 2 fours and 3 sixes, was the USA’s top scorer. Bowling for Canada Dutta took 4-26 off his four overs, while Eranga 1-32 (4), Saad Bin Zafar 1-19 (4), Heyliger 1-35 (4) and Kumar 1-5 (2) were the other wicket takers.
Set 145 to win off their allocated 20 overs at a required run rate of 7.2, Canada got off to a shaky start losing both openers, Cheema 10 (7) and Thomas 11 (14) by the start of the 5th over with only 28 runs on the board. Skipper Navneet Dhaliwal however provided the required solidity to the innings with a 41 ball 54 that included trios of fours and sixes. Dhaliwal was involved in two key partnerships. The first with Nitish Kumar (14) added 34 for the 3rd wicket off just 3 overs and 2 balls. The second, 31 off 5 overs and 3 balls with Saad Bin Zafar (20), was only slightly less aggressive. Dhaliwal eventually fell for his well-made 54 off the very first ball of the 16th over. At that stage the Canadian’s score was 112, still 33 runs behind with only 21 balls remaining. Some aggressive hitting from Dillon Heyliger 23 (11) in partnership with Hamza Tariq 11 (10) however, easily saw the Canadians home to their four wicket win with five balls left to spare.
CANADA EASILY DEFEATS CAYMAN ISLANDS FOR THE SECOND TIME AROUND! Canada’s August 22, 2019 7th Match ICC Men’s T20 Americas Region Final win against the Cayman Islands proved to be even easier than the first had been. Having defeated the Caymans by 84 runs in their August 18 first encounter, the Canadians romped to an eight wicket victory in the second, reaching the paltry 92 run victory target they had been set for the loss of only two wickets with 47 balls to spare. Batting first after having been sent in by Canada’s skipper Navneet Dhaliwal, the Caymans lost wickets regularly against some economical and penetrative Canadian bowling. Only three batsmen, Gregory Strydom(23), Chad Hauptfleisch (16) and Troy Taylor (11) managed to reach double figures as the Caymans scraped to 92/7 off their allocated 20 overs.
as Rodgrigo Thomas was caught at the wicket by Hauptfleisch, first ball off the bowling of Ebanks. Skipper Navneet Dhaliwal then came to his side’s rescue with his second fifty in as many innings. He scored an aggressive 34 ball 53 not out that included 3 fours and 5 lofty sixes. Dhaliwal added 95 for the third wicket with Nitish Kumar who compiled a patient 35 ball 37 not out with 2 fours and 2 sixes. The two safely took the Canadians to their required 92 run target in just 12.1 12.1 overs ending with 95/2. The win took the Canadians to 7 points and solidified their position at the top of the standings. It also left the Canadians requiring only one win from their remaing two matches to progress to the next stage of the ICC 2020 T20 World Cup qualification process.
Set to make just 92 for victory in 20 overs, the Canadians got off to a most inauspicious start losing both openers without a run having been scored. Rizwan Cheema was the first to fall, bowled by Morris off the fifth ball of the very first over. Cheema was gone for a duck and Canada were 0-1. That soon became 0-2
WI C KE T S
Bowling for Canada, Saad Bin Zafar with the outstanding figures of 3-8 off his four overs was the main wicket-taker. Nikhil Dutta 1-16 (4), Nitish Kumar 1-21 (3) and Dillon Heyliger 1-23 (4) were the other Canadian wickettakers.
13
RIZWAN CHEEMA POWERS CANADA TO 8 WICKET WIN OVER BERMUDA!
P
owered by Rizwan Cheema’s ultra belligerent 35 ball 72, which included 8 sixes, Canada cruised to an eight wicket win over hosts Bermuda in their August 24, ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Americas Region Final 10th match encounter. Set to make 117 to win off 20 overs, after having dismissed Bermuda for 116 off 19.5, the Canadians easily reached their target on the back of Cheema’s amazing power hitting. Canada scored 120/2 off just 13.1 overs to win by 8 wickets. Skipper Navneet Dhaliwal who had come to the crease at the fall of the first wicket, after yet another disappointing failure by Rodrigo Thomas caught by Bascombe off the bowling of Rawlins for a four ball 1, remained unbeaten on 24, made from 27 balls with two sixes. Ravinderpal Singh, who had been promoted to number four in the Canadian’s batting order, was the other undefeated batsman. His 21 not out included 2 fours. Batting first after having won the toss, the Bermudians were restricted to their modest total by yet another outstanding Canadian bowling performance. Bermuda’s opening batsman Terryn Fray was run out for 0 off the very first ball of the innings by a smart piece of fielding by Romesh Eranga. From that disastrous start the Bermudians never quite recovered losing wickets at regular intervals. Kamau Leverock 33 (34), Allan Douglas 31 (25) and Malachi Jones 21 (15) were the only Bermudian batsmen to reach double figures as they were bowled out for 116, losing their last wicket off the penultimate ball of the 20th over.
WI C KE T S
Bowling for Canada, Dillon Heyliger was again outstanding capturing 4-19 off his allocated four overs. He was well supported by Romesh Eranga 2-17 (3.5), Nitish Kumar 2-18 (4) and Nikhil Dutta 1-26 (4).
14
The win against Bermuda left the Canadians, who had already gained one of the two available qualification spots for the next round, unbeaten in the Tournament.
Canada Crowned ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Americas Champions Played six, won five, one no result. That was Canada’s record at the conclusion of their sixth match in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Americas Region Final. The Canadians maintained their unblemished record thanks to a 15 run victory over the USA in the final match of the four team Tournament. The win also resulted in the Canadians being crowned champions of the qualification tournament. Batting first Canada posted 173/8 off its 20 overs. Rizwan Cheema and Abraash Khan got the Canadians off to brezy start, posting 29 off just the first three overs. The loss of Cheema for 19 with the score on 29 set off a mini collapse for the Canadians, as two further wickets fell for the addition of only 15 runs. Canada’s skipper Navneet Dhaliwal was again to his side’s rescue with a 30 ball 36. In partnership with Ravinderpal Singh 67 (33), Dhaliwal added 82 for the fourth wicket to restore some sense of order to the Canadian innings. Singh’s 33 ball 67, included 8 sixes and 2 fours. Harsh Thaker 11 (9) and Saad Bin Zafar 11 (7) chipped in with double digit cameos as the Canadians closed on 173/8 off 20 overs. Bowling for the USA Karima Gore 3-21 (4) and Jasdeep Singh 2-42 (4) were the main wicket takers. Opening for the US, Monank Patel hit a breezy 26 off just 15 balls with 3 sixes before he eventually fell to Saad Bin Zafar. There were also useful contributions from Jasdeep Singh 31 (24) Haydn Walsh (24) and Sunny Sohal 18 (18). Tighter Canadian restricted the score to 158 at the end of the 20 overs, fifteen runs short of the 174 victory target.
