Canada Cricket Team

Canada national cricket team

The Canada cricket team is the national cricket team representing Canada in men's international competition. It is run by Cricket Canada.
While Canada is not sanctioned to play Test matches, the team does take part in One Day International matches and also in first-class games (in the ICC Intercontinental Cup) against other non-Test-playing opposition, with the rivalry against the United States cricket team being as strong in cricket as it is in other team sports. The match between these two nations is in fact the oldest international fixture in cricket, having first been played in 1844.
Canadian cricket has tended to take a lower profile than most other sports, and the team tends to be composed of expatriates from more successful cricketing nations either trying to achieve a level of international experience or having been deemed too old for their respective national teams. The 2003 World Cup squad, for example, contained players born in Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan and the West Indies.
Perhaps the most successful exponent of Canadian cricket has been all-rounder John Davison. Davison was born in Canada but played club and – occasionally – first class cricket in Australia, achieving a reputation as something of a journeyman. Taking advantage of his Canadian birth, he became a regular in the national squad. At the 2003 World Cup, Davison hit the fastest century in tournament history against the West Indies in what was ultimately a losing cause. One year later, in the ICC Intercontinental Cup against the USA, he proved the difference between the two sides taking 17 wickets for 137 runs (the best haul in first-class cricket since England's Jim Laker took 19 wickets in 1956) as well as scoring 84 runs of his own.

History

 Early days

Cricket Canada logo

It is generally thought that cricket was introduced to Canada by British soldiers after the Battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759, although the earliest confirmed reference to cricket is of matches played on Saint Helen's Island, Quebec in 1785 on what later became the site of Expo 67.
The roots of modern Canadian cricket though come from the regions of Upper Canada, in particular Toronto, then known as York. During the early years of the nineteenth century, a schoolmaster by the name of George Anthony Barber encouraged the game there, and founded the Toronto Cricket Club in 1827. Barber instigated a game played between the Toronto Cricket Club and the cricket team of Upper Canada College in 1836, a game won by the college team.^[1] This game has been played annually ever since. As already mentioned, Canada played its first international against the USA in 1844 in New York at St George's Cricket Club, now the site of the New York University medical centre.

Late 19th century

George Parr led an English team to Canada in 1859, which was the first ever international cricket tour. A product of the tour was a book by Fred Lillywhite entitled The English Cricketers’ Trip to Canada and the United States, published the following year. On the tour, which also ventured into the USA, the team won all five official matches against a 22 of Lower Canada (by 8 wickets at Montreal, Quebec on 26 October – 27 September), a 22 of the United States (by an innings and 64 runs at Hoboken, New Jersey on 3–5 October), a different 22 of the United States (by 7 wickets at Philadelphia on 10–12 October), a 22 of Lower Canada (by 10 wickets at Hamilton, Ontario on 17 – 19 October) and a further 22 of the United States (by an innings and 68 runs at Rochester, New York on 21 – 25 October). There were also some exhibition matches and two excursions to view the Niagara Falls.
When Canada became a nation in 1867, cricket was so popular it was declared the national sport by John A. Macdonald, the first Prime Minister of Canada.^[2][3] The influence of baseball from the United States saw a decline in the popularity of cricket, despite tours from English and Australian teams. The third tour by an English team in 1872 featured none other than the famous W. G. Grace. The first Australian team to tour came in 1877, and they returned in 1893 beating Canada by an innings.^[4] Three games were played against Ireland between 1888 and 1890, Ireland winning one, with the other two drawn. A tour of North America by the Australians in 1913 saw two first-class games (both won by the tourists) against a combined Canada–USA team.^[5][6] The second of these, played at Rosedale, Toronto, was the first first-class match played in Canada.

 1887 England tour

After an unofficial tour in 1880, which saw the Canadian captain arrested during a game against Leicestershire and the tour abandoned, the first official tour of the United Kingdom by a Canadian team took place in 1887. The tour started with two matches against Ireland, against whom Canada drew one game and lost the other, followed by two matches against Scotland with the same result. The tour then ventured into the north east of England with a defeat against the Gentlemen of Northumberland and a draw against Durham.
The tour then continuted with various matches against county sides and others, with wins coming against the Gentlemen of Derbyshire and the Gentlemen of Warwickshire. The Canadian team finished the tour with a win/loss record of 2/5 with the remaining twelve games all drawn.

