Canada intend to field their best possible team at the World Cup Qualifiers in April, according to Cricket Canada CEO Atul Ahuja. Canada were without their overseas-based players during the recent Americas Championship and finished third on run-rate, behind the United States and Bermuda.
"We're not pretending that was anything like our best team in Florida, it wasn't even our A team or B team. But when the World Cup Qualifiers come around we will be looking to have our best team on the field," Ahuja told Cricinfo.
Canada were without Australia-based players, former captain John Davison and opener Geoff Barnett, amongst others. There had been conjecture that Canada were leaning towards relying on home-based players.
"As we aspire to put the best players on the field, we consider costs, tournament length, availability [of players] to train with the team ahead of the tournament etc. as key factors in addition to playing ability," said Ahuja.
"We were given to understand that for a five-day tournament, there were a few factors in the mix I just mentioned that were just not in favor of John making the squad."
Ahuja said that didn't mean Davison was not going to be part of Canada's plans for South Africa. "I think John will be in the reckoning for our World Cup Qualifier Squad."
Interesting comments, which kind of go against recent statements from Canadian cricket that they don't want to be reliant on players who live abroad.
Tough for the squad, especially when the CEO says the recent squad wasn't even a 'B' team. Ahuja has to know Canada aren't favourites to qualify for 2011, and may even lose ODI status, and this really is the crunch tournament. So I guess he'll field whatever team he can no matter how many principles of his and his colleagues that breaks.
Posted by: Simon Butler at December 12, 2008 10:18 PM
I am always of the opinion that international teams should be attempting to field their best teams at all times. However it is understandable for a team like Canada with limited resources at their disposal that it is not always possible. It should be interesting however to see what Canada believes its first team to be. I may write down a squad shortly and see how far off I am.
Posted by: canadian at December 13, 2008 4:52 PM
this guy is a bluff...the team wont be much different from the teams that were in the west indian tournament or either the americas cup...as the first comment said...they are in line of losing odi status...too much politics and other issues in canadian cricket..
Posted by: Mr. at December 13, 2008 7:50 PM
Well I agree with the comment above that the team will not be different and most of the players will be 30+ with zero fitness (especially in South Africa).They need to bring up the young players just as Bangla Desh did and you can a see a difference in that team.
Posted by: Amar Mendes at December 14, 2008 4:56 AM
I read a comment by the Cricket Canada CEO Atul Ahuja. That just like the I.P.L. and I.C.L. even Cricket Canada has plans to promote a city based 20/20 league. The cities according to him will be Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary. What I suggest is even Ottawa should be included, in fact I feel Ottawa & Gatineau should form a separate association called Capital territory association. The sixth team can be from U.SA. How about New York? One venue in each city should be developed at least to O.D.I. Standard. Each team must have 18 contracted players. This would bring professionalism in the region. The 18 must include 3 overseas and 4 local under 19 boys. Out of which 2 overseas and 2 under 19ens must be in the playing 11. Out of the remaining eleven, 5 must be from the same province. The league should be played on home and away biases. The 20/20 affair will only be a month long. The teams can play the 4 day game without their over seas players to improve their skills for tests.
Posted by: Ron Graham at December 16, 2008 5:18 PM
The time has come to to clear house of CCA executives and put people in place that have played at a very level and understand the steps it takes to have Canada compete with better success. This paves the way for the developent of cricket in this country. We have to realistic. here are many obstacles that we face with selection and the best players being available due to their work schedules and time etc. The structure is still not very effective. CCA has to go back to the Inter-Provincial Tournaments every 2 years so that they can fairly see what the other provinces have to offer.If you look at the cricketing countries, they have in place regional tournaments , how else can they fairly select a natioanl team. There is no future here for young cricketers to develop and the new immigrants with talent wont get looked at unless they have a selector that has ties to his playing club. Politics is ruining our cricket.Do we have to lose our funding and status nation before we get it right??
Posted by: Preet at December 17, 2008 4:38 PM
i don`t think cricket canada will improve anything in future the reson is they just choice player from ontario, they don`t like to have players from manitoba, BC, Alberta. for the SA matches they should have trials around the canada see players from other states like manitoba bc alberta. bring like 2 or 3 player each stat have a look chack how they do if they can`t don`t do anything with theam if they can give theam chance. and start paying money when we have stat 20/20 like for winner at lest 15020 dollor and runr up like 800 dollor so pepole still foxs on cricket.
Posted by: Me at December 18, 2008 9:41 PM
Canadian Cricket has really declined. The team qualified for the past 2 world cups under the past executive/selectors. People complained about the past executive/selectors but at least they put together teams that were capable or winning and qualifying for the past 2 world cups. Under the new officers in charge, the team has been loosing. They are not anywhere close to the standard required to be able to qualify for the next world cup. So some changes definitely need to be done very soon to put together a team to get us into the next world cup. If not, Canada will loose ODI status and can forget about anything close to test status. And that will be the end of Canadian Cricket as we've seen it over the past 2 world cups.
Posted by: Toronto at December 19, 2008 10:53 PM
This is getting interestingly hopeless. There is no direction, no plans and no hope. Mediocre mamagement of Canandian Cricket by non-cricketers can only produce slogans. The people that hired this superstar to manage Canandian Cricket needs to go first.
This isn't going to change in a short time as we continue to hire incompetent coaches and third class executives.
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