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Deadly day of reckoning-Canada Joy, Scots Gloom
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The third place play-off between Scotland and Canada was not just a match it is the pathway to a future of roses or back breaking manure.
The third place play-off is in any case an oddity since this tournament had no semi-finals and had in effect through its league set up produced three leaders Netherlands 12pts, Namibia and Scotland 10 pts. Next in the league were Canada and UAE with 6pts some way behind. Scotland had already beaten Canada in the league.
To have a final is a nice finale to any competition but why another match to produce a third when there is already one seems to be a match too far. To hold it after the final is also bizarre but that how this ICC Trophy works and so was played. Several weeks results were put on hold and form on the day was to be the sole criteria for the richest prize in cricket yet outside of the Test countries.
The winners not only go forward to the next ICC World Cup in South Africa 2003 they receive a huge development package from ICC, part of a largesse of $1 million for Kenya, Holland, Namibia and the third place winners. If Scotland had won there was the added prize of ongoing Lottery Money.
To have won the third place play-off today was thus to ensure a serious international cricket future while to lose will result in four more years of scimp and scrape and the enthusiasm of the voluntary sector.
With this sort of heaven and hell scenario hanging over the heads of the players the pressure was enormous. Whether the Scots ethnic origin community in Canada realised this match's importance and gave the team some support is unlikely. However the Canadian cricket community was there supporting their team and they are now ecstatic.
In theory the Scots should have won comfortably if past form was anything to go by but a one day game is anyone's nightmare and the Scots of all people have a propensity to shoot themselves in the foot at the crucial point in international competition whether soccer, cricket or anything else. In the event they did just that!
Presumably mindful of the absence of leading bowler Asif Butt and the mauling Namibia gave his bowling a few days before George Salmond on winning the toss elcted to bat. The game had been delayed through rain and whatever the quality of covers there was going to be assistance for the Canadian seamers. The Scots top order historically is notoriously brittle and had been sustained by a wonderful run of form by wicket keeper Smith. Well George will no doubt rue his decision for the rest of his life for quickly Scotland were three wickets down and Smith had gone.
Parsons and Salmond rebuilt the innings but carefully and when they went only white contributed significantly. the tail did not wag and turaisingham finished with a match winning five wicket haul.
A total of 170 was not enough unless scotland bowled very well. there was hopwe when an early wicket fell but Ishwar Maraj hit a fine fifty to set the innings on course. Indeed the Canadians won with ten overs to spare some turn ropund from their result against Ireland.
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Thuraisingham takes five to wreck Scots innings
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ICC Trophy, 2001, World Cup Qualifying Final, Canada v Scotland, Toronto Cricket, Skating and Curling Club, 17 July 2001 (50-over match)
Toss: Scotland
Umpires: DB Hair (Aus) and RE Koertzen (SA), TV Umpire: EA Nicholls (WI), Match Referee: JL Hendriks (WI).
SCOTLAND innings (50 overs maximum)
DR Lockhart c Davison b Thuraisingham 8
JG Williamson c Diwan b Thuraisingham 5
+CJO Smith c Degroot b Thuraisingham 6
RA Parsons lbw b Harris 48
*G Salmond c Billcliff b Davison 43
CM Wright b Thuraisingham 25
GI Maiden b Harris 0
JAR Blain b Thuraisingham 14
JE Brinkley run out (Bagai/Thuraisingham) 0
KLP Sheridan not out 0 Extras (b 2, lb 17, w 7, nb 1) 27
TOTAL (9 wickets, 50 overs, 193 mins) 176
DNB: DJ Cox.
FoW: 1-7 (Williamson, 3.4 ov), 2-24 (Lockhart, 11.1 ov), 3-24 (Smith, 11.3 ov), 4-125 (Parsons, 37.1 ov), 5-129 (Salmond, 38.5 ov), 6-133 (Maiden, 39.3 ov), 7-173 (Wright, 49.1 ov), 8-174 (Brinkley, 49.3 ov), 9-176 (Blain, 49.6 ov).
Bowling-Joseph 8 1 24 0 (1nb, 3w), Thuraisingham 8 2 25 5 (3w), Davison 10 0 34 1, Degroot 6 0 24 0, Seebaran 10 1 22 0, Harris 8 0 28 2 (1w).
CANADA Innings (target: 177 runs from 50 overs)
JM Davison c Smith b Blain 0
I Maraj c Salmond b Blain 50
D Chumney c Salmond b Sheridan 36
IS Billcliff run out (Salmond/Smith) 23
*JV Harris b Cox 35
NA Degroot not out 19
M Diwan not out 1
Extras (b 2, lb 1, w 5, nb 5) 13
TOTAL (5 wickets, 39.5 overs, 165 mins) 177
DNB: +A Bagai, S Thuraisingham, D Joseph, BB Seebaran.
FoW: 1-1 (Davison, 0.5 ov), 2-57 (Chumney, 13.6 ov), 3-111 (Billcliff, 25.2 ov), 4-122 (Maraj, 29.1 ov), 5-175 (Harris, 38.6 ov).
Bowling-Blain 8 0 34 2 (4nb, 2w),Cox 8 0 40 1 (1nb, 2w),Brinkley 8.5 1 27 0,Sheridan 7 0 38 1, Maiden 6 0 24 0 (1w),Parsons 2 0 11 0.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
* Match delayed by early morning rain by 45 minutes to a 11:30am start
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THE PRIZE AND THE PUNISHMENT
The consequences of this match's result are enormous. canada will now be part of a special ICC development investment with Kenya, Holland and Namibia up to the next world cup in South Africa in 2003. The purpose being to bring these teams to as high a standard as possible so that they can compete with the Test countries.
The package is worth some $1million and is over an above the $5million development package that will be invested globally over the next few years anyway.
For canada this will be a real opportunity to establish cricket beyond the immigrant ethnic communities-mostly Asian and Caribbean- and renew the fight with American Baseball and Softball that has been so dominant for near 100 years.
Canada has a limited number of old established wonderful cricket clubs around Toronto and Vancouver and elswhere but a lot of cricket is played on matts over turf in multi-use public parks and schools sport is dominated in summer by Baseball and Softball.
There is a long history of cricket in Canada almost 200 years or more and the earliest ever international cricket match was played between Canada and USA in 1844. MCC toured as early as 1859 and Canada have played a First class match in the past.They have been the one anomally among the major Commonwealth nations for not being a Test cricket country the result of its proximity to USA and all conquering Baseball.
This will now be their second appearance in a World Cup but they will be very much better prepared than last time.
For Scotland this defeat spells disaster for not only do they not receive the $250,000 from ICC they also lose their Sports Council Lottery funding. It puts on ice the development of the game for four years and will require a lot of character from the voluntary sectorto recharge their enthusiasm and soldier on as before.
Scotland has by far the greater infrastructure of the the four countries going into the world cup with more clubs, grounds and schools playing the game than the other four put together. Furthermore of course they play in this ICC Trophy denied their best cricketers, Hamilton and Brown to say nothing of Such all tainted with the ECB England brush. Not to build upon such a strong recreational base on the basis of one match seems daft in terms of ICC's Global development plans.
How can this winner takes all policy be matched against the long term development of the game. Hopefully this will be something Malcolm Speed ICC's new supremo will be looking at.
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