By RON FANFAIR
British Columbia lawyer Iain Dixon is among three newcomers named in the Canadian 14-member squad for the International Cricket Council (ICC) Trophy tournament for Associates in Ireland in July.
The right-handed opener seized the opportunity to impress the selectors in the trial matches almost two weeks ago, scoring an impressive 42 in the first of the 60-overs matches at King City.
"I had quite a successful season last year, but that was done in B.C.," said Dixon. "It was important that I make an impression in front of the selectors and I obviously think I did that even though I would have liked to score a few more runs."
The Canadian-born Dixon represented the undefeated Meraloma club last season. He has been with the club the past two years after leaving North Shore.
"I am very happy to be representing my country because that has always been my dream since I began playing the sport at an early age," added Dixon, president of the new Cricket B.C., the governing body for the sport in that province.
Former Sri Lanka wicketkeeper/batsman Pubudu Dassanayake and Ugandan-born medium pacer Henry Osinde, who still has to get a passport or Canadian travel documents, are the other new players in the side.
Dassanayake represented Sri Lanka in 11 Tests and 16 One-day internationals before coming to Canada five years ago. He captains Toronto & District Cricket Association's (TDCA) defending premier league champions, Centurions.
Osinde, who became the first African to play in the TDCA league four years ago, is thrilled to be in the Canadian squad.
"I am very excited," he said. "When I came here, I just wanted to play cricket. Being selected to represent Canada is a bonus and I will relish it."
Montreal medium-pacer Ashishkumar Patel, who suffered a knee injury three weeks ago, has been included in the touring party. He will however have to undergo a fitness test on June 5.
The Canadian Cricket Association's (CCA) executive board has appointed Ian Billcliff as vice-captain instead of Dassanayake who was the choice of the selectors. Billcliff captained the team in the Intercontinental Cup play-offs in the United Arab Emirates last November in the absence of regular skipper John Davison who was unavailable for the series.
"We just felt that Ian did a good job then in helping Canada reach the final and he has been the vice-captain for a few series," said CCA treasurer Traddie Simpson. "We don't see the need now to remove him from the position."
The full touring party is John Davison (capt), Ian Billcliff (vice-capt), Umar Bhatti, Desmond Chumney, Sunil Dhaniram, Haninder Dhillon, Iain Dixon, Don Maxwell, Henry Osinde, Ashishkumar Patel, Pubudu Dassanayake, Kevin Sandher, Sanjayan Thuraisingam and Zubin Surkari.
The alternates, pending the resolution of the Osinde and Patel cases, are Austin Codrintgton (pending medical/fitness test), George Codrington and Ishwar Maraj.
The management team comprises of Mike Henry (manager), Rupert Gomes (coach), Dr. Dan Kiesel (physiotherapist) and Colin Siller and Derek Perera (technical support).
The top five countries in the 12-team tournament advance to the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies.