Two Guyanese in Canada’s team for Auty Cup tournament

Two Guyanese have been included in the Canada team for the upcoming annual Auty Cup tournament slated to be held next month against host USA.
Former skipper and batsman Damodar Daesrath and fast bowler Jeremy Gordon are the only two Caribbean players named in a strong 13-man squad to feature in a solitary one-day and a two-day game along with two T20 encounters.
All matches will be played at the Central Broward County International Stadium, commencing on November 14.
Daesrath, an elegant right-handed batsman and occasional off-spinner represented Guyana in 16 first-class matches before he migrated to North America eight years ago.
He has been a prolific scorer for local team Brampton Masters Cricket Club while he dominated with the ball as well especially in the limited-over version.
Gordon who played for West Indies under-19 team in 2006 and then went on to represent Guyana at the senior level in three first-class matches, also plays for Brampton, a club that has been dominating Toronto’s Elite 50-over cricket over the years.
At the announcement of the team during a practice session at Scarborough Cricket Centre on Sunday, Daesrath and Gordon expressed delight with their selection again.
Daesrath made his international debut earlier this year against home-team Scotland while Gordon has been a member since 2011 when the national team participated in the annual West Indies Cricket Board regional T20 tournament.
“I [am] delighted to be in the set up again; it is always going to be a great honour to represent Canada at the highest level and I am certainly looking forward to it,” Daesrath said.
He added that, “Playing with some senior players in the side also gives me the motivation to do something special on this tour and I am really anxious to go out there and make it count.”
Gordon expressed similar sentiments but wants to see his team emerging at the top.
“Again I am happy to be named in the national side and I am confident we will do well in USA next month; the team is strong and I think I can make a solid contribution,” the 25-year-old Gordon said.
Meanwhile, this publication also caught up with Australian David Patterson, who is the High Performance Manager of the team currently acting as Coach in the absence of coach Gus Logie.
Patterson mentioned the team is well balanced and should do well against their neighbour. He further emphasised that the side is mixed with bright talent and experience.
“We have been working pretty hard since our preparation camp began and the guys have shown a lot of eagerness to go out there and make their performances count; the side is indeed talented and with some experienced ‘guys’ around, I think will do well in this tournament,” Patterson indicated.
Patterson also stated that the tour is part of their preparations for the upcoming Caribbean T20 tournament billed for early next year.
Canada are the defending champion in Auty Cup tournament and are expected to depart next week.