The head coach of the Canadian men’s cricket team, Monty Desai, has resigned, prompting Cricket Canada to invite applications for his replacement. Desai took over as Canada’s interim head coach in May this year. During his brief tenure, he guided the team in two World Cup League 2 tri-series, one in Canada and the other in Scotland.
In a statement shared on social media, Desai described his three-month stint as Canada’s interim head coach as a short but meaningful experience. He thanked the players, support staff and Cricket Canada, saying he would always cherish the lessons learned and relationships formed during his time with the team.
Cricket Canada has set August 28 as the deadline for applications for the head coach position. Canada’s next World Cup League 2 campaign will begin on October 9 in Amman, where they will face Oman and Nepal. Canada currently sits sixth in the League 2 points table, with four matches remaining. The top four teams will qualify for next year’s ODI World Cup qualifiers. This was Desai’s second stint with the Canadian team, having previously worked with Canada in 2019.
Monty Desai has stepped down as head coach of the Canadian men’s cricket team at a challenging time for Cricket Canada. Desai took charge after Canada suffered defeats in all four of its matches at the T20 World Cup earlier this year. His appointment was soon followed by an investigation by the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit into alleged corruption during the tournament, with particular attention focused on Canada’s match against New Zealand.
Cricket Canada also came under scrutiny after the ICC identified what it described as serious breaches of the board’s membership obligations. As a result, the ICC suspended funding to Cricket Canada in May and later suspended the country’s Associate membership following its quarterly meeting in Ahmedabad. The suspension remains in place. Following its annual meetings in Edinburgh last month, the ICC also established a set of conditions that Cricket Canada must meet to have its membership reinstated.