The Canadians unbeaten record placed them at the top of Tournament’s point standings. It also booked their passage to the next round of Qualifiers which will be held in Dubai in October-November.
WI C KE T S
For the Canadians Saad Bin Zafar claimed 3-34 off his four overs. Nitish Kumar 2-23 (3) Mark Montfort 1-25 (3) and skipper Dhaliwal 1-11 (2) were the other wicket-takers.
15
WINNIPEG HAWKS CROWNED GT20 CANADA 2019 CHAMPIONS As if the August 10 Playoff cliff-hanger, which had ended off the last ball, wasn’t enough, the Sunday July 11 Final of the second edition of Global T20 Canada produced a heart-stopping thriller which saw Winnipeg H a w k s dethroning inaugural winners, Va n c o u v e r Knights, at the CAA Center, Brampton, Ontario, Canada, in the Tournament’s first ever super over. The super over became a reality following the histrionics of Andre Russell who bulldozed his way to a boundary-studded unbeaten 46 off 20 balls, Russell clobbered three fours and five sixes as Vancouver Knights ended on 192 for six in pursuit of Winnipeg Hawks’ 192 for eight in their 20 overs.
WI C KE T S
Russell’s heroics were, however, in vain as the defending champions could only muster nine for two in the super over, with Winnipeg Hawks achieving the required 10 off four deliveries.
16
The dangerous Russel entered the fray with Vancouver Knights needing 54 from 19 balls, and he did not disappoint the bumper soldout crowd which, like last year, was the biggest of the three-week festival. By the start of the last over, bowled by Pakistani medium-pacer Kaleem Sana, the deficit had been reduced to
17 with Russell at the non-striker’s end at the commencement of the over. With last year’s man-of-the-match, Saad Bin Zafar, completing a single off the first delivery, Russell smashed the second delivery straight over the bowler’s head for a six. This brought the equation to 10 from four. Sana’s next ball was adjudged a no-ball and Russel obliged by smashing the free hit over the boundary, as it became three from three. With the next delivery being a maiden ball, it was three from two. In a mad rush for three off the final delivery, Saad Bin Zafar (27) failed to beat the cover fielder as himself and Russell only completed two as the spectators were left in awe. Earlier, Winnipeg Hawks were given a rollicking start of 73 in six overs by man-of-the-match, Shaiman Anwar, and Chris Lynn (37) with
The consistent Lynn stroked four fours and three sixes while JP Duminy contributed a useful 33 off 27 balls with one four and two sixes. Russell, who was used sparingly as a bowler during the tournament, picked up four for 29 from his four overs. Vancouver Knights started disastrously, losing the wickets of Chadwick Walton (01), Tobias Visee (0), Daniel Sams (21) and Russie van der Dussen (23) and were 53 for four in the eighth over before Pakistani Shoaib Malik (64) and Saad Bin Zafar featured in a face-saving fifthwicket partnership of 86 in 10.1 overs with Malik dominating the stand. Malik’s dismissal in the 17th over, after striking six fours and three sixes off 36 balls, seemed a telling blow for Vancouver Knights until Russell arrived and transformed the game but, as faith would have it, his effort was all in vain. Skipper Rayad Emrit, who also suffered at the hands of Russell, finished with two for 37 while Paul Van Meekeren took two for 40. On July 10, Winnipeg Hawks were powered to victory off the last delivery of the innings with Anwar once more among the runs with 52 off 23 balls , hitting six fours and three sixes after sharing another enterprising opening stand of 76 in 6.1 overs with Lynn whose 35 (three fours and three sixes) came off 20 balls. Duminy spanked a quick-fire undefeated 50 off 34 balls with three fours and three sixes to ensure victory towards the end.
Opponents Brampton Wolves had earlier reached exactly 200 for seven with several of their batsmen getting into the thirties but none going beyond. Emrit claimed three for 43 and Sana two for 25.
MATCHES
8
WON
5
LOST
3
NO RESULT
1
POINTS
5
Runs Scored
1453
Runs Conceded
1478
Wickets Lost
47
Wickets Taken
36
50’S
9
100’S
0
WI C KE T S
the former going on to hit a brilliant 90 before departing in the 16th over; his knock laced with eight fours and seven towering sixes.
17
Impressive Inaugural Debut Season For Brampton Wolves!
W
ith a Won 4, Lost 3 record from their eight matches played the Brampton Wolves were highly impressive playoff contenders in their 2019 GT20 Canada debut season. In fact the Brampton Wolves just fell short of reaching the final, agonizingly losing
( 32) , Sk ipp e r Darren Sammy play ing on ly his very f irst match of t he To u r n a m e n t (33) and Shahid Afridi (32) all gave the innings much needed impetus after the Wolves had initially been reduced to 75-4 after 9.1 overs. Winnipeg’s captain Rayad Emrit took 3-43 off his allocated four overs to be his team’s most successful bowler.
WI C KE T S
The Brampton Wolves 200/7 however proved to be insufficient against the irrepressive Winnipeg Hawks. Led by fifties from Shaiman Anwar (52) and JP Duminy (50) the Hawks eventually reached their target in the 20th over for the loss of just three wickets.
