ICC Global Cricket Academy Set To Visit Ontario

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The Ontario Cricket Association will be partnering with the ICC Global Cricket Academy in Dubai to provide a 1 week training camp to be held in the greater Toronto area for the top players in Ontario.

OCA President Mike Kendall was notably excited at the news that former test players Mudassar Nazar (Pakistan) and Rodney Marsh (Australia) would be conducting the camp and they will also provide opportunities for 6 OCA coaches to learn from the experience as well.

‘It gives me a great pleasure to inform you that OCA, in partnership with ICC Global Cricket Academy Dubai, is conducting a Cricket Training Camp in the GTA area, for our best propects in Ontario. The camp will be run from 30th March to 05 April, 2010 and will primarily focus on our younger players.

We are very fortunate to be able to benefit from the vast experience and knowledge of the Academy Director Mr. Rodney Marsh and Head Coach Mr. Mudassar Nazar, who will be personally conducting the training with assistance from 6 OCA coaches. This is one of a kind camp ever conducted in any of the ICC Associate countries and we are very lucky and proud to be hosting it here in Canada.

The rigorous training will focus not only on Batting and Bowling skills but also on fielding, physical fitness, mental development with a focus on various aspects of the game, video analysis, player profiling and progress reports etc. that is sure to provide our top players with an added edge, during any game or competition.’

The OCA had already sent out correspondence to it’s member leagues to put together a list from each league of ‘elite level’ players to be short listed for Ontario’s inter provincial matches this summer. The goal is that this training camp will help find talented cricketers and give them a platform for selection into the Canadian side.

Kendall also added that while this was an Ontario Cricket Association initiative, the OCA will be sending invitations to all Cricket Canada member provinces.

‘Although OCA has arranged this camp for the benefit of Ontario players, I personally feel very strongly that for development of Cricket in Canada, players across the country should have the opportunity to benefit from it as well. Therefore I will be forwarding this email to Cricket Canada and to all provincial directors, so that their players could also participate.’

OCA will be looking for sponsors for this event to help cover some of the costs.

‘Cost per player is $400.00 which includes everything except lodging, dinners and transportation to and from players’ home. This cost has been heavily subsidized by the OCA.’

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CCTV Interview — Rizwan Cheema

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Full Name: Rizwan Cheema

DOB: 15/08/1978
Birthplace: Pakistan
Batting Style: RHB (Top Order)
Bowling Style: RA Medium
Domestic Club: PCB (TDCA)

I caught up with Rizwan Cheema before he left for Sri Lanka to take part in the T20 4 Nation Cup before team Canada heads to the ICC T20 World Cup Qualifying tournament in Dubai next month.

From the moment I started watching Cricket, my favourite player has always been Wasim Akram.  I loved the way he ran in and made the ball move in 3 different directions before it reached the batsman.  And I always got excited when he came into bat, in hopes that he would start launching sixes over the mid-wicket boundary.

Then Shahid Afridi came along.  It’s hard not to catch ‘Boom-Boom’ fever anytime he strolls in to bat.  After leading Pakistan to the T20 world cup finals victory with outstanding performances in the semi’s and final, he’s shown the world that he might just be able to reign in his natural aggressiveness and become a more mature player.

But, now I have a new favourite player.  His name is Rizwan Cheema and although the rest of the world might not know him (…yet), he is an entertainer just like the above mentioned Afridi and Akram.  His raw talent and ability to smash the ball all over the field have earned him the praise and respect of the international players he has played against.  He also bowls some handy medium pace and has a habit of picking up timely wickets.

Rizwan Cheema in action against Sri Lanka

‘Don’t look at the bowler, just look at the ball..’ Continue reading “CCTV Interview — Rizwan Cheema” →

Sri Lanka T20 4 Nations Cup Live Webcast

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Another first for Canadian Cricket in 2010

Cricket Canada is presenting a live webcast of Canada’s matches in the tournament at http://GoCricketGoCanada.com

The full package is available for only $29.95

Canada Kicks Off U-19 World Cup In Style With A Big Win!

