Having made his List A debut for Canada during the 2018-19
Caribbean Regional Super50 Tournament, Harsh Thaker’s cricket has
most impressively developed further to him now being regarded as the main
man in the middle of the Canadian National Men’s team’s batting order. The
native born Thaker, who will celebrate just his 25th Birthday this coming 24
October has progressed steadily and impressively through the ranking levels of
Canadian cricket. Successfully navigating the transition from having represented
Canada at the ICC 2016 Under 19 World Cup to making his National Senior team
debut a mere two years later.
In between, Thaker has also been afforded some very valuable exposure to
the demands of international professional franchise cricket. He was drafted to the
Vancouver Knights franchise squad for the 2019 second season of the Global
T20 Canada tournament.
In August 2019, Thaker was named in Canada’s squad for the Regional Finals
of the 2018–19 ICC T20 World Cup Americas Qualifier tournament. He made
his Twenty20 International (T20I) debut for Canada against the United States on
25 August 2019.
In September 2019, Thaker was also was named in Canada’s squad for the 2019
Malaysia Cricket World Cup Challenge League A tournament. Thaker was also
a member of Canada’s squad for the Antigua hosted October 2021 ICC Men’s
T20 World Cup Americas Qualifier tournament.
Last November – December 2022, Thaker was a key member of Canada’s
squad for the ICC 2023 World Cup Challenge League A Final Round that was held in
Malaysia. Thaker had scores of 14, 46, 41* and 4 in his four Malaysia crease appearances.
With his off-spin bowling, although wicketless, he was sufficiently economical, his twelve
overs bowled costing only 40 runs.
Despite having his more than useful bowling in his armoury, Thaker concedes that
his primary role for the national team is as a batsman. He has thoroughly enjoyed the
responsibility thrusted on him by the team management of batting in the middle order,
guiding the run scoring progress through the crucial death overs and ultimately finishing
the innings off. His bowling has taken a second role with him only being called on when
needed.
For Thaker, batting has always been the more satisfying of his two roles. He has always
considered himself a batsman ever since he first started playing
cricket. That’s not to say, however, that he doesn’t also enjoy
chipping in with wickets and helping the team in whatever way
he can.
As a consummate team man, Thaker’s motivation has always
been to help the side win as many games as possible. His
objective, each and every time he steps onto the playing field,
whether it is as a batsman or bowler, is simply to put the team in
a position of strength and then hopefully finish off games.
As goal-oriented an individual as he has always been, Thaker
has not surprisingly established his personal milestones for the
forthcoming ICC World Cup Qualifier in Namibia. His admirably
lofty ambition is to be the player of the tournament in Namibia
and if Canada progresses for Zimbabwe as well.
Such lofty personal ambitions of Thaker’s are merely what he
views as being required as part of his personal contribution
to the team’s ultimate collective goal of bringing Canadian
cricket back to being at the top of the associate world. Thaker
firmly believes that the talent that would be required to do so
consistently already exists. Sufficiently so.
Such an achievement would allow Thaker and his Canadian
teammates to play in all ICC World Cups. It would also restore
Canada’s long-lost status as a strong associate team across the globe.
If all goes well and as young as he still is, Harsh Thaker now
sees himself as having a productive cricket career that will,
hopefully, last for as long as the next 10- 12 years. If he doses
he will almost certainly by then become much more than just Canada’s
main man in the middle!