18
to eventual Champions the Winnipeg Hawks by seven wickets in their playoff match that was extended until the very final over. Batting first in the playoff match Brampton Wolves scored 200/7 off its 20 overs. Babar Hyatt
The Brampton Wolves impressive march to their playoff spot was founded on the outstanding batting of Lendyl S i m m o n s at the top of the order coupled with Ish Sodhi’s penetrative b ow l i n g . S i m m o n s scored 177 runs
To u r n a m e n t Record: Played 8; Won 4; Lost 3. NR 1; Points 9, Runs Scored 1094, Runs Conceded 1090, Wickets Lost 41, Wickets Taken 43, 50’S: 6, 100’S 0
from seven matches played at an average of 29.5 and with a strike rate of 165.7. Sodhi meanwhile captured 12 wickets at a paltry 14.58 average and a 7.95 strike rate. Inexplicably he was not chosen for the final eleven,
For the Brampton Wolves Nitish Kumar with 44 runs from five innings and Cecil Pervez, three wickets from seven matches were the most impressive Canadians. The Brampton Wolves wins came against Montreal Tigers by 10 wickets, Edmonton Royals by 27 runs, Winnipeg Hawks by 7 wickets and Toronto Nationals by 11 runs. Their losses came against Montreal Tigers by 4 wickets, Vancouver Knights by 8 wickets and again to the Knights by 77 runs. They also had one match, against Edmonton Royals abandoned due to rain.
WI C KE T S
which contested the playoff match.
19
ANOTHER DISAPPOINTING GT20 CANADA SEASON FOR THE EDMONTON ROYALS
H
aving ended the Inaugural 2018 GT20 Canada Season in the bottom tier of the Championship standings the Edmonton Royals
Of the bowlers Shadab Khan and Ben Cutting with nine and eight w ickets respectively were by far the most impressive. Khan’s eight scalps were captured at an average of 20.67 at a 9.3 economy rate. Cutting’s eight victims came at an average of 17.38 at a 7.38 strike rate. The contributions the Edmonton Royals received from its Canadian Squad members was also relatively insignificant. Navneet Dhaliwal’s 82 runs from five innings was the only contribution of note. The Edmonton Royals were however setback by the withdrawal
WI C KE T S
would have been hoping for a much improved second season. As their eventual played 6, won 1, lost 4 record proved however no such improvement was forthcoming.
20
James Neesham (123), Ben Cutting (117) Faf Du Plessis (104) and Anshuman Rath (103) all had 100+ aggregates but the rest of the batting contributed very little as the Edmonton Royals ended the Season with a total team aggregate of only 889 runs, Against this the Royals bowlers conceded 889 runs and captured only 28 wickets in their 8 matches played.
of Canadian Davy Jacobs from participation, just days before the Tournament began. The Edmonton Royals sole recorded win was against the Winnipeg Hawks. The Royals’ August 6 clash against the Brampton Wolves was also abandoned due to rain. The Royals lost all its remaining fixtures against the other competing teams.
Tournament Record:
WI C KE T S
Played 6 Won 1 Lost 4 NR 1 Points 3 Runs Scored: 887 Runs Conceded 889 Wickets Lost 36 Wickets Taken 28 50’s 4 100’s 0
21
MONTREAL TIGERS AGAIN FAILS TO IMPRESS AT GT20 CANADA.
T
WI C KE T S
he Montreal Tigers were one of the two teams that failed to progress to the playoffs during the 2018 GT20 Canada Inaugural Season. For the Tigers the 2019 second Season proved to be no different as they faltered yet again to end with an unflattering won two, lost three record from their six matched played.
22
The main reason behind the Montreal Tigers unflattering 2019 results was their dismal batting. The Tigers scored just 680 runs in its six matches, the lowest aggregate among all competing franchises. By comparison all four playoff qualifying Franchises, the Winnipeg Hawks(1453), Toronto Royals (1342), Vancouver Knights (1322) and the Brampton Wolves (1094) each had Tournament aggregates in excess of 1,000 runs. Noticeably Kyle Coetzer, whose 143 Tournament runs were scored from 5 innings at an average of 28.6 and a 121.9 strike rate was the only
Montreal Tigers batsman with a hundred plus aggregate. Apart from Coetzer, Anton Devcich 73 runs from 3 innings and Sunil Narine 67 runs from 2 innings were the Tigers next highest scorers. Narine unfortunately had to withdraw from the Tournament as a result of his playing commitments to the West Indies Team for their three match T20 Series against India back home in the Caribbean. The effect of Narine’s absence may have been even greater on the Montreal Tigers bowling. Except for Fawad Ahmed’s 6 wickets and the Canadian duo of Dillon Heyliger and Nikhil Dutta each capturing 5 wickets, all from the same number of innings (5) none of the other
Montreal Tigers’ bowlers had much of an impact. The Tigers eventual Tournament record of just 28 captured was tied with the Edmonton Royals as the lowest among all competing teams. The Montreal Tigers two wins were achieved against the Winnipeg Hawks and the Edmonton Royals. The Tigers also had one of its matches, against the Vancouver Knights abandoned due to rain.
Tournament Record:
WI C KE T S
P 6 W 2 L 3 NR 1 Points 5 Runs Scored: 680 Runs Conceded 952 Wickets Lost 38 Wickets Taken 28 50’S 2 100’S 0
23
Toronto Nationals’ GT20 Canada Championship Bid Falters Yet Again.
F
or the second successive Season, the Toronto Nationals’ quest for GT20 Canada Championship glory faltered yet again albeit this time a bit further during the Playoffs. In 2018 the Toronto Nationals had failed to even
get that far losing four of its six matches to be denied a spot in the playoffs. For the 2019 Season the Toronto Nationals eventual Tournament record was only marginally better than it had been in 2018. The Nationals recorded one more victory from seven matches played to end with 3 wins and 4 losses.
WI C KE T S
Powered by the big hitting exploits of Henrich Klassen, Canada’s Rodrigo Thomas, this year’s marquee player India’s Yuvraj Singh and West Indies’ Kieron Pollard, the Nationals amassed an impressive 1342 runs in its eight matches. Only the eventual Champions, the Winnipeg Hawks (1453) had a higher tally.
24
For the Nationals Klassen’s 326 runs were scored at an average of 65.20 with a 170.68 strike rate. Canada’s Rodrigo Thomas was right behind him, scoring three fifties enroute to an impressive Tournament aggregate of 291 from 7 innings, scored at an
average of 41.578 with a 140.23 strike rate. Yuvraj Singh’s returns were 153 runs at a 38.25 average and 147.12 strike rate while Pollard chipped in with 96 runs from just 4 innings at a 32.00 average and a massive 223.26 strike rate. For the Toronto Nationals Chris Green was the most successful bowler, capturing 11 wickets at an average of 15.09 and an 8.3 economy rate. Canada’s Jeremy Gordon wasn’t too far behind. His 8 wickets were taken at a 32.0 average and 9.85 economy rate. The Toronto Nationals three Tournament wins were achieved against the Edmonton Royals, the Montreal Tigers twice. The losses came from defeats to the Vancouver Knights, Brampton Wolves and twice to the eventual Tournament Champions the Winnipeg Hawks.
