Chance for the minnows

MIXED BAG: Ashish Bagai will lead the Canadian side, which
has many players of Indian origin

If there was ever a team that looked like the United Nations, it would be Canada. The country’s rather liberal immigration policy is well reflected in its cricket team, which boasts players from practically every corner of the globe, including those from the subcontinent, who found the going here a little too hot.

Canada will bring back home W.D. Balaji Rao, a leg-spinner from Chennai, who was once anticipated to be the next best thing from Indian cricket. But he got lost somewhere in the wilderness before re-emerging, in Canada. Canada has players born in Delhi, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Chennai, Navsari, Ahmedabad, Karachi, Lahore, Jamaica, Uganda, Australia and even a few born in British Columbia and Ontario!
In terms of achievements on the World Cup stage, however, there is very little to write home about (wherever home may be). Surprisingly, they began playing World Cup cricket way back in 1979, with a played-three-lost-three record.

After 1979, the Canadians saw World Cup cricket again when they shocked Bangladesh by 60 runs at Durban. Beyond that, there was little to recall.

The next edition saw them play three matches with inglorious results. Also, not too many of the players from that side have made it to this chapter of the tournament, which reflects the inconsistency of the set-up as well as the supply line.

For many of the players, the 2011 World Cup will be a homecoming of sorts, as they visit the cities with which they have emotional connects. The tournament format will also give them more matches. Beyond that, it would be a bit too much to expect them to really excel. But Canada needs to be lauded in any case, just for opening its doors to these young men, and giving them a World Cup dream.

The year 2003 was what probably saved Kenyan cricket from extinction. The country, famous for its long-distance athletes wasn’t ever the best place to play cricket but in the World Cup edition that year matches were played in South Africa, Zimbabwe and at home in Kenya. May be these factors carried the side, incredibly, to the semi-finals.

Four wins out of nine matches in 2003, including one over Sri Lanka in Nairobi, saw them moving through the ranks into the Super Six, where a win over Zimbabwe sent them to the semi-finals.

There again, they got the better of Zimbabwe and that was enough to carry them trough to the penultimate round in Durban, where they came to grief against India. But no complains, as coach Sandeep Patil later professed. They had gone and achieved way beyond their own imagination.

The next edition, however, once again showed that Kenyan cricket wasn’t going anywhere. One win against Canada, out of three games, sent them home double-quick.

Cricket in Kenya, for a long time, was controlled by people of Indian origin. Over the past few years there has been a bit of a struggle about who dominates. Consequently, politics has pretty much become as important, at time more important, than cricket.

Kenya’s 2011 side is once again a mixture of the old and the new. Steve Tikolo and Thomas Odoyo furnish the experience while young players like Seren Waters add some curiosity value.

Kenya will do well to be competitive in the sub-continent. It was here that they scored their most famous World Cup win, beating the still formidable West Indies at Pune in 1996. But those days seem to be in the past, and the formatting of the tournament this time also ensures that there are no ‘outsiders’ in the semi-finals. Kenya will have their job cut out this time.

Ireland made a pretty incredible debut in World Cup cricket in 2007, pulling off a famous tie with Zimbabwe in their first match and then upsetting Pakistan, sending their very colourful fans into a delirium of joy.

None of this was planned, least of all the graduation to the Super Eight stage, and lots of unpaid leave had to be extended by the players. But no one would mind that. The Super Eight wasn’t such a great success, though there was a win over Bangladesh.

Ireland is possibly one of the most popular sides in cricket, with their fans making it a party wherever they go. Add to that any proximity to St Patrick’s Day, and the party is really on. But on the field, the Irish players tend to take their minnows status with a little bit of a fatalistic shrug. They play hard, do their chicken dance and, at times, beat some better-rated opposition.

But they still do not have the wherewithal to be serious contenders.

The addition of Ed Joyce to the 15 selected for the 2011 edition is a bit of an improvement but unlikely to change their fortunes dramatically, especially since playing in the subcontinent isn’t quite the most comfortable thing, especially for teams with limited experience. The team has players who are seen on the county circuit but very little elsewhere. Irish players are still far from events like the IPL, so they get whatever little experience they can get.

This tournament, too, is likely to be an experience-gathering exercise. The Irish will fight and one hopes they stay happy, too, even in trying conditions. Beyond that, everything is a bonus. 

HOME