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Usman Limbada led Canada to victory with a superb knock (C) ICC

Canada kicked off the U-19 World Cup with a bang today with a tense victory over Zimbabwe.  Canada won the toss and elected to bat and held off the a tough Zimbabwe team by 10 runs to get secure their first ever victory in the tournament.

Canada started off well within the first 10 overs with Ruvindu Gunasekara and Hiral Patel getting Canada off to a steady start.  Ruvindu was the first batsman to depart after making 20, while Hiral made 29.  In the next 10 overs Canada lost 3 quick wickets before Usman Limbada took charge with a superb 90 runs off only 114 balls.  A knock which included 6 fours and 1 six which helped the boys reach a defendable target of 201-7 after batting their alotted 50 overs.  Usman shared an important 57 run partnership with Darius D’Souza (20 from 34 balls).

Although it wasn’t a huge target it was certainly enough to put up a good fight and they held their nerve in the last few overs.  Zimbabwe’s chase got off to a rocky start because of some great bowling from Zain Mahmood and Arsalan Qadir.  Zain picked up 3 wickets for 31 runs to lead the bowling attack.  Zimbabwe was 23-3 before Wicket keeper Dean Mashawidza and Andrew Lindsay steadied the chase for Zimbabwe with 75 and 40 runs respectively.  Parth Desai got the crucial breakthrough by trapping Mashawidza in front for a big LBW.  Zimbabwe fell short by 10 runs and were all out in the 50th over.

It’s the first ever victory for Canada at the U-19 World Cup and hopefully a good sign for things to come.  But, while it is a big victory, it is only one game.  The team must treat this like any another game and start preparing for the hosts New Zealand tomorrow.  There will be plenty of time to savour this victory after the tournament is over… This game is definitely history.

Check out the full scorecard here.

For more coverage head to the home of Cricket Canada.  Become a Fan on Facebook or follow the team on Twitter.

Canadian Squad for T20 World Cup Qualifiers Announced

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The Canadian team for the upcoming T20 World Cup qualifying tournament in Dubai was announced today by Cricket Canada.  For the first time ever, it was released by a video on YouTube.

Continue reading “Canadian Squad for T20 World Cup Qualifiers Announced” →

Will Rizwan Cheema get selected for IPL 3?

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IPL Commissioner connects with us through twitter

I took to twitter today to try to get some perspective on what the rest of the cricketing world thinks of our main guys Rizwan Cheema and Khurram Chohan making the next IPL season.

CCHQ –  What do you think of the Canadians Cheema and Chohan’s chances of being selected.

IPL Commissioner Lalit Modi

‘Some talented players but there are so many players on the list and too few spots.  So depends on each teams strategy.’  Link

‘I hope they do.  It will motivate others and be good for Canadian Cricket.’ Link

Bloggers Note:  I think it’s absolutely amazing that the league commissioner has twitter.  Imagine if Gary Bettman (NHL) or David Stern (NBA) had twitter?  The IPL is really on the cutting edge for using technology and social media to engage fans.  I hope they continue to offer matches via live streaming on their website this year so all of us in North America can enjoy the action.  Hopefully, it will force the ICC to follow suit for international cricket.

CCHQ –  Can you predict whether Pakistani Canadians Cheema and Chohan can get selected for the IPL?

Cricinfo Pakistan Cricket Blogger Kamran Abbasi

‘No, that’s beyond my powers.‘  Link

Bloggers Note:  Kamran is obviously too angry with Kamran Akmal for dropping too many catches and the rest of the Pakistani team for their performance in Sydney, that he doesn’t even want to speculate.

CCHQ –  IMO, Rizwan Cheema has the ability to be one of the most destructive batsmen in World Cricket, he only needs the opportunity.  Your thoughts?