M 7 W 3 L 4 NR 0 Points 6 Runs Scored 1342 Wickets Lost 43 Wickets Taken 40 50’s 7 100’s 1
WI C KE T S
To u r na m e n t Record:
25
Vancouver Knights Fall Short Of Championship After Final match Super Over Drama
WI C KE T S
An inadequate score of just 9 runs for the loss of the allowed two wickets by the defending champions Vancouver Knights in the Super
26
Over of the 2019 GT20 Canada Final left the door wide open for the Winnipeg Hawks to storm through to capture the 2019 title. The Hawks easily achieved their target off their allocated six balls. The need for a Super Over to decide the 2019 GT20 Canada Tournament winner had arisen
after the two teams scores had been tied after each of their 20 overs. Batting first the Winnipeg Hawks had scored 192/8 off its 20 overs. The Vancouver Knights could only manage to get an identical 192, albeit with two less wickets lost, after last year’s Man of the Match winner Saad Bin Zafar was run out attempting a third and winning run off the very last ball of the 20th over. The Knights should however have more than enough reason to feel aggrieved after the fourth ball of the final over, bowled by the Hawks captain Rayad Emrit to Andre Russell was incorrectly judged by the umpires not to have been an above the waist no ball, as the television replays showed clearly that it should have been. Had that call been made correctly and the resultant fre e h i t g i v e n , th e K n i g h t s would have undoubtedly reclaimed the Championship. Batting for the Vancouver Knights Shoaib M a l i k (21 3) , Rassie Van Der D u s s en (2 0 8),
Chadwick Walton (198) and Tobian Vassie (154) all had impressive aggregates from their matches played, The Universe Chris Gayle’s international ODI commitments to the West Indies forced him to miss the playoff and leave the Tournament after only 5 innings. Not before he had signaled his intentions though with a massive 54 ball 122 not out which included 7 fours and 12 sixes in a match against the Montreal Tigers that was eventually abandoned due to inclement weather. In the bowling department Canada’s Saad Bin Zafar was the Vancouver Knights highest wicket taker with 8 scalps, captured at a 19.0 average and 8.0 economy rate. Ali Khan, Daniel Sams and Hayden Walsh all captured 7 wickets each. The Vancouver Knights 4 wins were achieved against the Toronto Nationals, Edmonton Royals and Brampton Wolves (twice). Both of the Knights 2 losses were at the hands of the Tournament Champions Winnipeg Hawks.
M 8 W 4 L 2 NR 2 Points 8 Runs Scored 1322 Runs Conceded 961 Wickets Lost 28 Wickets Taken 42 50’S 7 100’S 1
WI C KE T S
To u r n a m e n t Record
27
Consistent Batting, Solid Bowling And A Huge Slice Of Luck Lead The Winnipeg Hawks To The GT20 Canada 2019 Championship Title! An unfortunate glaring umpiring error which, as the television replays needlessly displayed so obvious it was to all present, deprived the Vancouver Knights Andre Russell of the free hit he should rightfully have received from the above waist no-ball bowled by The Winnipeg Hawks captain Rayad Emrit in the last over of the 2019 GT20 Canada final, allowed the Winnipeg Hawks to eventually capture the title in the Super Over that followed. The Winnipeg Hawks player and supporters might rightfully argue however that the huge slice of umpire presented match outcome changing luck was well deserved for the consistent high quality cricket they had played throughout the Tournament. The Winnipeg Hawks eventual Tournament record of 5 wins, 3 losses and 1 no result from 9 matches played was the very best among those of all six competing franchises. The Hawks also topped the charts of runs scored during the Tournament. Their 1453 run tally was a 111 runs higher than their next closest rivals, the Toronto Nationals’ 1342.
WI C KE T S
For the Hawks South Africa’s JP Dumminy had the Tournament’s highest aggregate among all batters of 332 runs. Duminy’s runs were scored at an ultra impressive average of 83.00 with a 167.8 strike rate. The Hawks also received very useful batting contributions from Shaiman Anwar (296 runs; Avg 37.00 SR 192.2), Chris Lynn (295 runs Avg 42.14, SR 186.7) and Sunny Sohail (175 runs, Avg 29.17, SR 149.5).
28
Among the Hawks bowlers, Skipper Rayad Emrit with 9 wickets at a 31.78 average and 11.64 economy rate lead from the front. He was closely followed by his fellow Trinidadian and West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo who captured 6 wickets at a 20.0 average and 9.23 economy rate in just four matches played.
Kaleem Sana with 6 wickets at a 39.17 average and 9.4 economy rate was the Winnipeg Hawks’ other outstanding bowler. The Winnipeg Hawks 5 Tournament victories were achieved against the Vancouver Knights (2), the Toronto Nationals (2) and the Brampton Wolves. Their losses came from defeats to the Montreal Tigers, the Brampton Wolves and the Edmonton Royals.
To u r n a m e n t Record:
WI C KE T S
P 9 W 5 L 3 NR 1 Points 5 Runs Scored 1453 Runs Conceded 1478 Wickets Lost 47 Wickets Taken 36 50’S 9 100’S 0
29
WORLD-CLASS CRICKET STADIUM SLATED FOR BRAMPTON
By Norm DaCosta
WI C KE T S
Brampton will build a new state-of-theart cricket stadium. The realization that the country needs a world-class facility was driven home during the second Global T20 League that ended on Sunday with Winnipeg Hawks stunning Vancouver Knights in the final before a record crowd of 6,000 at the CAA Centre in Brampton. Among the superstars in the sixteam league that was played over 21/2-weeks were India’s Yuvraj Singh, Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi, West Indians Chris Gayle, Andre Russell and Sunil Narine and South Africa’s World Cup skipper Faf du Plessis. The other marquee player who added a curiosity factor to the tournament was Mohammad Irfan, who at 7-foot-1 is the world’s tallest cricketer. The Pakistani fast bowler, who suited up for Winnipeg, thrilled fans with his bouncers and had the batsmen on their toes with his deliveries that were clocked in and around 140 km/h.
