After almost 10 years, the menB次元官网网址檚 national cricket team has duly restored CanadaB次元官网网址檚 status as an official International Cricket Council (ICC) One Day International playing country.
Head coach Pubudu Dassanayake and team staff held two training sessions Friday (April 28) at VictoriaB次元官网网址檚 Beacon Hill Park, giving local cricketers an opportunity to showcase their abilities as well as a chance to represent Canada on the world stage.
ItB次元官网网址檚 the first time in the countryB次元官网网址檚 history that a national team coach has come to Victoria to recruit.
But the B.C. capital is just the first stop in a much larger coast-to-coast scouting tour for Dassanayake, a Sri Lanka-born Canadian and former international cricketer turned coach whoB次元官网网址檚 now in search of CanadaB次元官网网址檚 top cricket talent.
B次元官网网址淲e want to show everyone who plays cricket here that our eyes are on them if they do well,B次元官网网址� he said in an interview.
B次元官网网址淲e want to make sure that whoever is playing cricket locally at a high level is training and playing in such a way that will elevate them to the next level.B次元官网网址�
With the national teamB次元官网网址檚 international status regained, Dassanayake, who also successfully led Canada to the World Cup in 2011 as a coach, said he wants to contract around 15 players to train full-time throughout the year.
Team manager Alphonso Franco, who owns the Victoria Patriots B次元官网网址� the first professional team in 174 years of international cricketing history B次元官网网址� also attended the cricket pitch at Beacon Hill Park.
He said the national teamB次元官网网址檚 new status means Canadian cricketers will have the opportunity to play between 80 and 100 more international games over the next four years compared to previous years.
B次元官网网址淔or us to get that many international games means a lot, and the standard of cricket in Canada is only going to improve,B次元官网网址� he said.
Franco said Canada now has a very high likelihood of qualifying for the T20 Word Cup in 2024, which will be held in the West Indies and United States. CanadaB次元官网网址檚 quest to qualify for the T20 World Cup begins Sept. 28 in Bermuda.
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