Veteran Canadian cricketer Junaid Siddiqui enjoying the T20 World Cup experience

At 39, Junaid Siddiqui has waited a long time to make it to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. And savor every minute of the experience.

“The dream has always been the World Cup,” Siddiqui said. “I’m happy, privileged to get this opportunity… To go to this World Cup is really special for us and for me.”

Siddiqui and the 23rd-ranked Canadians look to bounce back from Saturday’s seven-wicket loss to the United States in Texas in their tournament debut when they take on 11th-ranked Ireland at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on Friday from the suburbs of New York.

Ireland were soundly beaten by India no. 1 in Wednesday’s opener.

The Irish were dismissed for 96 in 16 overs with only four batsmen reaching double figures. India needed just 12.2 overs to reach their target of victory with eight wickets remaining.

Canada is also looking to put a painful loss behind it. After making 194 runs for the loss of five wickets, the Canadians could not crowd the American batsmen, with Aaron Jones doing most of the damage with a strong innings of 94 not out.

On the plus side, Canada beat Ireland by 10 runs in the 2019 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier in the UAE, with opener Navneet Dhaliwal leading the way with a knock of 69. The Irish finished third at that tournament, qualifying for the 2021 World Cup, while Canada was a spectator after finishing ninth.

“We were able to surprise them then,” Canadian vice-captain Navneet Dhaliwal said. “And hopefully we can do it again, especially with some players who are kind of senior players like Kaleem Sana, Aaron Johnson, so it’s kind of an added value to the team.”

Nitish Kumar, who scored 53 points for Canada in that 2019 game, has since switched his international allegiance to the US and is part of the US team at the tournament. Kumar was eligible to play for the US after meeting residency requirements following a move south of the border to play club cricket.

Siddiqui, who made his debut for Canada in 2011, says the landscape of cricket back home has changed for the better, with the GT20 tournament playing a big role.

“You can see the game grow over the last three or four years.”

Siddiqui, a specialist leg-spinner who can also handle the bat, last played a T20 game for Canada in 2022 and was recalled to the squad ahead of the World Cup.

“I was hoping I could play. It was always in the back of my mind,” he said. “But I just kept working hard, kept playing. Wherever I played, I played. And I think that was the biggest thing for me. (I was) able to go out anywhere and play. Keep going. And then leave everything in God’s hands.”

“I’ve always been positive about things,” he added.

The call finally came eight weeks before the tournament.

“It was one of the best days of my life,” Siddiqui said.

He also worked hard off the field to make a comeback. Although Siddiqui is not one of the Canadian players under contract with Cricket Canada, he has two Timothy’s World Coffee franchises in Mississauga and Newmarket, Ont., and some investments in IT businesses.

“This allows me to play cricket,” he said. “Either for Canada or contract (club) cricket in the US”

“It keeps me busy but gives me enough time to play,” he added.

A finance and economics graduate, he had a full-time contract with Cricket Canada until 2015, when the governing body could no longer afford it. So, with the help of his wife and family, he built a portfolio of businesses to facilitate his cricket.

At the same time, Siddiqui worked hard on his fitness.

“It didn’t stop. In the years I played and when I wasn’t in the team, it didn’t stop in one day,” he said. “It was a lot of hard work, proper food, nutrition.”

He also played a lot of club tours in the US

After Ireland, Canada faces Pakistan No. 6 on June 11 at the Nassau County ground before concluding the Group A match on June 15 against India in Lauderhill, Florida.

The 20 teams at the World Cup were divided into four groups, with the top two from each group advancing to the Super 8 round.

The match in Pakistan will be special for Siddiqui, who grew up playing street cricket in Karachi before moving to Toronto with his family at the age of 13.

“We really want to win that game for the country,” he said.

Siddiqui is a made-in-Canada cricketer, however, turning heads, playing for Woodlands Secondary School in Mississauga to boot.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published on June 6, 2024

Neil Davidson, Canadian Press