In a significant announcement today, Cricket Canada has named its squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, appointing all-rounder Saad Bin Zafar as the team captain.
This selection marks Canada’s inaugural appearance at the T20 World Cup, showcasing a blend of experience and youth.
The team is set to compete in Group A, which features a challenging lineup including co-hosts USA, cricketing powerhouses India and Pakistan, and Ireland. Canada’s first game in the tournament will take place against the USA in Dallas on June 1, a team that recently bested them in an early April bilateral series.
Saad Bin Zafar, the newly appointed captain and a seasoned left-arm orthodox spinner, is expected to bring crucial leadership and expertise to the team. His presence is bolstered by key players like top-order batter Aaron Johnson and left-arm seamer Kaleem Sana. The squad notably comprises only four players under the age of 30, emphasizing a strategy leaning towards experience in this high-stakes tournament.
Despite the inclusion of seasoned players, the selection panel decided against including Nikhil Dutta and Srimantha Wijeyeratne in the final squad, both of whom have been left out of the team line-up. Tajinder Singh, however, will be traveling with the team as a reserve player.
The coaching reins are held by Pubudu Dassanayake, a former Sri Lankan and Canadian international, who took over the coaching duties in 2022. Dassanayake’s experience and insights are anticipated to be pivotal for Canada in navigating the challenges of the World Cup.
The complete squad for Canada is as follows: Saad Bin Zafar (captain), Aaron Johnson, Dilon Heyliger, Dilpreet Bajwa, Harsh Thaker, Jeremy Gordon, Junaid Siddiqui, Kaleem Sana, Kanwarpal Tathgur, Navneet Dhaliwal, Nicholas Kirton, Pargat Singh, Ravinderpal Singh, Rayyankhan Pathan, and Shreyas Movva. The reserve players include Tajinder Singh, Aaditya Varadharajan, Ammar Khalid, Jatinder Matharu, and Parveen Kumar.
Cricket Canada has until May 25th to make any changes to their squad, after which any alterations will require the approval of the ICC’s Event Technical Committee.
As the World Cup approaches, the Canadian team hopes to make a significant impact in their debut, harnessing their blend of seasoned talent and strategic prowess under the global spotlight.
