Cricket Canada’s Unnecessary Shake-Up

Cricket Canada seems to have ignored the age-old advice, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Despite a strong showing at the World Twenty20 Cup, the board made two significant, and seemingly uncalled-for, changes that have left the team reeling.

Unneeded Alterations

As the national team prepared to head to the Netherlands, the board decided not to renew the contract of coach Pubudu Dassanayake, which expired at the end of July. In an unexpected move, they also stripped Saad Bin Zafar of the captaincy, replacing him with Nicholas Kirton.

Dassanayake's departure wasn’t entirely unexpected, as rumours had circulated before the Twenty20 tournament that Canada would be the only team without a coach after his firing. However, due to potential backlash on the global stage, the board allowed Dassanayake to travel with the team at the last minute. In an exclusive interview, Dassanayake mentioned that it felt like he had a sword hanging over his head throughout the tournament. Despite his limited role, he was instrumental in Canada’s victory over Test-nation Ireland in one of the first round’s biggest upsets.

Dassanayake expressed that defeating a Test-playing nation like Ireland was special, and he believed that had he been given full control, Canada might have advanced to the tournament’s second phase. However, interference from the board on team selection hindered their progress.

Remember the Name

Under Dassanayake’s leadership, Canada qualified for the Twenty20 tournament for the first time and regained their one-day international status after nearly a decade by finishing first in a qualifying tournament in Namibia. Despite his success, rumours of unrest within the Canada camp have persisted since a new national committee was elected. Dassanayake had a written contract stating it would be automatically renewed for two years if the team qualified for both the Twenty20 tournament and the ODI, which they did.

Ignoring this contract, Cricket Canada has advertised the coaching position as vacant, prompting Dassanayake to file a lawsuit for wrongful dismissal. His lawyers are still waiting for a response from the national board.

The decision to remove Bin Zafar, a key player, shocked the local cricket community. Bin Zafar had been outstanding in the Twenty20 World Cup, both with his spin bowling and on-field leadership. Despite this, the board, seemingly unfamiliar with the nuances of cricket, replaced him with Kirton as captain for the League 2 matches in the Netherlands.

Earlier this year, under Dassanayake and Bin Zafar, Canada had a strong start in Dubai, winning four consecutive matches, including victories over Scotland and the United Arab Emirates.

While this is not a criticism of the 26-year-old Kirton, an excellent and seasoned batsman, the decision to make changes when none were necessary is questionable.

Complete Chaos

 According to a report by the Canadian Press, Cricket Canada GM Ingleton Liburd stated that the board of directors made the decisions regarding the coach and captain. As Canada began the second phase of the ICC League 2 qualifying in the Netherlands last week, the results have been disastrous, with the team losing all four of its 50-over matches.

After the first two defeats against the Netherlands and the U.S., Liburd expressed hope for better results in the remaining matches, citing the team's direct transition from the GT20 tournament in Brampton as a factor that hampered their preparation for the ODI series.

However, Liburd’s comments, particularly regarding the captaincy change, suggest a lack of understanding of the game. He mentioned that the 37-year-old Bin Zafar was nearing the end of his playing days, and the board wanted to build a new team under fresh leadership after the World Cup.

Yet, experience is crucial, and Bin Zafar has consistently proven his value, both as a player and as a captain, since taking over in 2022.

Canada’s dismal run concluded with a fourth consecutive loss, this time to the United States by 50 runs in Rotterdam. The U.S. posted 278 for eight, with Smit Patel top-scoring with 70 off 84 balls and Aaron Jones contributing 50 off 53 balls.

Canada was bowled out for 225, with Shadley Van Schalkwyk taking four for 20. Bin Zafar once again stood out among the bowlers, delivering an excellent spell of three for 30 off his 10 overs, while Kaleem Sana took two for 39. Shreyas Movva and Pargat Singh put together a fifth-wicket partnership of 108 runs, but after Singh’s dismissal for 72 off 80 balls, the team collapsed.

Wicketkeeper Movva, who had been impressive with the bat throughout the four matches, continued to show his class with 68 off 95 balls.