Canada’s young cricket hopefuls missed out on qualifying for the Super Six round at the U19 World Cup hosted in United Arab Emirates. Of their three qualifying round games Canada walked away with three losses against powerhouse teams South Africa, West Indies and Zimbabwe.
Team Canada just weren’t able to produce their best as a collective during the tournament. But unlike the senior team who were comprehensively beaten in their World Cup qualifiers last month, the juniors were competitive in every match and a few individuals gave Cricket Canada and its selectors a reason to draw a smile when thinking about the future of Canadian cricket.
Here are five future Canadian cricket stars to watch.
NITISH KUMAR
Age: 19
Bat: Right hand
Bowl: Right hand off breaks
Captain of Canada’s U19 team and captain of Rexton Cricket Academy — a boarding school in England, the all-rounder from Scarborough has leadership credibility already. He was the youngest player to debut for Canada against Kenya in 2009 and the second-youngest to play international cricket at 15-years old. Cricket Canada president Ravin Moorthy said Nitish is a world-class talent and a prodigy, and some coaches have dubbed him “the Gretzky of cricket.”
In all forms of cricket spanning 69 matches he’s averaged 20.0 with the bat but his last five U19 Canada matches produced three half centuries at 47.8 runs. He was ranked ninth for most runs scored at the U19 World Cup with a total of 139 (53 was his best knock) from three games; with the ball he took 1/108 off 21 overs bowled for the tournament. Watch this space: he’ll be a 15-year player for Canada and will most likely captain his country in the next few years.
NIKHIL DHUTTA
Age: 19
Bat: Right hand
Bowl: Right hand off breaks.
Dhutta was ranked sixth-best for most runs scored at the World Cup (153 runs, with a best of 62) which would have pleased Cricket Canada selectors as the middle order bat has been groomed at a young age much like Nitish. Originally from Kuwait City, Dhutta bowls handy off breaks and according to Moorthy can “change the game on a dime.” In 2011 he scored a vital century in the World Cup Qualifiers and recently took key wickets against Kenya and Ireland in the senior team. He’s a consistent performer, with his last five matches netting him an average of 47.6 runs with the bat — including two half centuries — and 11 wickets with the ball.
TREVOR MANOOSINGH
Age: 20
Bat: Right hand
Bowl: Right hand leg spin
A second-generation cricketer from Winnipeg, (his father, Rawle Manoosingh, played for Canada between 1980 -88) Manoosingh didn’t land the deliveries he was hoping for in the World Cup taking one wicket and hitting 15 runs. All is not lost though. Manoosingh played in Australia last year and won the MVP of the Metropolitan Cricket League, playing for the University of New South Wales and taking 32 wickets in six matches (average of 8.9), including four five hauls and a best of 6/12; with the bat he scored 138 runs (best of 50). Moorthy described Manoosingh as a “natural athlete” and an “economical bowler” who has the potential to be one of those players to come in late in the innings and score valuable runs, then do a job with the ball.
ARMAAN KAPOOR
Age: 19
Bat: Right hand
Bowl: Right hand medium pace
Kapoor may be the next level-headed middle order batsmen Canada desperately needs. Most have said he’s a mature player for his age with a calm and patient persona when batting in the middle. Moorthy said he is one of the “best youth players going around.” Kapoor has also received praise for his clean hitting. With scores of 0, 13 and 28 in the World Cup, it’s safe to say he didn’t deliver. Prior to the tournament, Kapoor showed flashes of middle order superiority with a solid 69 and 64 against Bermuda at King City, suggesting he has the know-how to build innings at the highest level.
MUHAMMAD FARHAN MALIK
Age: 18
Bat: Right hand
Bowl: Left arm slow orthodox spin
Malik will leave the World Cup with bowling figures of 0/48, 0/46 and 1/44, but knowing him (according to Moorthy), he will analyze his performance and come back stronger and better. He’s been called the “strategist” by national executive heads and oozes great attitude. While he didn’t prove his strategies always work during the World Cup, Farhan took eight wickets in three previous outings before the tournament including a 5/13 against Bermuda.
According to his United Cricket Club’s website, the left-armer is also a capable batsman and exceptional fielder. Last year Farhan won the Most Valuable Player in the West Indies Cricket Board Regional U19 50-over Championship, taking 11 wickets at 12.64. Has the promise to become Canada’s “closer” and partnership breaker, as well as a heavy hitter at the death of innings in the search for quick runs.