Understated Canada emerge from the shadows

As Canada went about their batting business against Ireland at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium on Friday (June 7), conversation on the sidelines turned to the increasing strength of their neighbours. "I was saying that the USA have built a very good team," Ingleton Liburd, the general manager at Cricket Canada, told Cricbuzz, "and one of the gentlemen I was talking to said, 'Maybe Canada needs to follow that model.'"

The previous day, the USA had beaten Pakistan in a World Cup that they are hosting for the first time. The upset confirmed, in case there was any doubt, that this is very much the USA's moment; that cricket is coming of age in the country at an unprecedented rate. It's been enough to cause their more established neighbours, who have competed in four 50-over World Cups, to take a moment for introspection.

The 'model' that has driven the USA's swift development has involved importing dozens of established cricketers from full member nations to bolster the domestic game, and promoting those who could qualify to the national team. It's not a new tactic in Associate cricket, but nobody has done it on such a scale before.