… All-rounder Jacobs also to turn out for Vancouver Knights

By Frederick Halley

TORONTO, Canada – Former Guyana youth player Dilon Heyliger is super excited to be included in the Montreal Tigers lineup for the inaugural Global T20 Canada tournament, set to bowl off here on June 28.

Heyliger, a current Canadian national player, is one of three Guyanese who were selected in Sunday’s draft – the others being fast bowler Jeremy Gordon who recently made his return to competitive cricket after a one-year exile and off-spinning all-rounder Steven Jacobs.

While Gordon also plies his trade in Canada, Joseph plays most of his cricket in his homeland, Guyana, and has been a regular member of the Guyana Amazon Warriors team up to last season.
In an exclusive interview with Chronicle Sport, the Essequibian-born Heyliger, who represented Guyana at both the Under-15 and Under-19 levels, pointed out that he’s dedicating his inclusion in the Montreal Tigers squad to the Cinderella County, where his fledgling cricketing career started.

According to Heyliger, his determination to reach the top also played a big part as, first of all, he had set his sights firmly on representing Canada at the international level and had worked assiduously towards that realisation.

In a previous interview, Heyliger had expressed that his aspiration was to represent Team Canada and ensure the Canadian cricket team gets a higher ranking at the international level; and also to ensure more supporters come out to watch the sport.

Heyliger was part of the Canadian national team who vied for supremacy in World Cricket League Division 2 tournament, held in Namibia last February. The team, however, failed narrowly to qualify for the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier which was held in Zimbabwe the following month. An elated Heyliger had declared then that his dream was to compete in the 2019 World Cup.

Meanwhile, 31-year-old Gordon, who migrated to Canada in 2006 and was a permanent fixture in his adopted country’s side in all formats of the game up to 2015, will be donning colours for Vancouver Knights which will include West Indies powerhouse Chris Gayle, Andre Russell, Evin Lewis and Chadwick Walton.

Gordon, who also represented Guyana at the Under-19 level in 2005-2006, made his Guyana first class debut at the Albion Community Centre ground against the Leeward Islands in January 2007 and has played two other matches for his homeland.
Gordon, who previously played for Brampton Masters in the Toronto and District Elite competition, turned out last weekend for Vikings in the Super-9 tournament and despite his year-long layoff, showed glimpses of speed versus opponents Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club.

Gordon made his ODI debut for Canada against Scotland in July 2012 and played his first T20 game versus Ireland in Abu Dhabi in November 2013. His maiden first class game was against Netherlands at the Maple Leaf ground in Toronto in August, 2013 while his last T20 match was against Kenya in Sharjah in November 2013.

Gordon has captured 23 wickets in five first class matches at an average of 21.08 with six for 43 being his best. He also has taken six scalps in five ODIs and 15 in 13 T20s.

The Global T20 Canada season will run from June 28 to July 15 and feature six teams. Five squads were chosen at Sunday’s draft while the sixth – an All-Stars side comprising Caribbean players exclusively – will be announced shortly.