From Jamaica to Canada, Aaron Johnson lives out his World Cup dream | ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, 2024

It has not been easy going for Aaron Johnson. From growing up in Jamaica to qualifying for the T20 World Cup 2024, it has been a whirlwind ride. However, the Canadian opening batter has held his head high during the tough times but that has not deterred him from losing sight of what’s important – to play international cricket at the highest level.

Johnson will represent Canada at the T20 World Cup 2024, and hopefully, for him and his adopted country, it is the start of a long fruitful journey that will eventually lead them through to the 2027 ODI World Cup.

Baby steps, of course.

While qualifying for their maiden T20 World Cup is a step in the right direction for Canada, it will count for nothing if they do not put up a formidable show in the marquee event. It will not be easy as they have world-class sides like India and Pakistan to contend with, alongside Ireland and the USA, who are no pushovers.

“I moved to Canada in my 20s – in 2019. The journey with the Canadian team, as I say, it’s a dream come true. I came to Canada to play club cricket in British Columbia. It was a decent tournament, and I am thinking to myself…find out what are the requirements, how long it will take me to be qualified to play for Canada if I choose to live here,” Johnson said in a chat with Cricket.com.

“I did manage to get a scholarship to go to a school called Keyano College [in Fort McMurray]. So, I decided to give this an opportunity. Then Covid hit, I was here alone, no family. It was a tough time but I had visions of being an international cricketer, and I knew I could have done it through Canada. Luckily, it worked for me.”

After a three-and-a-half-year wait to be eligible to represent Canada, Johnson made his debut for Canada against Nepal in 2022, incidentally, with the current Canadian head coach Pubudu Dassanayake in the other camp.

Johnson shares a great bond with Dassanayake and is grateful to him and skipper Saad Bin Zafar for the opportunities.

“Special thanks to the coach for giving me that opportunity. Saad has been a long servant for Canadian cricket. So, it’s nice to see him finally get a chance to play in a World Cup,” he said.

“This is something we spoke about for years. We have been together in this team for about two years now. His experience speaks for itself. He’s a very good finisher with the bat, he’s an experienced captain. All of us are learning on the job. I am hoping that we can get it right for the World Cup.”

Johnson’s resilience, hard work, and determination perhaps come from the fact that growing up in Jamaica was far from ideal, but it has certainly groomed him into a hard-working person.

“Growing up in Jamaica, I was raised on a farm. My dad had a farm. I wouldn’t say it was a fun experience, because you had to work very hard. But I guess that helped me in my everyday life…like in the morning, I wake up at 5.30 AM to go to the gym. It teaches you to get out of your bed very early. You have 24 hours, but it’s about what you want to do in those 24 hours. So, if want to lay in bed, if you want to be lazy, you’ll not achieve what you should achieve,” Johnson explains.

“Some of the fun moments were playing cricket with my cousins, my brothers. One thing I am very proud of is to see that out of all these people who were playing street cricket, I made it to the international level and possibly will be playing in the World Cup very soon. And all these guys keep texting me, telling me how proud they are of me.”

All of that came into play when Canada played the T20 World Cup Americas Region Final where they did not get off to the best of starts, losing to Bermuda by a massive 86 runs. Canada were bowled out for just 95 in that game. That was a turning point for Johnson, who in the team meeting after that game was asked to be a tad more aggressive.

In his next two innings, the opening batter smashed 47 off 19 against the Cayman Islands and a career-best of 121* off 59 against Panama as Canada rallied to qualify for the T20 World Cup for the first time in their history.

“More than the loss against Bermuda, it was disappointing for me that the team felt as though I wasn’t aggressive enough,” Johnson recalled.

“After that, I decided I’m going to be as aggressive as I can be. If you win or lose, it’s what it is, but if your teammates believe that you were a bit shy, it’s hard to live with that. The next game, I scored 40-something off 19 [47 off 19], and that kick-started the momentum for us.

“I think, based on the first game [Bermuda] and the loss that we suffered, I had a very clear idea of what my teammates wanted from me. It was for me to trust my abilities and what I think was my best and have no reservations.

“The longer I am at the crease, the better the position the team will be in. In the Panama game we had lost one or two early wickets. So, I realised it was important for me to bat as deep as possible,” the 33-year-old added.