30
With turf transported from Indianapolis for a new wicket and a plush new field laid out in less than three months at a cost of $3 million (U.S.), Gurmeet Singh, owner and CEO of Bombay Sports Club of the GT20 League said these annual costs could be utilized in other areas if a stadium
is built as soon as possible. It didn’t take Patrick Brown, the Mayor of Brampton, long to step in. “With the ever-changing demographics of our city and with the enthusiasm I have seen during this tournament we have decided Brampton will be the capital of cricket in Canada,’’ he told The Sun. “I was elated when the organizers approached our council last year with a proposal to host the tournament here and we pushed aggressively for it as players such as Yuvraj, Gayle and Shahid Afridi are such big role models for our youngsters. The game is growing rapidly and since most of the recent immigrants come from countries where the game is the main sport, it’s time for the players to get a world-class stadium in our city.” Brown wasn’t willing to divulge the cost, seating capacity or where the world-class facility would be erected. But The Sun learned it will be built in Meadows Gore in the north end of the city where
Praim Persaud, President of the Brampton and Etobicoke District League was overjoyed by the news of the City’s commitment on the stadium construction. “ This is utterly fantastic news and a great development fort the sport of Cricket in the City of Brampton. The City’s successful hosting of the recently concluded 2019 GT20 Tournament clearly defined the need for a state of the art cricket facility in our country...all other mainstream sports have such facilities, yet despite the fact that Cricket has long since become one of the fastest growing sports in Canada..it does not.. It is more deserving to be in Brampton, as the City that has the largest Cricket League in
Canada and which has constantly identified cricket as the fastest growing sport in our city... where the demand far exceeds the current facilities. There is now definitely a huge demand for Cricket Facilitues in Brampton and in all other cities across Ontario and Canada. Again, this is fantastic news for all players, fans and indeed the entire Canadian cricket community, as well as for those who seek and support equality for all. Our heartfelt thanks and gratitude to the Mayor and Brampton City Council for promising that our deam will now very soon become a reality!” In its first season last year the tournament was played in King City and the venue proved highly unpopular because of the long commute. But the league grabbed headlines across the cricketing world after it snagged Australians Steve Smith and David Warner to commit to play here. It was the first appearance for the two batsmen following that sandpaper cheating scandal in South Africa. The two were banned from playing at home and internationally for one year but were allowed to ply their trade elsewhere. The two Aussies backed off this year since they were involved in the World Cup, but have indicated their willingness to return to Canada in 2020. “We would have had a much bigger field of world-class players if not for the World Cup,’’ said Gurmeet Singh. “And some of the big names like Warner and Smith have confirmed to me that they will return next year since they enjoyed their stay in Canada in 2018.” He added New Zealand World Cup captain Kane Williamson and pace bowler Trent Boult will also be back after having had to withdraw at the last minute because of a Test series against Sri Lanka.
WI C KE T S
there’s already a massive community centre. Brown added the stadium will be “built fairly soon,’’ but until then it’s almost a certainty the tournament will return to the CAA Centre next year as the venue has proved popular with the vast majority of the fans who live in Brampton and Mississauga. The stadium will also house a cricket academy where 24 players picked from the national squad, the developmental and under-19 teams will start training and then embark on its first international trip to Australia later this year. Singh said that his firm will likely help financially with the upkeep of the stadium and also the academy. In a lofty bid to help Canada qualify for the next World Cup the players in the academy will be assisted by top-rated coaches and also be paid $30,000 a year. “We want to make it as professional an environment for the players as possible who now have to juggle between full-time jobs and play the game on a part-time basis,” Gurmeet Singh said.
31
Busy Times for the Canadian Men’s Cricket Team
By Eddie Norfolk
The Malaysian Cricket Association is to host the first ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League Division A tournament in September 2019. Cricket Canada General Manager Ingleton Liburd confirmed the host country in an August 16 morning discussion at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport before the Canadian men’s team flew to Bermuda for the ICC Americas T20 Regional Final that began on August 18. The Malaysian Cricket Association’s website shows this first six nation Challenge League Division A as taking place from September 14 through September 27, 2019. The participating nations are Malaysia, Canada, Denmark, Qatar, Singapore and Vanuatu. There will be two further round-robin tournaments involving these six nations drawn in Challenge League Division A in the next two years on the path to a potential place in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup in India. Each team in Division A will play 15 List A games during the course of these three tournaments. The top team will advance to the CWC World Cup Playoff Qualifier 2022.
WI C KE T S
The qualification structure and competing teams in each of the CWC Super League (13 teams), CWC League 2 and CWC Challenge League (two separate leagues of 6 teams; Division A and Division B) recently was confirmed by the ICC. CWC League 2 began on August 14 with Oman beating Papua New Guinea by 4 wickets. Oman followed with an 8 wicket win against Scotland on August 15 . Scotland was bowled out for 168 after 44.4 overs. Oman reached a winning 169/2 after 45.1 overs.
32
The top five in Scotland’s batting order against Oman had played in the second Globa l GT20 Canada that ended on August 11 with a win for Winnipeg Hawks against inaugural champions Van c o u v e r K n i g ht s . Matthew Cross and Kyle
Coetzer played for Montreal Tigers in the Global GT20, Calum MacLeod for Toronto Nationals, Richie Berrington for Edmonton Royals and George Munsey for Brampton Wolves. Papua New Guinea (PNG) took fourth place in the April 2019 World Cricket League Division 2 on net run rate ahead of Canada to remain in WCL Division 2. So Canada placed fifth which unfortunately, means a place in the new CWC Challenge League where there is a need to keep winning in order to come top of League A and progress to the 2022 CWC Qualifiers. The seven countries in WCL Division 2 will each play 36 ODIs in WCL Division on the road to the 2023 CWC in India. Teams in the two Challenge League Divisions, by contrast, play just 15 List-A games. It makes a big difference in terms of competitive playing experience, potential sponsorship and income for players and for the national cricket associations. But five wins for Canada in Malaysia this September would be a good start on the 50-over trail. Five wins to follow success in Bermuda in the T20 Americas Regional Final that lead to the Global T20 World Cup Qualifier in Dubai this October and November.
Looks like a busy time for the coaches and players, as well as those who have to make the travel arrangements, the kit arrangements and pick up the kit so it makes it to the airport when each Canadian takes off for the latest overseas location. The interim collector and distributor of Canada’s playing kit for the trip to Bermuda was happy not to be photographed in that role. His prime reason for being at the airport was to be in Bermuda, to take wickets, field and score some runs as necessary on the victory trail.