Cricket with Balls – Jarrod Kimber

It will be a big ask for an IPL team to sign him, but it is a promising sign.  My concern is his hitting across the line at all times, but he has some eye.   Link

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Basically, ‘Boom Boom’ and KC will have their work cut out for them, but they’ve already helped generate some exposure for Canadian Cricket by just being named in the initial list.  They both deserve a tremendous amount of respect for their accomplishment.

The draft takes place on January 19th, 2010.

UPDATE:  It was announced today that Rizwan Cheema has been added to the official draft list and is on a short list of options for 3 teams.

What do you think?

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Check out these highlights of ‘Boom-Boom’ in action and become a fan on Facebook

Club Cricket Report for 2010 Season

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Do you play for or manage a Cricket Club in Canada?  Do you want to tell the world about it?

It has always been difficult for Cricket in Canada to get mainstream media to give us exposure.  Local print news outlets have been the only resource a community club has for media contact.  As we all know, print media is slowly fading and being replaced by online news, video and blogs.

The ability to quickly update facebook and twitter statuses and advancements in ‘micro-blogging’ have changed the way that we share and generate news.

As players and administrators, we can make a difference by chronicling our clubs action in our leagues and sharing it with the rest of the Canadian Cricket community by taking advantage of online resources.  Using photos or videos we can share our stories with the world until the main stream outlets take notice. Continue reading “Club Cricket Report for 2010 Season” →

Cheema & Chohan added to IPL 3 Auction Registration List

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Canadian players Rizwan Cheema and Khurram Chohan have been added to the registration list for the next IPL auction.

The duo has been added to a list of 97 prospective draftees.  The IPL will send this list to all teams and the teams will tell the league which players they want included in the auction.

It is great progress for all Cricketers in Associate countries looking to have more opportunities to play cricket professionally.  Niall O’Brien from Ireland and Ryan ten Doeschate from the Netherlands have also been included.

The Cricket Canada board members, players and fans should all be proud of this accomplishment.  A great way to start 2010!

Don’t forget you can pick up the new red and gold official 2010 Canadian Match Jerseys in the CC shop!  Pick yours up today!

Team Canada Prepare for ICC U-19 World Cup

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U-19 Captain Rustum Bhatti drives during the ICC U-19 World Cup Qualifier (c) ICC

The Ontario representatives had a good practice with some of the Senior Canadian Men’s team players.  It was my first chance to see the young guys in person and I was really impressed.

One thing about this bunch is that they are not lacking in confidence.  Even if they don’t win, there is enough talent in the group to put up a good fight.

The fitness level was good and there is some variety in the bowling with a few left arm spin bowling options.  They leave on New Years Day and play their first warm up game on the 12th.

The full squad:

Rustam Bhatti (captain), Manny Aulakh, Parth Desai, Darius D’Souza, Ruvindu Gunasekara, Hardik Kotak, Nitish Kumar, Usman Limbada, Zain Mahmood, Asif Manjra, Hiral Patel, Riyazkhan Pathan, Arsalan Qadir, Harpreet Singh, Hamza Tariq.

You can support the squad by visiting the Cricket Canada online shop.   Check out the new toques.

Cricket Canada Announce Squad for Sri Lanka Training Camp

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Cricket Canada is pleased to announce a 14 man squad for the 2010 Sri Lanka Training Camp and Quad T20 Series.

The senior team will depart for Colombo in early January where they will engage in an intense training camp prior to locking horns with Sri Lanka A, Ireland, and Afghanistan in a T20 Quadrangular Series.

The training camp and series will serve as a warm up to February’s T20 World Cup Qualifier in Dubai.

Full Squad:

Ashish Bagai – Captain, Harvir Baidwan, Trevin Bastiampillai, Umar Bhatti, Saad Bin Zafar, Rizwan Cheema, Khurram Chohan, Sunil Dhaniram, Sandeep Jyoti, Shaheed Keshvani, Thanna Kurooparan, Henry Osinde, Abdool Samad, Jason Sandher.

The squad will be joined by a select number of U19 players at the conclusion of the U19 World Cup from New Zealand as Canada prepares for an exciting and action packed 2010 cricket schedule.

Source:  Cricket Canada