Canada qualifies for 2026 T20 Cricket World Cup
June 24, 2025
On the hottest day of the year on June 22, blazing light burst through the gloom, hovering over Canadian cricket in the past few months.
Canada qualified for next year’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka with a clean sweep in the four-team Americas Regional qualifier at King City.
Though ranked above Bermuda, the Cayman Islands and the Bahamas in the International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 ranking, Canada went into the tournament knowing that strength on paper does not automatically translate to success on the field.
“Winning every game was at the top of the list of goals we set,” said interim coach Ingleton Liburd who represented Canada in three ICC Trophy tournaments and the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Malaysia. “The amount of runs we scored, keeping teams under 100 and dominating the matches were also right up there on the list. I am very happy that the players paid attention to what was said which allowed us to accomplish every mark we set.”
The only team to reach 200, Canada’s 110-run and 59-run wins over Bermuda and the Cayman Islands respectively were the largest margins of victory in the tournament.
Ranked 19th, Canada demolished 27th-ranked Bermuda by 110 runs and six wickets, the 41st-ranked Cayman Islands by 59 and 42 runs and the Bahamas – ranked 56th -- by 10 and seven wickets in the round-robin series.
“They need to play more competitive cricket and receive additional funding,” Liburd pointed out. “They also have to look at enhancing their infrastructure and either get coaches to come to their countries or send some of their players to high-performance camps. That will go a long way in helping them to get better.”
Left-handed opener Yuvraj Samra was Canada’s most productive batsman, scoring 216 runs – the second most in the tournament – at an average of 54.
In the June 18 rain-shortened fixture against the Bahamas, the 18-year-old set the Canadian record for the fastest T20 half-century, scoring an unbeaten 50 off 15 balls with five sixes and three fours.
Samra also had the second-best strike rate, 209.70, behind teammate Dilpreet Bajwa with 228.88.
“He is a gifted player with natural talent,” said Liburd who will be inducted into the Cricket Hall of Fame in Connecticut in October. “I don’t think he has reached his full potential. Once he keeps working hard and gets there, he is going to be a very destructive batsman that bowlers will fear.”
Off-spinner Shivam Sharma and left-arm medium pacer Kaleem Sana were the leading wicket-takers with 11 and 10 respectively.
Selected in the Babar Azam-led Pakistan squad for the 2010 Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand where they were the runner-up, Sana had to withdraw at the last minute because of injury.
While pleased with the team’s performance, Liburd feels the squad could be improved.
“This is the nucleus of the squad that will compete in the World Cup,” he pointed out. “We have three fast bowlers and will be looking to see if we can add another one or an all-rounder who can bowl.”
Winning the Americas qualifier guarantees Canada almost US$500,000 in ICC funding to prepare for the World Cup.
“Some of that money will go towards trying to secure T20 matches against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in their home countries,” Liburd, who played league cricket in Transvaal, South Africa in 1995-96, said. “If that is not possible, playing against their ‘A’ teams is the next option so that we can get acclimatized to the conditions in the Indian sub-continent.”
The World Cup will take place next February and March.
This will be Canada’s second participation in the biennial tournament.
In 2024, they defeated Ireland by 12 runs for their first and only win in the competition that was expanded from 16 to 20 teams.
Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, England, South Africa, the United States, the West Indies, Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan and the co-hosts have already qualified for the tournament.
The seven remaining spots will be filled after the European, African and Asia East Asia-Pacific qualifiers later this year.
Liburd stepped back into the coaching role for this tournament after Khurram Chohan was relieved of his duties last month.
While Cricket Canada is seeking a replacement, the ex-Canadian cricket captain said he will take the job if it is offered.
“It is something I have done well in the past and I am comfortable working with the current group of players,” the Cricket Canada General Manager said. “I know what they need and how to get them to listen and work as a unit.”
Liburd holds a Cricket West Indies Advanced Level coaching certificate and has completed the ICC Integral Coaching Certificate program.
He coached Canada which won every game in the ICC World Cup qualifier in Bermuda in 2017 and the global World Cup qualifier in Dubai two years later.
Off the field, Canadian cricket has been littered with controversy recently.
Three months ago, Chief Executive Officer Salman Khan was charged with fraud and theft over $5,000, stemming from his tenure with the Calgary and District League that he presided over.
National captain Nicholas Kirton is on bail for drug-related charges after deplaning in Barbados on March 30 while the ICC Anti-Corruption team is investigating alleged match-fixing involving national team members.
“We can’t control what happens off the field,” Liburd, who led Victoria Park to its first Toronto and District Cricket League title in 1993, said. “At the same time, we can’t ignore what is happening. All we can do is play positive cricket, win matches and give people something good to talk about. Qualifying for the World Cup is an excellent step in the right direction.”
