Americas regional qualifier mein apni pehli hi koshish mein, Canada ne apni fifth consecutive jeet ke saath 2026 T20 World Cup mein jagah pakki kar li. Lekin yeh koi aasan safar nahi tha, aur ab jab woh bade stage ke liye taiyar ho rahe hain, kya yeh chhota sa cricket desh bade dikhayega?
Canada ne Americas regional final mein Bahamas, Bermuda, aur Cayman Islands ke khilaf khela. Yeh chaar team ka tournament Ontario ke Maple Leaf Cricket Club mein hua, jahan Canada ne apne ghar ke maidan ka poora fayda uthaya. Bahamas ke khilaf aakhri match mein, unhone sirf 57 runs par unki batting ko samet diya. Kaleem Sana (3/6) aur Shivam Sharma (3/16) ne aisi bowling ki ki Bahamas ke batsmen bas dekh hi sakte the! Chase? Woh toh bas 5.3 overs mein ho gaya, Dilpreet Bajwa ke unbeaten 36 (14 balls) ke saath. Yeh jeet Canada ki dominance ka prateek thi, jahan unhone har match mein bade margin se jeet haasil ki – 110 runs se Bermuda ko, 59 runs se Cayman Islands ko, aur pehle Bahamas ke khilaf 10 wickets se.
| Player | Role | Performance | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kaleem Sana | Bowler | 3/6 (4 overs) | vs Bahamas, 2025 |
| Shivam Sharma | Bowler | 3/16 (2.5 overs) | vs Bahamas, 2025 |
| Dilpreet Bajwa | Batsman | 36* (14 balls) | vs Bahamas, 2025 |
| Nicholas Kirton | Captain/Batsman | 49 (35 balls) | vs Ireland, T20WC 2024 |
Canada ke liye yeh doosra T20 World Cup hoga. 2024 mein, jab USA aur West Indies ne tournament host kiya, Canada ne apna debut kiya tha. Wahan unhone Ireland ke khilaf ek yaadgaar jeet haasil ki, jahan Nicholas Kirton ne 49 runs banaye. Lekin baki matches mein, jaise Pakistan ke khilaf, woh thodi si kami reh gayi. Jasprit Bumrah ki uss match mein bowling (2/13) ne Pakistan ko 7 runs se jeet dilayi, jabki Canada ke bowlers ne 113/7 tak restrict kiya tha. Yeh anubhav Canada ke liye seekhne ka mauka tha, aur ab 2026 ke liye woh aur taiyar dikh rahe hain.
Bharat Ke Saath Connection
2026 T20 World Cup India aur Sri Lanka mein hoga, aur Canada ke liye yeh ek emotional journey bhi hai. Canada ke team mein kai khiladi, jaise Dilpreet Bajwa aur Kaleem Sana, South Asian heritage se hain, aur India ke maidan par khelna unke liye sapne jaisa hoga. Yaad hai 2007 ka woh T20 World Cup, jab India ne MS Dhoni ki captaincy mein pehli baar khitab jeeta? Canada uss spirit ko apne saath leke aayega, lekin apni alag pehchaan banane ke liye.
Lekin yahan thodi si baat dil se dil tak. Canada ne qualifiers mein toh dhoom machayi, lekin World Cup ke stage par bade teams jaise India, Australia, ya South Africa ke saath takkar lena asaan nahi. 2024 mein Uganda jaise naye team ne bhi struggle kiya, jahan West Indies ne unko 39 runs par out kar diya tha. Canada ke paas talent hai, lekin consistency aur experience ki kami unko bhaari pad sakti hai. Kya Nicholas Kirton ki team ek aur upset create kar sakti hai, ya phir yeh ek aur chhoti si kahani ban ke reh jayegi?