WI C KE T S
“Let’s have a picture when we come back with the cup,” said Canadian captain Navneet Dhaliwal at Pearson Airport before boarding the flight to Bermuda. Canada begins the ICC Americas T20 Regional Final on August 18 with a game against the Cayman Islands.
33
ABIGAIL RAJKUMAR’S TRINITY WOMEN’S CRICKET ADVANCING WOMEN/GIRLS CRICKET SPORT DEVELOPMENT IN CANADA!
WI C KE T S
As President of Trinity Women’s Cricket Canada (TWCC), her recently founded not for profit organization, Abigail Rajkumar firmly believes that sport development through cricket can serve as the motivation to continue to develop, train and expand the growth of our junior, youth and adult girls/women cricket athletes within communities. Under Abigail’s presidential leadership, TWCC’s objective is to provide such motivation through coaching, training, camps, tours, competitive League matches, social games as well as national and international tours.
34
Abigail firmly believes that many female athletes may find themselves being unable to afford to play, learn and remain involved within their communities due to family, work, school commitments and/or lack finances. An involvement in sports, such as cricket, can provide opportunities for such individuals to have the support and guidance that will allow them to stay active, become involved and excel to the level of becoming well rounded personas, both individually and as team players, by being in a positive healthy environment. Towards this end, the Trinity Women’s Cricket program has been designed to provoke thought, spark connections, build capacity and teach the fundamentals that will lead its recruited members to the acquisition of high performance
skills while mobilizing their commitment to pursue further beneficial, developmental, changes in the Canadian cricket. Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, Abigail Rajkumar came to Canada on her very own when she was 17, just one month before her 18th birthday. As a child she had wanted to be a doctor, but as she got older and having graduated from high school she discovered that she also wanted to be a businesswoman. Abigail won a beauty pageant while training for her profession claiming all the top prizes, which included an airline ticket to Miami, cash and trophies. She then decided to use the ticket come to Canada, instead of going to the USA. Her Dad had always spoken about Canada as being a beautiful, warm-hearted country. So it was with the pageant airline ticket and prize money that she had won that Abigail migrated to Canada, where she started her new life, all on her own without help from anyone else. Since having migrated to Canada, Abigail Rajkumar has been primarily involved in two vocational pursuits. She has been an entrepreneur operating Abigail’s aesthetic spa as an esthetician and professional make-up artiste, a s w e l l a s a licensed Remax Hallmark R e a l Estate R e a l t o r. Abigail is still now
very much involved in her two on ongoing careers, fuelled by her belief that one should never stop learning and following their dreams to fulfill their goals. All of which takes hard work, time management and balancing her personal and professional life. Abigail is extremely dedicated to the women and girls she works with. Over the years she has seen how the collective power of women and men supporting women can make great strides in developing the sport and through education. She is a divorced single mother of a daughter, Alysha Abigail Sarka, who now attends Queen’s University, studying global development with an objective towards becoming a corporate lawyer. Her daughter she says, has long since become her primary source of inspiration and joy. Abigail is also a competitive golfer and a dragon boater. As evidenced by her formation of TWCC, in addition to her career pursuits Abigail Rajkumar is firmly and actively committed to establishing cricket to serve as a viable mechanism for women’s further development. Abigail’s love for cricket was developed at a very young age. Her fondest childhood memories are of playing on the beach or at home with her brothers. It was therefore no surprise that after establishing her career and raising her daughter, she decided it was time to get back into the world of cricket. Her initial involvement began as a mere hobby. Her natural passion and commitment however, soon presented enthusiastically grasped opportunities for her to be a tour manager for Cricket Canada’s Women’s Team and to serve as an Executive Member of several Cricket Leagues. She currently serves as the Registrar/Statistician for the Scarborough Cricket Association and Mississauga Cricket League and is a valued Member of Cricket Ontario Women’s & Youth Committees. Abigail has also coordinated several men’s, youths/juniors and women’s tours across Canada and the United States.
Since its 2017 formation TWCC has began to attract an ever-increasing number of outstanding young ladies who are cricket athletes to play on its team. TWCC’s membership now consists of women/girls of all ages and backgrounds including students. Its players are from various nationalities: Canadian, Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, Saint Vincent, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Abu Dhabi, Sri Lanka, Guyana, Grenada. Says Abigail “ Each one brings knowledge, beauty, talent, happiness, compassion and strength to our teams!”
WI C KE T S
In 2017, after having successfully lead women’s team under a different club for many years, Abigail decided to start her own non profit organization for cricket development through the formation of a competitive team called Trinity Women Cricket Canada. Her primary objective in doing so was to become even more directly involved in continuing to develop and promote the growth of Canadian cricket.
35
36
WI C KE T S
37
WI C KE T S
St Lucia Back To Being Zouks For Hero CPL 2019! The St Lucia Zouks will replace the St Lucia Stars for the 2019 CPL season following the recent termination of the participation agreement with the company operating the Stars franchise. The Zouks will be playing matches in St Lucia and across the Caribbean in this year’s CPL which takes place from 4 September to 12 October. The Zouks was the name of the St Lucia franchise when it was founded in 2013 and it still resonates with cricket fans around the world. St Lucia is one of four islands in the Caribbean known for its zouk music, making it the perfect name for the St Lucian team. The logo is a c o l ou r f u l mixture of blues and yellows with a
NITISH KUMAR
WI C KE T S
The Zouks will be playing 10 group games during the tournament, starting with a match against Guyana Amazon Warriors in Guyana on 5 September. They will visit Trinidad for a game against Trinbago Knight Riders (8 September), Jamaica for the game against the Tallawahs (12 September) and St Kitts to play the Patriots (17 September). They will then play five matches at home between 20 September and 27 September. Their final group game will see them take on Barbados Tridents on 29 September.
ST LUCIA ZOUKS FIXTURES
38
flame symbol that is derived from the national coat of arms, representing a desire to win.
