Canada’s 2026 men’s T20 World Cup ended with four defeats from four. That record did not shock many – their only fixtures against Full-Member opposition in the last two years have come at the two most recent global tournaments – but it still stings inside the dressing-room.
Speaking after the final Group D loss, Saad Bin Zafar – captain in 2024 and still a senior voice now – said the International Cricket Council has to step in.
“I think if there’s one thing that I would like to change it would be Associate countries getting more opportunities to compete against some of the best nations because that’s the learning ground, that’s where you learn,” he said.
At present, Associate (second-tier) sides rely on qualifying events and the odd bilateral invitation. Zafar believes the structure is too thin, especially for a team located outside the established regional blocs.
“It’s also hard for us because we don’t fall under areas like Asia or some region, because Asian teams they get to play Asia Cup and a few other tournaments,” he noted. “We don’t have anything like that.”
He floated a simple fix. “So if we can start something like that where ICC can help us play some of these regular countries a couple of games throughout the year, it will give us more exposure and more experience, then we can reflect and learn from them and come better prepared.
“Because at World Cups, you are thrown right against the bigger opponents. We don’t get any prior experience coming to the World Cup. So I hope that’s something that ICC can do for us as Associate nations.”
Pressure, crowds and perspective
Playing Afghanistan in front of a packed stadium was new territory for several Canadians. Zafar admitted the stage is not easy.
“Obviously, there is a lot of mental pressure there when you play in front of the crowd, in front of the mass audience – not just the crowd at the ground but also the very fact that the whole world is watching you,” he said. “It puts you under a lot of pressure but as cricketers we have to find ways to control our nerves and focus on the job on hand.
“In Associate cricket, even if we play without crowds we have other kind of pressures. A lot of the tournaments we play, our qualifications are on the line whether we have to play a tournament to regain our ODI status or to qualify for a World Cup. So it’s a different kind of pressure but that’s pressure itself. So as cricketers we are just used to controlling the pressure and staying present.”
Positives amid four defeats
Canada leave with no points, yet there were flashes. “A few individual performances,” Zafar summed up, “Yuvraj [Samra] is one of them, Harsh Thaker had a few good knocks, bowling wise Ansh Patel, myself we picked up a few wickets, Kaleem Sana had a few good spells. So all in all a few individual performances but it’s disappointing that we couldn’t have a complete game.”
The results underline his argument: until Associates see regular action against stronger foes – or at least a structured cross-regional competition – the gulf is likely to remain.