 1950s

The Marylebone Cricket Club visited Canada in 1951, the highlight of which was the first first-class game played by the Canadian national team, played in Armour Heights, Toronto, which was won by the visiting side. This was followed in 1954 by a tour to England on which Canada played eighteen games, four of which were given first class status, including one against Pakistan who were also touring England at the same time.^[7] The MCC again visited Canada in 1959 under Dennis Silk, and played a 3-day game against a Canada XI in Toronto which they won by 10 wickets. They were undefeated throughout the tour, winning most of their matches by wide margins, but had a closely fought draw against the Toronto Cricket Club. This was the decade when "The Imperial Cricket Conference" had serious plans to grant Canada "Test status", However Canada themselves postponed the idea as they felt that the Canadian national team was not of sufficient Test standard, and that competing against full-members sides needed some time as they wanted to improve their cricket even domestically. However, things did not go as planned and it would be fifty years before Canada next played a first class cricket match.

 1960s

The annual series of matches between Canada and the USA continued, alternating between the countries. In the 1963 match in Toronto, Ray Nascimento scored 176, then a record for the series.

1970s

Canada drew a game against Ireland in 1973,^[8] and the following year again embarked on a tour of England. The tour was a much lower profile than the 1954 tour, with the games being against club sides, county second XIs, and minor counties. Canada had a 4/6 win/loss record on the tour, with a further six games being drawn.^[9] In 1979, Canada participated in the first ICC Trophy. They reached the final of the competition, which qualified them for the 1979 World Cup, where they played their first One Day Internationals. The World Cup was not a successful tournament for the Canadians though, and they failed to progress beyond the first round, losing all three games.

1980s

Canada participated in the ICC Trophy again in 1982 and 1986. They could not repeat their success of 1979 though, and failed to progress beyond the first round on both occasions. Other internationals in the 1980s include a no result game against Ireland in 1981,^[10] and a 3 wicket loss to Barbados.^[11]

1990s

The 1990s saw Canada progress up the international ladder, playing in three further ICC Trophy tournaments, their best being a seventh place finish in 1997. They also began competing in West Indian domestic one-day cricket in 1996, and competed in the Commonwealth Games cricket tournament in 1998, though they did not progress beyond the first round.

 2000s

2000 saw Canada host the first ICC Americas Championship, a tournament which they won. The following year they embarked on a tour to Sri Lanka, but the highlight of 2001 was their hosting of the ICC Trophy. They finished third in the tournament, which qualified them for the 2003 World Cup. It was this ICC Trophy tournament that first saw the emergence of John Davison, who was to become one of Canada's most successful players.
Canada played various matches in the build up to the World Cup, visiting Argentina in April 2002, finishing as runners up to longtime rivals the USA in the Americas Championship, swiftly followed by a fifth place finish in the ICC 6 Nations Challenge in Namibia. The West Indian A team toured Canada later in the year, and Canada won the one-day series 2–1, and drew a two day game. This was followed by Canada's best performance to date in West Indian domestic one-day cricket, winning two games in their first round group, just missing out on qualification for the semi finals.
The World Cup itself was a tournament of contrasting fortunes for the Canadians. They started with their first ODI win, over Bangladesh. Two games later saw them dismissed for 36 against Sri Lanka, then the lowest score in One Day International history. The next game against the West Indies saw John Davison score the fastest ever World Cup century, although Canada lost that game, and did not progress past the first round.

2004 – 2008

2004 started badly for Canada, with a last place finish in the Six Nations Challenge in the United Arab Emirates after Canada lost all their games. They had improved significantly by the time of the ICC Americas Championship in Bermuda, which they won. Also in 2004, Canada participated in the first ICC Intercontinental Cup, finishing as runners up to Scotland. The highlight of this tournament was the game against the USA in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, when John Davison recorded the best match bowling figures since Jim Laker's 19 wickets against Australia in 1956.
In 2005, Canada again finished third in the ICC Trophy, which gained them official ODI status from 2006 until the 2009 ICC World Cup Qualifier, as well as qualifying them for the 2007 World Cup. Their performance in the Intercontinental Cup that year was not as good as in 2004 however, as they did not make it past the first round.
In 2006, Canada put in good performances in the four-day ICC Intercontinental Cup, beating Kenya by 25 runs and Bermuda by nine wickets, but their one day form was a complete reversal, losing three times to Bermuda and Kenya, and a further loss to Zimbabwe.
In August, Canada took part in the first Division of the Americas Championship. They beat Argentina and longtime rivals the USA, but lost to the Cayman Islands and eventual winners Bermuda, and finished third, their worst performance so far in this tournament.