(all start times are in local time)
Thursday 5 Sep
Guyana Amazon Warriors v St Lucia Zouks, Providence Stadium, Guyana, 6pm
Sunday 8 Sep
Trinbago Knight Riders v St Lucia Zouks, Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad, 12pm
Thursday 12 Sep
Jamaica Tallawahs v St Lucia Zouks, Sabina Park, Jamaica, 7pm
Sunday 15 Sep
St Kitts & Nevis Patriots v St Lucia Zouks, Warner Park, St. Kitts, 6pm
Friday 20 Sep
St Lucia Zouks v Barbados Tridents, Daren Samm y Stadium, St Lucia, 8pm
Saturday 21 Sep
St. Lucia Zouks v Trinbago Knight Riders, Daren Sammy Stadium, St Lucia, 8pm
Tuesday 24 Sep
St Lucia Zouks v St Kitts & Nevis Patriots, Daren Sammy tadium, St Lucia, 6pm
Wednesday 25 Sep
St Lucia Zouks v Guyana Amazon Warriors, Daren Sammy Stadium, St Lucia, 6pm
Friday 27 Sep
St Lucia Zouks v Jamaica Tallawahs, Daren Sammy Stadium, St Lucia, 8pm
Sunday 29 Sep
Barbados Tridents v St Lucia Zouks, Kensington Oval, Barbados, 6pm
WI C KE T S
DARREN SAMMY
39
CWI TO HONOR REDS PERREIRA his first Test between West Indies and India at Bourda Oval. Perreira has also worked on 250 One-day Internationals, including attending the half of the dozen ICC Cricket World Cups to be staged – 1975, 1979, 1983, 1992, 2003, 2007. “One of the enduring legacies of ‘Reds’ is his tenacity, coming from humble beginnings to rise to the top of broadcasting on the game from the far-flung arenas around the World,” said Skerritt. “He has set an example of professional excellence and determination that should inspire many young broadcasters around the Caribbean to vigourously pursue the highest standards in their craft.” “We would like Skerritt added: “I, like many West Indians to congratulate of a past era, can well remember all hours of ‘Reds’ for his outstanding commentary the last the day and night being glued to our radios, 60 years,” said CWI President, Ricky Skerritt. which was the only way to follow the game for “He has been an exemplary broadcaster on both many years. The game was brought to life, as regional and international levels for many years we listened to ‘Reds’ anwd the late, great Tony and is deserving of this recognition as one of Cozier fly the flag of West Indian excellence in the most notable voices of West Indies cricket.” the commentary booths around the world.” Perreira’s first “live” cricket broadcast took place A special presentation wil be made to Perreira 1961 in a first-class match between his native during the tea interval on the third day of the Guyana and long-standing rivals Trinidad & Second Test on Sunday, September 1 at Sabina Tobago at Rose Hall. Ten years later, he covered Park, Jamaica.
WI C KE T S
Cricket West Indies is set to honour renowned cricket commentator Joseph “Reds” Perreira for his work in broadcasting the game for close to six decades The upcoming second MyTeam11 Test between West Indies and India – which is co-sponsored by Skoda and Fena – starting on Friday, August 30, at Sabina Park in Jamaica will be Reds’ 1 5 0 th T e s t Match that he has attended. It will also be the 250th Test Match that the West In d i e s have played on home soil.
40
The outstanding umpires in my early days of watching Case Cup cricket included J. R. Da Silva E. S. Gillette, Bagg Menzies, A.B. Rollocks, after he retired from playing, D. Yansen, and the fast-emerging Cecil Kippings. The 1951 British Guiana/Barbados meeting at Bourda allowed me to see my initial First Class game, and it turned out to be a marvelous experience. The West Indies were touring Australia at the same time and the Barbados team was badly affected by the loss of the 3-Ws and Roy Marshall, with British Guiana losing only Robert Christiani and John Trim. It was a great spectacle to see the two represented teams take the field. Barbados batting first got to 397 all out with Norman Marshall getting 134 of those runs. The Guianese opening pair of Leslie White and Glendon Gibbs produced a record-breaking opening partnership of 390 runs with Gibbs scoring 216 whilst White was not-out 262. That partnership set a West Indies First Class record that stood for over 50 years before it was broken by the Jamaican pair of Chris Gayle and
Leon Garrett. Guiana rattled up 692 for 9 to then bowl Barbados out for 385 runs, Gaskin took 6 for 84. The opening partnership between White and Gibbs was almost impossible to believe as they were not-out at lunch and at tea and walked off the field at close of play unbroken in their partnership. Incidentally, they both played one Test match each, White at Bourda in ’53 against India and Gibbs against Australia in ’55 at Sabina Park. The very first match at the regional level was played in Barbados at the Garrison savannah on February 15 and 16, 1865. Barbados 74 and 124, British Guiana 22 and 38. The first regional match in Guiana between Guiana and Barbados was played at the Parade ground on September 11 and 12, 1865. Barbados 111 and 116, British Guiana 82 and 146 for 8. In those early days there was no water cart on any ground. There were 2 guys, 1 with a tray of glasses, the other with a huge water jug. At the GCC spectators placed bets on who would get back to the pavilion steps first.
WI C KE T S
REDS AT 80
LOOKING BACK PART III
41
NO ODI RETIREMENT AS YET SAYS UNIVERSE BOSS
CHRIS GAYLE!
Chris Gayle’s ODI career may not be over as the West Indies opener stated he “didn’t announce any retirement” after blasting a quickfire halfcentury in the defeat to India on August 14.
“To my knowledge, he hasn’t retired,” said the skipper, whose opposite number Virat Kohli saw the tourists home with a second successive century.
Gayle raised his helmet on his bat and shook hands with India players as he left the field in the August 14 final match of the series in Port of Spain, where he smashed 72 from only 41 balls. The 39-year-old was given a standing ovation following what was thought to be his last international innings in the 50-over format.
“But today was an example of his career. The knock he played was outstanding. He got us off to a really good start.
Yet, in a brief clip posted on the Windies’ Twitter account, Gayle later declared: “I didn’t announce any retirement”. He then added that he would be around “until further notice”.
WI C KE T S
Windies captain Jason Holder confirmed there had been no word on Gayle quitting ODIs.
42
“He was entertaining, he showed presence, and that’s just what people have come to expect of Chris Gayle over the years.” On Sunday August 11, Gayle broke Brian Lara’s record for both ODI appearances and runs in the second match of a series which India won 2-0. ODI Career Mat-301, Inn-294, NO-17, Runs-10480, HS-215, Avg.37.83 SR-87.19, 100’s-25, 50’s-54, 4s-1128, 6s-331
43
WI C KE T S
LARA, SARWAN FOR WEST INDIES INDIA SERIES PRE TEST CAMP! Two former West Indies captains will join the team’s preparation ahead of the upcoming MyTeam11 Test Series against India. Brian Lara, one of the greatest batsmen of all-time, and R amnaresh Sarwan, who was one the leading players of his generation, will be part of the preseries camp to be held in Antigua ahead of the first Test match against India.
