From regaining ODI status to making ODI Rankings, Canada’s rise continues

The journey so far

Canada’s cricketing journey has been an interesting one. Having become an Associate member of the ICC in 1968, Canada went on to play their first Men’s ODI World Cup in 1979.

However, it took almost 25 years since then for them to play another World Cup in 2003.

With both ODI and T20I statuses to their name, Canada competed in the 2007 and 2011 ODI World Cups as well.

Canada’s success was halted, however, after ICC introduced the new World Cricket League divisional structure. For Associate members, gaining ODI status requires finishing in the top six of the ICC World Cricket League Division 2 tournament.

Teams that finish in the top two positions of this tournament gain permanent ODI status until the next ICC review.

Canada were among the lower run of teams in the 2014 ODI World Cup Qualifier and the 2015 World Cricket League Division Two tournament. They were relegated even further to ICC World Cricket League Division Three in 2017.

Their bid to get back the ODI status suffered when PNG pipped them in 2019 during the ICC World Cricket League Division Two tournament. Canada had the chance to leapfrog them into the top four, but needed to restrict USA to under 212 in their run-chase. However, in a dramatic finale, USA managed to reach 215/9 and knock their rivals out.

The North American side had to wait for four more years to have a crack at the elusive ODI status. During the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier Play-off last year, Canada finished above PNG, thrashing them by 90 runs in their final match and clinched the ODI status in style.

“Regaining the ODI status after nine long years is an outstanding achievement and a game-changing moment for Cricket Canada,” Rashpal Bajwa, Cricket Canada President since 2020, told Emerging Cricket after the win.

“Promotion to the Cricket World Cup League 2 system ensures that a significant and high-quality number of international cricket matches will be played in Canada for the next four years. It allows us to plan for the long-term sustainable growth of the sport,” he also added.