 2008

In June and July 2008, Canada hosted Bermuda for three ODIs and Intercontinental Cup matches against Bermuda and Scotland.
In August, Canada traveled to Ireland for the World Twenty20 Qualification Tournament. Canada did not qualify for the World Twenty20, finishing 5th ahead of Bermuda. The ODIs and an Intercontinental Cup match were hampered by rain.
In late summer of 2008, West Indies and Bermuda came to Canada to play One-Day Scotiabank Series with Canada. Canada defeated Bermuda, to face West Indies in the Final. West Indies captain Chris Gayle smashed his sixteenth ODI century and led his side to an easy seven-wicket victory against Canada in the finals of the Scotiabank ODI Series at King City.
During the Scotiabank Series the talents of Rizwan Cheema were discovered – he would become the star of the first Al-Barakah T20 Canada. The tournament involved Canada, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. Canada lost all two and tied one match, however in the tie with Zimbabwe, Canada lost the points in a bowl-out. Sri Lanka were eventual winners, defeating Pakistan in the Final. The tournament is expected to be played annually for the next four years.
In late November 2008, Canada participated in the Americas Championship in Florida, USA. The United States, after years of disarray, pulled together and won the championship. Canada finished 3rd on Net Run Rate behind Bermuda, as their match was washed out due to rain.

 2009

In April 2009 Canada participated in the 2009 ICC Cricket World Cup Qualification Tournament. Assembling the best Canadian team in many years, Canada rolled through the opening stages of the event and eventually finished second in the tournament. The impressive display earned Canada a berth in the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup.
The ICC announced that the 2015 Cricket World Cup will only have 10 teams this makes it difficult for the Associates to qualify for the world cup. Cricket Canada expressed it's unhappiness with the reduced world cup^[12]

 Tournament history

World Cup 1975: Did not participate 1979: First round 1983 to 1999 inclusive: Did not qualify 2003: First round 2007: First round 2011: First round  World Cricket League 2007 (Division One): 4th place 2010 (Division One): 5th place  Intercontinental Cup 2004: Runners up 2005: First round 2006: Runners up 2007–08: Equal 7th 2009–10: 7th  Commonwealth Games 1998: First round ICC 6 Nations Challenge 2002: 5th place 2004: 6th place

ICC Trophy 1979: Runners up 1982: First round 1986: First round 1990: Second round 1994: Second round 1997: 7th place 2001: 3rd place 2005: 3rd place 2009: 2nd place  ICC Americas championship 2000: Champions 2002: Runners up 2004: Champions 2006: 3rd place 2008: 3rd place 2010: Champions 2011: Champions ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier 2008: 5th Place 2010: Group Stage

 Current squad

 Current squad

The following table lists the 14 players in Canada's squad for the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier.^[13]

Name	Age	Batting Style	Bowling Style	ODI matches	FC matches	Notes
Batsmen
Ruvindu Gunasekera	20	LHB	LB	12	6
Jimmy Hansra	27	RHB	OB	17	4
Nitish Kumar	18	RHB	OB	10	5
Usman Limbada	22	RHB	RM	7	1
Hiral Patel	20	RHB	SLA	18	4
Zubin Surkari	32	RHB	RM	23	8
Tyson Gordon	25	LHB	RFM	–	3
All-rounders
Rizwan Cheema	33	RHB	RM	31	7
Raza-ur-Rehman	26	RHB	LMF	–	–
Abraash Khan	13	RHB	RM	-	-
Wicket-keepers
Hamza Tariq	21	RHB	–	3	4
Bowlers
Manny Aulakh	20	RHB	RFM	–	1
Salman Nazar	21	LHB	SLA	–	–
Henry Osinde	33	RHB	RFM	40	21
Junaid Siddiqui	27	RHB	LB	3	1

Canada Under 19s

The Canadian Under 19 team have competed in the Under 19 World Cup on two occasions. In 2002, they were eliminated in the first round, meaning they competed in the plate competition, in which they did not win a game. They repeated this performance in the 2004 competition.Canada competed in the 2010 u19 Cricket World Cup where they defeated Zimbabwe in the opening stages.

