7 April, 2023
Canada’s 2023 Namibia CWC Qualifier Playoff campaign came to a two-parts-sweet one-part bitter end at the conclusion of the tournaments final round. The two-sweet parts for the Canadians were their final match 90run convincing win over points table cellar dwellers PNG, coupled with a top four tournament finish which duly restored their status as an official ICC One Day International playing country.
The bitter part was, of course, their failure to emerge from the tournament as one of the top two teams that would be progressing to participate in the Zimbabwe final 2023 CWC Qualifier, this coming June-July. That honour was bestowed on tournament champions the USA, ironically beaten by Canada in their head-to-head encounter, as well as second-placed UAE.
Jeremy Gordon, with career best figures of 6/43-10, was the unequalled hero of Canada’s 90run win over Papua New Guinea. Chasing a modestly set Canadian 50 over total of 218/8, PNG’s batsmen found Gordon’s searing pace simply too hot to handle.
The tall Guyana-born pacer produced a performance of which even his fellow countryman, the legendary West Indies four-prong-pace-attack member Colin Croft, would have been justifiably proud. Gordon struck off the fourth ball of his very first over trapping PNG opener Kiplin Dorgia plumb on the crease to be lbw for 0 with the score only on six.
From that fiery start there was no looking back for Gordon who proceeded to scythe through the PNG innings by capturing his second, third and fourth victims within his first five overs. At that stage his figures read 4/19-4.5 and the PNG innings was already in tatters at 45/4 off of 9.5 overs, just one ball shy of the first Power Play.
Gordon then had to wait until his eight over for victim number 6, PNG captain Assad Vala caught by Aaron Johnson at slip for a valiantly made 29. By then PNG had, however, lost two further wickets, Harsh Thaker being rewarded for his very tidy bowling by having Riley Hekure caught at the wicket without scoring. Chad Soper was also found short of his ground by Dillon Heyiger’s accurate return to wicket-keeper Srimantha Wijeyeratne, while attempting a suicidal single.
Victim number six for Gordon came in the form of John Kariko, clean bowled for a gutsy 8 which included two lustily struck boundaries. With Gordon having completed his ten allocated overs, Kaleem Sana returned for his second spell and immediately claimed his first victim. The injured Charles Amini, who earlier had retired hurt after being struck on the forearm by a Dillon Heyliger bouncer, caught behind of the glove for 8.
That left PNG at 122/9-35.1. Their resistance finally folded with Norman Vanua being run out by substitute Shreyas Movva’s throw to Canadian captain Saad Bin Zafar at the bowler’s end.
PNG dismissed for 128 in 37 overs to give Canada victory by 90 runs.
Such a convincing victory had not seemed at all certain after Canada taking first strike had struggled to reach 218/8 by the end of its 50 overs. The Canadians had, however, started positively with Aaron Johnson, opening along with Matthew Spoors, back to his aggressive best in scoring an 48ball 53 that included 6 fours and three sumptuous sixes.
The two Canadian openers posted 62 for the first wicket of which Spoors’ contribution a mere 11, before he was the to fall, trapped lbw to John Kariko’s off-spin. After Johnson had also departed as Kariko’s second lbw victim, two further wickets fell in quick succession as Canada declined to 96/4 in 25.2 overs.
Srimantha Wijeyeratne’s run of low scores, post his opening match half century, continued with him being dismissed for 0 as Kariko’s third lbw victim. Harsha Thaker after scoring 7 was also adjudged lbw to Semo Kamea, his visible protest to the umpire that he had inside edged the ball onto his pad falling on deaf ears to the delight of the PNG fielders!
While such drama was unfolding at the other end, Pargat Singh had compiled a somewhat laborious half-century in scoring 66 off of 104 balls with only six boundaries and no maximums. Singh’s was the seventh wicket to fall, preceded as it was by the dismissals of skipper Saad Bin Zafar, stumped off Kariko for 28, and Ravi Singh bowled by Kamea for 12.
Nikhil Dutta was yet again left undefeated, this time on 12 with Kaleem Sana not out on 11 keeping him company as the innings closed. The two had come together with the score on 194 after Dillon Heyliger, again included in the playing XI as much for his power-hitting as for his seam bowling, once more failed to make any impact with the bat whatsoever, caught on the deep midwicket boundary after scoring just two.
A Canadian World Cup Qualification campaign, thereby ending on a victorious note and with the reassurance of regained ODI status. But, most unfortunately, eventually falling just one win short of clenching the much bigger prize of progressing to the next and final round of 2023 ICC World Cup qualification.
Summarized Scores:
Canada 218/8 – 50 Overs. Pargat Singh 66, Aaron Johnson 53. John Kariko 4/45-10, Riley Hekure 2/30-8, Semo Kamea 2/56-10
PNG 128/10-37 Overs. Noram Vanua 33, Assad Vala 29. Jeremy Gordon 6/43-10.
Canada won by 90 runs.
