Given the stories emanating from Canadian cricket of late, they might have been better served by appointing police troopers to oversee their side rather than a cricket coach.
The country’s cricket association was suspended by the ICC at the start of June due to “serious breaches of its membership obligations”.
That followed revelations earlier this year in a CBC News documentary that claimed the sport in Canada was being influenced by members of an organised crime gang that operates with impunity from an Indian prison cell.
It stated the team was “rife with division and fear,” with some players being selected specifically to improperly influence results or aspects of matches.
The documentary showed footage of gunmen firing at the house of a board member of Cricket Canada. There have been further reports of gunfire at the homes of other cricket administrators in the time since.
The ICC announced last month it had approved “reinstatement conditions” but that “Cricket Canada remains suspended until those conditions have been fully met”.
Despite all of that, the national team itself is permitted to play in ICC competitions. They will face the UAE on Tuesday in the Cricket World Cup League Two in Dundee, Scotland.
The series is being monitored by the ICC’s anti-corruption unit at Forfarshire Cricket Club, led by two former police officers.
That is standard practice for ICC fixtures, but it is undeniable there is extra vigilance, given the claims made earlier this year related to Canada.
Amid the toxicity, there is one very obvious ray of optimism. Canada’s new coach – albeit on an interim basis – is Monty Desai, who is renowned as one of the most amiable people in cricket.
Desai, a qualified mechanical engineer from Mumbai, served as a batting consultant for the UAE for six months in 2019. More recently, he enjoyed a successful two-year term in charge of Nepal.
His short-term stint with Canada is due to last only until the end of the current tour. Despite the gloomy backdrop, he has still exuded calm, like when he performs yoga barefoot on the field during downtime.
During one rain interruption, he had time to read some pages of a book by a San Francisco 49ers coach on leadership in sport.
This is someone who, in his previous post, made it his first job every day to write “happy dressing room” for his players to see.
“Deep within I’ve always believed that the most meaningful coaching opportunities are often the toughest ones,” Desai said.
“I wasn't really sure at the start, but there was an assurance given from this board, especially the people who got elected, that they wanted to go a different route. I took an interest in walking into the unknown, like always.”
It was convenient, too. Desai recently moved his family to the United States, which was part of the reason the Canada job appealed to him.
If it is a tricky assignment, then that is hardly unique in this tier of cricket. “Associate cricket is always tough as a coach,” Desai said.
“I have to be practical also. This was a job which came to me as a national job, so I took interest in it. Although I was told very clearly it is at the start it will be a short-term role.
“I wanted to build foundations. I wanted to bring in some structure, ensure I understand all the players through their personalities first, and build something which is meaningful.”
In his previous role with Nepal, the side was united by a fierce national identity, buoyed by a fanbase that is the envy of everyone else at this level of the game – plus many in the Test sphere, too.
His new side, by contrast, is full of players from diverse backgrounds.
“I still don't have all the answers and I knew that I wouldn't be able to answer everything straight away,” Desai said.
“It's a difficult one to get a complete solution to. I've got players who were originally born in Afghanistan, adopted Canada as their country and now they're part of the team.
“You have players who have played first-class cricket either in India or Pakistan, but now they are part of the team."
“You have someone from Australia [Matthew Spoors], whose mother was born in Canada and he is a qualified Canadian cricketer. Then you have some Caribbean flavour as well.
“With all these personalities, the more they are able to understand each other for what brings them to this team, hopefully something meaningful will fall in place.”
Desai penned an emotional thank you to Nepal after he was not retained in February 2025, saying “cricket here is more than a sport; it is an emotion that unites this nation”.
He acknowledges now that leaving that role was hard to take, but his experiences in Kathmandu will always remain special to him.
“As professionals, as a coach, you are contracted,” Desai said.
“Very clearly, the management had a different approach at that point. They didn't want to renew the contract, and you have to respect that.
“It was hard for me to accept it straight away, but at the same time, you have to live with it.
“I just felt proud about the fact that, in two years, whatever we were able to do there was meaningful. We put foundations in place, and the fans were so loving.
“It will remain as a special thing for sure in my coaching career.”
