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The conflict in the Middle East has thrown a wrench in Canada’s final push to retain its One-Day International (ODI) berth and possibly qualify for the next World Cup.
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Canada was due to fly off to Oman for the final batch of qualifiers versus the host nation and Nepal from Oct. 9 to the 19th but with threats by the U.S. to bomb the country, the International Cricket Council is debating whether this World Cup League tournament should be pushed further down the calendar or have it moved to another country.
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This has left Canada stranded between a rock and a hard place as the national squad is minus a head coach and Cricket Canada has not yet selected a squad. In fact the national body has been running around in circles like a headless chicken not knowing what to do. It’s because of two snags that delivered a punch to the face.
First, national coach Monty Desai’s contract ended on the squad’s return from Scotland and he is apparently pursuing a job offer with Gujarat in India. Then came another blow to the jaw when highly-recommended Chief Operating Officer Bhavjit Jauhar saw his interim term come to an end.
Cricket Canada made no attempt to extend Desai’s contract as some of his selections in Scotland left many shaking their heads. The decision not to extend Jauhar’s term may also hurt the national body as he was the suspended body’s main conduit with the ICC and had made inroads to lift the suspension that it is under. So the parent body has two huge jobs to fill and also start devising plans to get the squad back on the field for these upcoming encounters.
In Scotland the national squad did exceeding well considering some of the odd selections and the fact several of the members of the squad were given no opportunity to acclimatize. The fault in this instance was because of the incompetence of a Cricket Canada board member who went into a deep slumber when he was to have procured the visas. This tournament dates did not come as a surprise so there was no excuse why this important fact slipped someone’s mind. Unfortunately this administration still has some members of the old group that was kicked out by a court order, still pulling some of the strings.
In the interim, the parent body appointed Amarinder Bhinder, a former coach with the national squad, as assistant coach of the squad. Bhinder came to Canada several years ago from South Africa where he coached in the school system. I have nothing against Bhinder’s appointment but it simply makes no sense. It should have first installed a national coach and then allow him to select his own coaching staff. Calls to Cricket Canada president Arvinder Khosa have gone unanswered as it appears he is following in the same missteps as the previous administration led by Amjad Bajwa that slowly but surely tried to bury the game.
If the tournament does go ahead as planned then the squad will have to start training as early as next week if it needs to win encounters versus Oman and Nepal. Hopefully, CC doesn’t leave preparations too late if it genuinely intends to qualify for the ODIs. One huge headache the selectors will face is that all the tournaments being played across the country are solely T20s. There is a huge difference between T20s and ODIs (50 overs) and the sooner the selectors realize this the better. A few have excelled in the last few weeks in the shorter format but that should not guarantee them an automatic place on the squad.
PAKISTAN IN SHAMBLES
Pakistan’s former star all-rounder Shahid Afridi, who made an instant impact during the Sahara Cup tournament versus India in Toronto several years ago, has slammed the country’s authorities for making wholesale changes for the third Test versus England.
Afridi called the move “the most shocking decision ever by a selection committee.” After Pakistan was thrashed in the first two encounters, the tourists dropped seven players and called up five uncapped players. To make matters even worse the selectors also axed head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and his assistant Umar Gul and replaced them with white-ball coach Mike Hesson and former Australia seamer Ashley Noffke.
The tourists have dropped seven players and called up five uncapped players.
“Not sure what is the logic or reasoning behind this decision!’’ Afridi wrote on social media. “Even the replacements make no sense – T20 players have been included for a Test match in England?” . . . . And former England superstar Ben Stokes is laughing all the way to the bank. He became the most expensive player in BBL history after signing for Adelaide Strikers for a massive $360,000 (U.S.) for the forthcoming season.
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Source: torontosun.com
