By Ravendra Madholall

Canada is set to make its International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 World Cup debut on Saturday at 20:30 hrs against the USA in Dallas at the Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium. This marks the beginning of the 2024 edition, featuring 20 teams competing for the prestigious title.

Canada finds itself in Group A, alongside cricket powerhouses India, Ireland, USA, and Pakistan. Their schedule includes a match against Ireland at the newly constructed Nassau County International Stadium in New York on June 7, followed by a clash with Pakistan at the same venue on June 11. They will conclude the preliminary stage by taking on the formidable Indian side on June 15 at the Central Broward Stadium in Florida.

The tournament format divides the 20 participating countries into four groups, with a knockout stage to follow, culminating in the championship encounter on June 29 at the famous Kensington Oval in Barbados. England enters the tournament as the defending champions, with the USA and West Indies jointly hosting the event.

Canada’s confidence is high following an emphatic 63-run victory over Nepal in their lone warmup match in the USA. Batting first, Canada posted a competitive 183-7 from their 20 overs, with frontline batter Nicolas Kirton top-scoring with an impressive 51 and opener Navneet Dhaliwal contributing 32. In response, Nepal was bowled out for 120 in the penultimate over, thanks to a stellar bowling performance by Canada-based Guyanese pacer Dillon Heyliger, who took 4-20 in 2.3 overs. Fellow pacer Jeremy Gordon and skipper Saad Bin Zafar, a left-arm orthodox spinner, also made significant contributions, each taking two wickets off their maximum four overs.

Canada’s squad for the tournament includes: Saad Bin Zafar (Captain), Aaron Johnson, Nicolas Kirton, Shreyaz Movva, Ravinderpaul Singh, Junaid Siddique, Navneet Dhaliwal, Dilpreet Singh, Dillon Heyliger, Jeremy Gordon, Kaleem Sana, Rishiv Ragav Joshi, Rayyan Pathan, Pargat Singh, and Nikkil Dutta.

Meanwhile, the West Indies team will play their first match against Papua New Guinea on Sunday at the Guyana National Stadium, Providence, with the action starting at 10:30 am. The West Indies team, led by Jamaican hard-hitting batsman Rovman Powell, should be in high spirits after a recent 3-0 T20 series victory over South Africa in Jamaica.

The two-time champions of the biannual tournament, since its inauguration in 2007, are placed in Group C with New Zealand, Afghanistan, and Uganda. As part of their preparation, they are scheduled to play a practice game against Australia on Thursday at the Queen’s Park Oval, Trinidad and Tobago, starting at 19:00 hrs.

The West Indies squad comprises: Rovman Powell (Captain), Alzarri Joseph (Vice-Captain), Johnson Charles, Brandon King, Nicolas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Sherfane Rutherford, Gudakesh Motie, Obed McCoy, Shamar Joseph, Andre Russell, Romario Shepherd, Akeal Hosein, and Roston Chase.

As cricket fans worldwide anticipate the thrilling action, both Canada and West Indies will aim to make a significant impact in this year’s T20 World Cup, showcasing their talents on the global stage.