 Records

International Match Summary – Canada[14] Last updated 18 December 2011. Playing Record Format M W L T NR Inaugural Match One-Day Internationals 70 17 52 0 1 9 June 1979 Twenty20 Internationals 11 3 7 1 0 2 August 2008  ODI Cricket Highest team total: 312/4 v Ireland, 4 February 2007 at Nairobi, Kenya Highest individual score: 137*, Ashish Bagai v Scotland, 31 January 2007 at Nairobi, Kenya Best innings bowling: 5/27, Austin Codrington v Bangladesh, 11 February 2003 at Kingsmead, Durban, South Africa Most ODI runs for Canada[15] Player Runs Average Ashish Bagai 1961 38.45 Sunil Dhaniram 915 24.72 John Davison 799 26.63 Abdool Samad 740 29.60 Rizwan Cheema 707 24.37 Ian Billcliff 529 27.84 Ashif Mulla 482 20.08 Most ODI wickets for Canada[16] Player Wickets Average Harvir Baidwan 43 28.39 Henry Osinde 42 31.04 Sunil Dhaniram 41 30.24 John Davison 36 29.63 Umar Bhatti 33 34.81 Rizwan Cheema 32 32.15 Khurram Chohan 31 29.90 ODI record versus other nations[17] Records complete to ODI#3224. Last updated 14 December 2011. vs Test nations Opponent M W L T NR First win v Pakistan 2 0 2 0 0 v England 2 0 2 0 0 v Australia 2 0 2 0 0 v Bangladesh 2 1 1 0 0 11 February 2003 v Sri Lanka 2 0 2 0 0 v West Indies 4 0 4 0 0 v South Africa 1 0 1 0 0 v New Zealand 3 0 3 0 0 v Zimbabwe 2 0 2 0 0 v {Associate Members} 50 16 33 0 1 27 November 2006 Most T20I runs for Canada[18] Player Runs Average Rizwan Cheema 210 30.00 Ashish Bagai 169 28.16 Most T20I wickets for Canada[19] Player Wickets Average Harvir Baidwan 19 12.89 Umar Bhatti 8 18.50 T20I record versus other nations[20] Records complete to T20I#216. Last updated 14 December 2011. vs Test nations Opponent M W L T NR First win v Pakistan 1 0 1 0 0 v Zimbabwe 2 0 1 1 0 v Sri Lanka 1 0 1 0 0 v {Associate Members} 7 3 4 0 0 2 August 2008  ICC Trophy Highest team total: 356/5 v Papua New Guinea, 16 June 1986 at Walsall, England Highest individual score: 164 not out, Paul Prashad v Papua New Guinea, 16 June 1986 at Walsall, England Best innings bowling: 7/21, B Singh v Namibia, 14 February 1994 at Nairobi Club Ground, Kenya  Other Cricket Batting Ray Nascimento 176 runs – Canada vs United States at Toronto, Ontario, 1963 Ken Trestrail 175 runs – Canada vs Combined Services at Chatham, England, 1954 Qaiser Ali 174 runs – Canada vs Netherlands at Pretoria, South Africa, 2006 John Davison 165 runs – Canada vs Bermuda at King City, Ontario, 2006 Paul Prashad 164 runs not out – Canada vs Papua New Guinea at (ICC Trophy) England, 1986 John Davison 131 runs – Canada vs Namibia at Pretoria, South Africa, 2009 Bowling Joel Bradbury 9 wkts for 6 – Canada vs United States at Toronto, Ontario, 1854 Brian Christen 9 wkts for 38 – Canada vs United States at Toronto, Ontario, 1952 John Davison 9 wkts for 76 – Canada vs United States at Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 2004 Edward Ogden 9 wkts for 83 – Canada vs MCC at Lord's, England, 1887 Edward Ogden 8 wkts for 27 – Canada vs Warwickshire at Birmingham, England, 1887

Canada
Canada cricket cap crest
ICC membership granted	1968
ICC member status	Associate with ODI status
ICC development region	Americas
World Cricket League division	One
Captain	Rizwan Cheema
Coach	Michael Dighton
First recorded match	24 September 1844, v USA at New York
One Day Internationals
ODI matches played	43
ODI wins/losses	10/33
First class cricket
First class matches played	14
First class wins/losses	4/8
List A cricket
List A matches played	64
List A wins/losses	12/48
ICC World Cup Qualifier
Appearances	8 (First in 1979)
Best result	Runners up, 1979
Cricket World Cup
Appearances	4 (First in 1979)
Best result	Round 1
As of 11 February 2012