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GUYANA CHRONICLE Friday, July 20, 2018
Cricket Canada, Mercuri deserve ...Says Frederick Halley to take a bow CRICKET Canada president Ranjit Saini and organisers of the inaugural Global T20 Canada cricket tournament deserve to take a bow for the splendid effort made in staging an event of such magnitude. According to an excited Saini, “In many ways, GT20 has kindled hope of a new and vibrant Cricket Canada, you can take my word on it, a new cricket nation is in the making.” As expected and not surprisingly, there were itches but by the time the tournament climaxed at King City last Sunday, both Cricket Canada and league owner Gurmeet Singh of Mercuri Canada must have been pleased with the bold and exciting start in what promises to be years of fruitful entertainment for cricket-starved Torontonians. That the spectators chose the final day to come out in their numbers after disappointing attendance in the previous matches was quite understandable, taking into consideration the location of the ground and the times the matches were being played. The organisers were able to attract a galaxy of international stars, including West Indians Chris Gayle and An-
Sherfane Rutherford celebrates his brilliant undefeated 134.
dre Russell plus banned Australian stars Steve Smith and David Warner among others which should be considered a plus when so many leagues around the globe are staging tournaments of this nature. What was quite significant was the fact that Singh disclosed that he only acquired licence for the tournament in April and was contemplating whether he should go ahead with its first staging this year, taking into consideration the time factor, or wait until 2019. In the end, a decision was taken to go ahead this year since they were also assured of getting the “big name” players. The organisers also felt
that North America was in dire need of a professional cricket league and it was essential to explore the market with the full understanding that profits wouldn’t be imminent and that they are prepared to sustain losses for at least the first three years. Originally set to be played at three venues, Cricket Canada and the organisers ruled out Sunnybrook and the Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club and instead settled for the Maple Leaf Cricket Club ground, King City for the tournament which had the blessings of the International Cricket Conference (ICC). Prior to the commencement of the tournament,
Malik confirmed as Amazon Warriors captain … brings into team a lot of professionalism, says Khan By Rajiv Bisnauth PAKISTAN all-rounder Shoaib Malik was confirmed yesterday as the Guyana Amazon Warriors captain for the sixth edition of the Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL). Malik has emerged as the top candidate for the challenging job, based on his captaincy experience, having led Pakistan’s senior side and recently Multan Sultans, the Pakistan Super League T20 team, according to the Guyana Amazon Warriors Team Operations Manager, Omar Khan. “Shoaib (Malik) has
tremendous experience in T20 cricket. He is a former Pakistan captain, he has captained a number of T20 franchises and he brings into the team a lot of professionalism, a level of discipline, that level of team spirit and that organisation that we think will add,” Khan, a former West Indies team manager said. Malik had previously represented the Barbados Tridents in the last five editions of the tournament. He had a decent stint with the Tridents in the last five years, where
Vancouver Knights in triumphant mood after Sunday’s final
it was announced that the league had been conceptualised, designed, developed and managed by Mercuri Talent Management Pvt Ltd, an Indian company, with Cricket Canada, the official governing body for the sport in the country and that the two had entered into a 25-year Master Licensing Agreement which covers not just the Global T20 Canada, but also investment in developing the grassroots for the sport in the country. Saini had boasted then that “Twenty20 Major League Cricket has the potential to change Canadian cricket forever. It is a great challenge and Cricket Canada is ready to deliver
a resounding success. That it did cannot be disputed, especially when several prior attempts never got off the ground. Mercuri had also made it clear that it was absolutely delighted to partner with Cricket Canada to contribute directly to aiding in the development of a world class Canadian national side. So it is not just about the league, but about the all-round development of the sport. As expected, since the officials were only using three pitches throughout the almost three weeks, some players and coaches were measured in their criticism of playing conditions, alluding to the fact that it was
he was as an important member of the playing unit both with the bat and the ball. “He is a good communicator and most of the guys respect him, and most importantly he is an international player who is highly respected, so the management staff thought we wanted that level of professionalism, somebody who can demonstrate true leadership skills,” Khan pointed out. Malik’s appointment now confirmed a new management team for the local franchise after the owner made a new signing for the head coach of the team and his assistant. After deliberating for quite a while the franchise pinned down on one name who best suits all the demands from the role and understands the dynamics of T20 cricket really well. Former South African all-rounder Johan Botha will take over as the head coach
of Warriors for the upcoming season. His deputy is the local man – manager of the Guyana Jaguars and West Indies A, Rayon Griffith. Meanwhile, ticket sales for the Warriors first three home games went on sale yesterday at the CPL Guyana Office, located at 238 Camp and Quamina Streets, Georgetown. P a t ro n s i n B e r b i c e wishing to purchase tickets can do so from Monday at Vijai Ramdhan’s office,
not quite world class. Nevertheless, there were several high-scoring encounters and it all boiled down in some instances to mind over matter. Still, frustration has come out at times. Montreal coach Tom Moody, whose team finished fifth in the six-team league, said that top-level batsmen are not accustomed to balls exploding off the pitch in front of their face. Former Pakistan fast bowling great Waqar Younis, who was coach of Winnipeg Hawks, while admitting there was definite need for improvement, complimented the organisers for a splendid job in putting the tournament together in such short time. Despite being runners-up, after going down to the star-studded Vancouver Hawks in the final, Cricket West Indies B were undoubtedly the talk of the tournament. Starting as the underdogs, the youthful side whose average age was 22 surprised all and sundry with some mouth-watering performances. After playing unbeaten in their first four games and suffering two consecutive losses, they stunned Chris Gayle’s Vancouver Knights with a last-ball victory in their first qualifying encounter which propelled them to the final. CONTINUE ON PAGE 27
Shoaib Malik
Number 19 Princess Elizabeth Road, Queenstown, New Amsterdam, Berbice. Tickets cost $5 000 for the Red and Green Stands; $3 000 for the Orange Stand and $2 500 for the Grass Mound. According to a release by the Warriors’ management, tickets can be purchased from 08:00hrs to 17:00hrs on weekdays and from 09:00hrs to 13:00hrs on Saturdays. CONTINUE ON PAGE 27