11,0, 102, 34 and 66. Those were Pargat Singh’s scores from the
five innings he batted during Canada’s failed Namibia ICC World
Cup Playoff campaign. Despite the Canadian team having failed
in its quest to be one of the tournament’s top two countries
progressing to the next, Zimbabwe Qualifier, stage of this year
ICC 2023 qualification process, Singh emerged with his reputation
at least intact if not enhanced.
Singh started the tournament most inauspiciously with scores
of 11 and 0 in Canada’s first two outings against Jersey and the
United States. He , however, effectively silenced his doubters with
a superlative 102 in his third innings.
Despite Singh’s batting heroics, punctuated by his having struck
thirteen fours and two sixes in his 96-ball whirlwind century,
Canada suffered a devasting loss succumbing to the UAE by 6
wickets. A defeat which derailed their qualification progression
hopes, followed as it was by a subsequent successive loss to host
Namibia as well.
Against Namibia, Singh’s 34 was the equal top-score along with
his namesake Ravinderpal Singh. Matthew Spoors who made 32
was the only other contributor of note as the Canadian’s folded
meekly to be dismissed or 156 in response to Namibia’s posted
257/9. A whopping 101-run loss which effectively squashed their
campaign qualification hopes.
Singh was back to being close to his very best in Canada’s final
match of the tournament against the points table cellar-dwellers,
the winless Papua New Guinea (PNG). His sedate 104ball 66,
helped the Canadians to post a challenging first-strike fifty-over
total of 218/8. That was always going to be too high a mountain
to climb for PNG’s batsmen, who wilted in the face of Jeremy Gordon’s (6/43-10)
ferocious pace to be all-out for 128.
Thanks in no small part to Singh’s outstanding batting, Canada despite its losses to
the UAE and Namibia, finished the tournament as one of the top four teams. An
achievement which provided the most welcomed and important consolation of
regained Official One Day International status.
Born 13 April 1992 in Ropar, India, Pargat Singh made his first-class debut on 22
October 2015 while playing during the 2015–16 season of the very prestigious Ranji
Trophy. He made his List A debut on 10 December 2015 in the equally laudable
Vijay Hazare Trophy. His Twenty20 debut was made on 2 January 2016 in the Syed
Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
In November 2022, Singh was named in Canada’s T20I squad for the 2022 Desert
Cup T20I Series. He made his T20I debut on 14 November 2022, against Bahrain.
In March 2023, he was named in Canada’s squad for the 2023 Cricket World Cup
Qualifier Play-off. He made his One Day International (ODI) debut on 27 March
2023, for Canada, against Jersey in that tournament. He scored his maiden century in
ODI cricket on 1 April 2023, against the United Arab Emirates.