WI C KE T S
They will share their immense knowledge, experience and expertise with the members of the 13-member squad ahead of the MyTeam11 Series, which is co-sponsored by Skoda and KEI. West Indies and India will play two Tests – from August 22 to 26 at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground in North Sound, Antigua; and from August 30 to September 3 at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica.
44
Jimmy Adams, Cricket West Indies’ (CWI) Director of Cricket, was grateful to Lara and Sarwan for coming on board and offering their time to interact with the young batsmen as
they get ready for this crucial two-match series – which will signal the start of the new ICC World Test Championship (WTC) for both teams.
“We have some good young batsman in the team who we believe will form the future of West Indies cricket. We saw some very good signs of development earlier this year in the Test matches when we played so very well to beat England and we want to see them grow and become outstanding players for the West Indies,” Adams said. “We have taken the step to have Brian and ‘Ronnie’ work with these players, who have demonstrated a will to learn and succeed. We know they still have the passion and love for West Indies cricket and are eager to assist and share their information with the present generation.” Lara, 50, is the leading runscorer in West Indies history with 11,953 runs in 131 Test matches. His mammoth 400 not out against England in in Antigua in 2004 remains the only occasion a batsman has reached a quadruple century in Test history. He also holds the record for the highest first-class score of all time – the monumental 501 not out for Warwickshire in the English Country Championship. Sarwan, 39, scored 5,842 runs in 87 Test matches, including 15 centuries, with a top score of 291 against England in Barbados a decade ago. In One-Day Internationals, he also scored 5,845 runs in 169 innings.
• West Indies and India met in Test cricket for the first time in 1948. They have played 96 times – West Indies have won 30 times, India have won 20 and 46 matches have been drawn. West Indies have contested 542 Test matches in their 91-year Test history. They have won 173 times, lost 193, drawn 175 and tied once – the famous match against Australia in December 1960 at the Gabba.
RHAKEEM CORNWALL
SQUAD
FRANCHISE
AGE
TESTS
Jason HOLDER (Captain)
Barbados Pride
27
37
Kraigg BRATHWAITE
Barbados Pride
26
56
Darren BRAVO
Trinidad & Tobago Red Force
30
52
Shamarh BROOKS
Barbados Pride
30
0
John CAMPBELL
Jamaica Scorpions
25
3
Roston CHASE
Barbados Pride
27
29
Rahkeem CORNWALL
Leeward Islands Hurricanes
26
0
Shane DOWRICH
Barbados Pride
27
30
Shannon GABRIEL
Trinidad & Tobago Red Force
31
43
Shimron HETMYER
Guyana Jaguars
22
13
Shai HOPE
Barbados Pride
25
29
Keemo PAUL
Guyana Jaguars
21
3
Kemar ROACH
Barbados Pride
31
53
FULL MATCH SCHEDULE Sat, Aug 3: 1st MyTeam11 T20I– India won by 4 wickets – Broward County Stadium, United States Sun, Aug 4: 2nd MyTeam11 T20I – India won by 22 runs (DLS Method) – Broward County Stadium Tue, Aug 6: 3rd MyTeam11 T20I – India won by 7 wickets – Guyana National Stadium, Guyana Thu, Aug 8: 1st MyTeam11 ODI – No result – Guyana National Stadium Sun, Aug 11: 2nd MyTeam11 ODI – India won by 59 runs (DLS Method) – Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad Sat, Aug 17 to Mon, Aug 19: Tour Match – Coolidge Cricket Ground, Antigua (9:30 am daily) Thu, Aug 22 to Mon, Aug 26: 1st MyTeam11 Test – Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, Antigua (9:30 am daily) Fri, Aug 30 to Tue, Sep 3: 2nd MyTeam11 Test – Sabina Park, Jamaica (9:30 am daily)
WI C KE T S
Wed, Aug 14: 3rd MyTeam11 ODI – India won by 6 wickets (DLS Method) – Queen’s Park Oval
45
Setback For Saad As Euro T20 Slam Cancelled
C
anada’s Saad Bin Zafar’s plans for further international cricket exposure have been dealt a setback by the announcement of of the cancellation of the Euro T20 Slam’s Inaugural Season, just two weeks before the tournament had been scheduled to start. Saad Bin Zafar had been the lone Canadian player drafted to participate in this year’s Tournament. Speculation had been rampant of late that the tournament could be cancelled and that turned into reality on the evening of August 14 as Tournament organizers, led by Gurmeet Singh’s Bombay Sports Limited and Woods Entertainment, the same group in charge of the Global T20 Canada, had run into increasing financial difficulties in recent weeks. The tournament’s organizers released a statement saying that “the board of the Euro T20 Slam, funding partners and franchise owners of this exciting new T20 tournament have reluctantly come to the decision that staging of the event will not be possible in 2019”, but did not expand upon the specifics behind the decision. The league tweeted a later statement citing “unforeseen circumstances”. Various marquee players had been drafted to play in the league, including Rashid Khan, Eoin Morgan, Dale Steyn, Babar Azam and Faf du Plessis. According to multiple sources, players from the three host nations were told as early as August 14 that the tournament was likely to be cancelled, as well as event vendors including television production staff. But it is understood that most overseas players had been unaware of the tournament’s cancellation before the statement was issued.
WI C KE T S
The dates for the Euro T20 Slam had been in direct competition with the Caribbean Premier League, with the latter due to start on September 4. Many marquee players who were CPL representatives in the past several years - including Rashid Khan, Shane Watson, Imran Tahir, Martin Guptill, Chris Lynn and Luke Ronchi - and who had submitted their names for both the CPL and Euro T20 Slam drafts this year, eventually opted to withdraw from CPL consideration to commit to the Euro T20 Slam.
46
Saad Bin Zafar just recently completed an outstanding GT20 Canada 2nd Season with the ball. He was the leading wickettaker for the Tournament’s eventual runner-up and 2018 Champions Vancouver Knights. Bin Zafar took 8 wickets from 19 overs bowled during 6 innings at an average of 19 and an economy rate of 8.
47
WI C KE T S