When the end came, it was painful and predictable. The yawning gulf in class was plain for all to see. Canada was simply no match for Ireland who strolled to victory in their playoff eliminator and a step closer to the ICC World Twenty20s.
Canada’s inexperience was cruelly exposed in Dubai. Creeping past the hundred mark might have been good enough to beat Nepal but it was never going to challenge the Irish batsmen, whose openers cruised to their target with more than half their overs to spare.
Overcoming Ireland was always a tall order. The Canadians had already lost heavily to the Netherlands and Afghanistan in the group stages, so the signs were not encouraging. In this form of cricket, however, there is always potential for upset or at least a close call.
For Canada this was neither. This was a slap in the face for Canadian cricket. If it was needed, this was a brutal reminder of Canada’s place in the sport’s pecking order. The facts speak for themselves and despite its participation at the 2011 World Cup, Canada cannot currently count itself among the leading Associate members.
Canada is not without talent. Young players like Ruvindu Gunasekera and Nitish Kumar are maturing all the time. Gunasekera managed to get his head down and resist Ireland’s bowling for half the innings while watching partners come and go at the other end.
But it is not the sum of its parts. The youngsters are brave and play with no fear. They will naturally go for their shots, which are part of the equation in T20, but sooner or later the risk outweighs the reward. In most sports there is no substitute for experience and cricket is no exception.
Too often in these qualifiers, Canada’s senior players have failed to contribute. Captain Rizwan Cheema has suffered horribly with the bat. In eight innings, the recently appointed skipper has failed to get past 20 and on five of those occasions he has failed to get into double digits.
Jimmy Hansra is a quality batsman. He proved it at the World Cup last year and, after relinquishing the captaincy to focus on his batting, began this qualifying series with promise. His 30 in a pitiful total against the Dutch was Canada’s only meaningful individual knock. But his form thereafter was spotty at best.
These experienced players must provide the backbone of the team — but truth be told, the spine has been weak. Needless to say, it needs urgent support and strengthening if Canada is to improve its standing and image in world cricket. Canada’s consolation is a game for fifth place against Scotland.
In stark contrast, Ireland is focused on the big prize — a berth at the World T20s in Sri Lanka. It must first overcome the Netherlands and then Namibia to join Afghanistan at the competition proper. The Afghanistan team is already celebrating following its win over Namibia, but the Africans get a second chance after topping Group B.
Namibia has already beaten Ireland in round-robin play but only by a tiny margin. If Ed Joyce and company manage to dispatch the Dutch, a revenge rematch with Namibia could well be another nail biter.