5 Canada players to watch out for in T20 World Cup 2024
Back in 1844, the first-ever international cricket match was played between the USA and Canada. Although cricket has not been a very popular sport in the two countries, both the USA and Canada are now associate nations of the ICC.
T20 World Cup 2024 is a 20-nation tournament to be held in the Caribbean Islands and the USA and the inaugural match is between the USA and Canada.
While Canada have played four 50-over World Cup tournaments (1979, 2003, 2007, and 2011), it will be the very first time that the team will be competing in a T20 World Cup.
On that note, here are five Canada players to look out for in the T20 World Cup 2024:
#1 Aaron Johnson
Johnson hails from Jamacia and is a top-order batter for Canada in T20Is. Hailing from Jamaica, Johnson would be well aware of the pitches in the Caribbean Islands.
Johnson is known for playing an aggressive brand of cricket. He made his T20I debut in 2022 and since then has scored two T20I hundreds. He has an astounding strike rate of 166.59 in 16 T20I innings and averages a healthy 50.93.
He is a consistent run-getter at the top of the order and has played exceptionally for Canada in his short career. He will have an opportunity to showcase his talent on the big stage and make his performances count when it matters the most.
#2 Kaleem Sana
Sana is a left-hand pacer who hails from Pakistan. He has played domestic cricket for Pakistan before shifting to Canada.
The 30-year-old pacer made his debut for Canada in 2022 and since then has not looked behind. In 16 T20Is, he has bagged 15 wickets at an exceptional economy rate of 5.63. He has picked up two four-wicket hauls in his brief T20I career.
Sana will be the spearhead of the Canada pace attack and one of the bowlers to watch out for considering his exceptional economy rate in T20Is.
#3 Saad Bin Zafar
The captain of the Canadian team is a left-handed all-rounder. He is an experienced player having played many T20 tournaments including the Caribbean Premier League in the past.
In 19 innings, Zafar has a strike rate of almost 134 and is a dependable batsman in the middle/lower middle order. With the ball, he is a left-arm orthodox spinner and has a miserly economy rate of 6.44 in 38 T20Is he has played.
The 37-year-old Canadian skipper is an experienced campaigner and will now have the opportunity to showcase his skills in an ICC tournament.
#4 Ravinderpal Singh
Singh made his T20I debut for Canada in 2019 and made an immediate impact. He scored a brilliant century (101 from 48 balls) including 10 maximums. He is a middle-order batsman and a good option to have in the middle overs.
In 24 T20I innings, Singh has an impressive strike rate of 147.25. He can hit the ball a long way and will be a vital part of the Canadian middle order in the T20 World Cup 2024.
#5 Dilon Heyliger
Heyliger was born in Guyana. He is an all-rounder and has a good track record in the shortest format.
In 22 T20I innings, Heyliger has an exceptional strike rate of almost 181 and is a handy batter lower down the order in the death overs. With the ball, he has bagged 39 T20I wickets at an economy rate of 7.22 including a five-wicket haul.
All-rounders are of vital importance in any format, especially in T20Is, and Heyliger will be one of the players to watch out for in the T20 World Cup 2024.