News - CRICKET MAKES HISTORY IN CANADA
View News

CRICKET MAKES HISTORY IN CANADA

18/07/2018POSTED BY Osama Habib


CRICKET MAKES HISTORY IN CANADA

2018 is a historic year for Cricket in Canada as the first ever Global T20 Canada Tournament was held in Toronto at the Maple Leaf Cricket Ground. This tournament consisted of 6 teams with international players from different countries taking part in this inaugural Global T20 tournament. Some of the Marquee players who participated in this tournament were: Shahid Afridi, Chris Gayle, Steve Smith, David Warner, Dwayne Bravo, Lasith Malinga, and more. This tournament was indeed a slobber knocker with every match having a major impact on the points table for each team.

This tournament was a special one for Canadian College Cricket as some of the players playing in the tournament are from respected colleges and universities associated with Canadian College Cricket. Here are some of the names: Saad Bin Zafar (Ryerson), Nikhil Dutta (Ryerson), Muhammad Umair Ghani (Humber), Abraash Khan (Western), Simon Pervez (Humber), Armaan Kapoor (Laurier), & Rayyan Khan Pathan (George Brown). 

The final of the GT20 was a slobber knocker with West Indies B scoring 145 all out in 17.4 overs. The Vancouver Knights were 22-3 when Ryerson’s very own Canadian Superstar, Saad Bin Zafar, came to bat. Saad played a sensible and classy inning under pressure and tough condition scoring a blistering 79 off 48 balls smashing 8 boundaries and 3 maximums. Saad’s all-round performance in the final prevailed an easy GT20 victory for the Vancouver Knights. We would like to congratulate Saad on his outstanding performance not in the final, but throughout the tournament with the bat and ball.

We talked to Saad Bin Zafar, Canadian Superstar, & Peter Donahue, Associate Director, International Student Support, Wilfrid Laurier University, about their experience of the Global T20. Here is what they had to say:

Being part of the GT20 was a phenomenal and memorable experience. Having to play with and against some of the very best cricketers from around the world was like a dream come true. I will cherish these memories for a very long time.” – Saad Bin Zafar

The GT20 tournament is a great resource for the development of cricket at the University and college level in Canada. The tournament allowed players new to the game the opportunity to see the game played at its highest level and to become aware of some of the top players in the game today. For the development of the game at the university/college level, it is my hope the GT20 continues and furthers its partnership with Canada College Cricket” – Peter Donahue

Hassan Mirza, President of Canadian College Cricket, would like to personally thank and recognize the leadership of Mercury Group, Cricket Canada, Toronto District Cricket Association, and all other organizations who came together to make this tournament a reality. He would like to thank all the university and college administrations and players who have supported in whatever way possible to make this tournament possible. It wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work of everyone involved. As a friend and Canadian, he is extremely proud of Saad Bin Zafar for his outstanding performance throughout the tournament. He believes Saad’s performance in the final will open doors for many Canadian players in time to come.

On behalf of Canadian College Cricket, we would like to recognize and thank the leadership of Mercury Group Canada & Cricket Canada for pulling off this fantastic tournament in such a short period of time. It is definitely not easy inviting international superstars, getting sponsors, preparing the facility, and much more. However, with the dedication and effort of Mercury Group and Cricket Canada, this tournament became a beautiful reality. A huge shoutout to the ground staff crew, Security, and everyone else who was involved in making this tournament a possibility. We hope and look forward to another great Global T20 tournament next year

You can also enter comments by CricClubs Login

Comments: