Daesrath to make debut for Canada

By Ravendra Madholall in Toronto

Thirty-year-old former Guyana skipper Damodar Daesrath is set to make his international debut for Canada in the forthcoming ICC Intercontinental limited-overs tournament in Scotland.
The Berbician expressed great pleasure to be a part of the combination in the North America lineup after he became a citizen recently.
Daesrath, who captained Guyana in seven First Class games, told this publication yesterday that he has been waiting on this opportunity since he has taken up residence in Canada five years ago.
He said he is anxiously looking forward to making maximum use of it. The right-hander, who played first-division cricket for Berbice’s Young Warriors, declared that his hard work and commitment to the game finally paid dividends, having learnt of his inclusion in the national side to compete against some of the ICC Associate teams.
“I [am] extremely delighted to be named in Canada’s senior team for the first time and I am eager to go out there and make a big impression for them as early as possible; having known about my selection, I thought I have justified it after my outstanding performances in Canada,” Daesrath mentioned.
Daesrath, who plays for Brampton Masters Cricket Club in the Toronto Elite cricket competition, has also enjoyed success since he has been a consistent scorer.

He also proved his allround capability by picking up wickets with his gentle medium pace. “I love playing cricket in Canada; the standard is very good and I can truly compare it to inter- county cricket tournament in Guyana which I think is very competitive; I have been captaining Brampton Masters for the past two years and it is always wonderful to play among some international cricketers including Canada skipper Rizwan Cheeman whom I think has good leadership skills especially in the one-day version; so I think we should do well in Scotland next month,” Daesrath, who played for West Indies Under-15, revealed.
Cognisant of the fact that Canada’s cricket is still languishing at the bottom of the ICC table, Daesrath nevertheless feels they can make a big impact against the other affiliates. Canada will open their campaign against host Scotland on July 4.
“It will be a challenging experience for my first outing with Canada but I think I am prepared and equipped to meet the high demand on the international scene. Yes, Canada’s cricket has been ups and downs but we have improved game by game and another exposure like this should bring more confidence to the side,” Daesrath reckoned.
Meanwhile, his Brampton colleague and Canadian-based Guyanese fast bowler Jeremy Gordon is back in the team. Gordon, also from Berbice, made his debut for Canada last year in the annual WICB Regional T20 tournament that was played in the Caribbean.
Gordon subsequently missed the ICC T20 Qualifier owing to personal reason, but is raring to go again in the red and white attire. He briefly stated that he wants to do well in Scotland and relishes the opportunity of representing Canada at the ICC level.