After opening League 2 play earlier this year with four straight wins in Dubai — beating Scotland twice and the hosts the United Arab Emirates — the Canadians lost to the hosts Netherlands and the United States in The Hague this week in the second of their tri-series.
The top four teams from the eight-nation League 2 will advance to the 10-team World Cup qualifiers, which will send four teams (50-over) to the Cricket World Cup after the end of 2026 play. The bottom four countries in League 2 get another bite at the apple through the World Cup qualifying playoffs.
The field for the 2027 World Cup has been expanded to 14 teams, but 10 of those spots have already been claimed by tournament hosts South Africa and Zimbabwe and eight other top ICC members, according to the one-day rankings.
Canada, who have not qualified for the World Cup since 2011, are ranked 16th in the world in one-day internationals and 23rd in T20s.
The Canadians return to action on Saturday against the Dutch before facing the Americans on Monday, both games in Rotterdam. Assistant coach Khurram Chohan will be in charge until a new head coach is appointed while Zafar remains a valued member of the team.
With little time to prepare for the move to 50-over League 2 games, the Canadian men left behind the shorter, more explosive 20-over formats at the Global T20 tournament in Brampton, Ont.
“I expect to see better results in the (next) two matches,” said Liburd. “But I think going straight from the GT20 to the game two days later, it hampered the preparation needed for the ODI (one-day international) series.”
Such calendar blockages are intended to be avoided in the future.
Canada is scheduled to play T20 matches against both the Dutch and the Americans immediately after the upcoming 50 matches. Canada will then host a League 2 tri-nations series with Oman and Nepal in Toronto in September.
The application deadline for the Canadian coaching job, which is for two years, is August 30. Cricket Canada also promotes a women’s coach and an under-19 high performance coach.
Liburd, a former Canadian international, is confident Cricket Canada has the resources to land the coach it wants. Cricket Canada’s bottom line has been bolstered by its partnership with Boundaries North, which has helped secure several major sponsors as well as revenue from the GT20 tournament.
The governing body now has sponsorship deals with Nissan, TD Bank Group, Coca-Cola, Newbery Cricket and O’Neills Irish International Sports Company.
As for the captaincy change, Liburd noted that the 37-year-old Zafar is “nearing the end of his playing days”.
“We wanted to build a new team with new management after the World Cup,” he added
Born in Barbados, Kirton, whose mother was born in Montreal, is 26 years old. He served as captain of the Barbados under-19 team and vice-captain of the senior Barbados team.
Last year, the board awarded 12 full-time and five part-time player contracts. They offer a modest amount but help pay the bills and pay more when they go on tour.
Kirton moved to Toronto last year after being awarded one of those contracts. Liburd says the governing body is looking at the next round of contracts.
After missing the first eight editions of the T20 World Cup, Canada bounced back last October by winning the Americas region final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Kirton had a good T20 World Cup, scoring 51 runs in the tournament-opening win over the United States, before adding 49 in Ireland’s 12-run win in which he was named man of the match. He ran out one in the last seven-wicket loss to Pakistan.
It has been a long climb up the world cricket ladder.
The Canadians regained one-day international status for the first time in nearly a decade by finishing fourth in the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifying Playoffs in Namibia in April 2023. Canada got there by finishing atop League A in the six-nation World Cup Challenge. League.
About 60 per cent of Cricket Canada’s funding comes from the International Cricket Council, the world governing body. A small amount comes from Sport Canada and the rest from sponsors, fundraising and the GT20 tournament.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published on August 16, 2024
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press
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