In the lead-up to the T20 World Cup, Canada faced their neighbours United States of America (USA) in a five-match T20I series, which they lost 4-0, but Johnson stuck to his guns and got his team off to a brisk start in a couple of games, but that was not enough. According to Johnson, the lesson from the series is not to take anything for granted and to grab your opportunities when you are in a good position to do so.

That is something the team looks to put into practice when they take on India, Pakistan, Ireland and USA in group A at the upcoming World Cup.

“I watch IPL, I watch India games, I watch Pakistan games, I watch highlights. These are guys when you see them perform, you feel so good, not only as a cricketer but also as a fan. So, to be playing on the same field with them, it’s an honour,” Johnson, who worked in the construction sector initially, said.

“But at the same time, we are competing. I need to show how good I am against them no matter who it is – it could be the Bumrahs, it could be the Kohlis, it could be Shaheen Shah – these are cricketers, they are all human beings. If they can be that good, maybe I can be as good. So, I will give it my best.”

With all these talks and excitement of playing at the World Cup, it is often easy to forget about the infrastructure in place. According to Johnson, that is something which has improved since he moved to the country.

“Cricket in Canada was just being played at a recreational level. At this point, they had one or two T20 tournaments in the country. Now we have easily 4-5 T20 tournaments. They are pushing T20 cricket a lot since it’s a shorter and more exciting version. Club cricket has improved. You now have a lot of clubs that are registered and a lot of people who are playing and seeing a future in cricket. Not only in Canada, but the opportunity of playing around the world in different leagues.”

Johnson, who has played for Shepherd’s Bush, South Hampstead, Gravesend, and Upchurch cricket clubs in England, would love to see a first-class system introduced in Canadian cricket as well.

“One thing I would love to see come into cricket in Canada is to have a professional system, where provinces play against provinces – first-class system. Even if it’s not a three-day cricket, but at least first-class, 50-over and T20, where you go to different provinces and play. We have a tournament now that’s called the Nationals, which is played only in Toronto and it is played over a period of five days. I would love to see that over a period of 3-4 months,” he said.

One of the more popular T20 tournaments in Canada is the Global T20 Canada, which began in 2018. Johnson turned up for Brampton Wolves last season (2023), where he smashed 107 runs at a strike rate of 139. The tournament has featured some of the best cricketers in the world, and Johnson, who has rubbed shoulders with them, does not talk shop with them, but in fact, talks to them about life in general.

“Someone like Tim Southee, he is a great cricketer. He will be a legend of the game. I’ve no doubt that he is a legend of the game. Just to be in the same dressing room as him, like Chris Green. You talk about Chapman – he is doing so well for New Zealand. So when I sit and rub shoulders with these guys, we have general conversations, just life conversations, we talk about your dog at home. These people are humans just like you. Even though you’ve seen them as superstars, whatever they are achieving, you can achieve it also,” Johnson recalls.

“One person, I’ve been closest to in that team was Colin de Grandhomme. He is such a humble person. He’s probably the most humble cricketer I have seen. It’s a great experience. These guys have loads of experience and they give you advice on how to go about certain stuff.

“But in terms of playing against someone like Spencer Johnson and Pakistan fast bowler Abbas Afridi. When you’re against pace like this and you actually stand up against them and score, you see that you can do well as the best cricketers are doing.”

Will we see Johnson take part in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) some day? 

“I’m very hopeful of playing in the CPL someday,” Johnson said.

“I would love to play for Jamaica Tallawahs. But unfortunately the franchise has been sold, I’ve heard. I was in the Jamaica set-up, I had the trials, and I made it to the reserves of the Jamaica first-class team. So, I was very close. But at that time, you had Chadwick Walton and John Campbell opening for Jamaica, and they were also playing for the West Indies.

“So, it wasn’t easy getting in that time. I always stuck to it, so I came to Canada and decided to try it. I knew I had to wait three-and-a-half years, but I’m thinking to myself, if I do get in, at least I will have 4-5 years of cricket in Canada.”

It has been a memorable journey for Johnson, who has finally found his feet at the highest level for Canada. While qualifying for the T20 World Cup is a step in the right direction, Canada will soon realise that it was the easy part. 

How they progress from here is the biggest challenge. 

With a dedicated board, management, coaches and players at their disposal, we could see Canadian cricket flourish in the years to come.

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