The Ontario Cricket Academy will be embarking on it’s 14th international cricket tour on March 11th-21st, 2022. It will mark the sixth tour to Sri Lanka that OCA has undertaken since 2010.
The U19 youth team will face up against top competition as in the past, against District Development teams, academies and colleges. A combination of T20, 40 and 50 over matches are slated in Galle, Colombo and Negombo.
OCA being no stranger to the country and conditions of the cricket loving island, expects the tour to help give players exposure and experiences in different conditions. OCA’s Director, Derek Perera, believes that, “These tours help our young players to learn how to bat, bowl and field in very testing conditions than what we are used to here in Canada. The players will have to adapt quickly to the hot weather and different pitches, all of which make them stronger and more well equipped for the future”.
The team will be well balanced with the 3 OCA players currently in the U19 World Cup side, Siddh Lad (Captain), Parmveer Kharoud (Vice-Captain) and Sahil Badin, also in the touring squad. Other notable additions include Aaron Beharry from Guyana, who has been added via recommendation from OCA Coach Tribhawan “Jaggy” Jagessar. Aaron was in the reckoning for the Guyana U19 just before pandemic closures in the West Indies and according to Coach “Jaggy”, “Aaron has exceptional ability with the bat and ball and will definitely help to provide depth for the squad”.
Taimoor Shahzad will be joining the squad directly from Australia where he is enrolled in the Joe Root Academy. Taimoor traveled from Alberta, Canada to join OCA for specialized training in October 2021 and soon after was keen to be part of the touring team. Eran Maliduwapthirana joins the team as well to add to the pace battery of the OCA touring side. Eran was listed as a reserve for the Canada U19 World Cup team.
Coach Perera’s close associate who is currently the Punjab U19 Head Coach as well as a senior coach at the Yuvraj Singh Centre of Excellence in Amritsar, India, Chandan Madan has recommended two of his bright talents to join the OCA team directly from India. These well experienced players will certainly bring some depth to the batting department.
The OCA side will be a mixture of experienced youth players as well as up and coming youngsters in the likes of Dharm Patel, Dilraj Deol, Kishan Missir and Aryan Desai. All of these youngsters are in provincial squads and have done exceedingly well in the youth leagues over the past couple of seasons.
Apart from cricket, the players will gain a broader understanding of the country, its history and people. At OCA one of the key objectives of touring is for the players to become more socially responsible, understanding and knowledgeable people.
OCA Sri Lanka Bound!
