… describes 2019 as his best year in cricket

By Frederick Halley

AFTER a positive 2019, which he described as probably his best year in cricket, Guyanese-born all-rounder Dillon Heyliger has good reasons for optimism as far as his career is concerned.
In 2019, the 30-year-old Heyliger achieved two incredible feats. After grabbing a hattrick for Montreal Tigers against Edmonton Royals in the second edition of the Global T20 Canada tournament, he was named Best Bowler in the ICC T20 World Cup Americas Qualifier, played in Bermuda.
Regarded as one of the best spells seen in the Global T20 Canada, the fast-medium bowler had the remarkable figures of 4-1-13-3 and also had the satisfaction of hitting the winning runs for his team.

No doubt buoyed by his performance in the Global T20, Heyliger followed this up with 11 wickets in Bermuda which earned him the prestigious Best Bowler award while representing the Canadian national team.
Heyliger, who hails from Suddie, Essequibo, credits his fine performance in the Global T20 to head coach Tom Moody, the former Australian player, and his coaching staff.
According to Heyliger, after playing only two games in the inaugural tournament in 2018, last year he was delighted to play all the matches “That performance was one of my best. I just stuck to the basics, which I discussed with the coach prior to the match.”

On winning the Best Bowler award, Heyliger expressed sincere thanks to Cricket Canada for giving him the opportunity to play in the Global T20, pointing out that the experience served him well in the ICC qualifiers.
Heyliger is extremely disappointed that Canada didn’t qualify for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup which was scheduled to be staged in Australia this year but which has been postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic.

After winning their first three games, including a decisive victory over Ireland, the Canadians lost the remaining three matches in the tournament, staged in the UAE during the latter part of last year.
Heyliger is, however, still hopeful that Canada will qualify for the next T20 World Cup scheduled for 2021 and is looking forward to the Qualifiers which are scheduled to be held prior to the staging of that tournament.

Since representing Guyana at both the Under-15 and Under-19 levels, it’s been a roller-coaster ride for the talented Essequibian all-rounder who has plied his trade in England, the Caribbean and now Canada. Since migration, his aim was to represent his adopted country which he eventually achieved in February, 2018.
According to Heyliger, his cricketing career started on the Essequibo Coast where he represented his village team Santos, and before long he was a member of the Essequibo Under-15 and Under-19 teams.
He subsequently represented Guyana at the Under-15 level in 2005. His progression continued three years later when he was selected to play for his country in 2008 and 2009 at the regional Under-19 tournaments.

In 2006, Heyliger was already a member of the Essequibo senior team and despite his sojourns in the Caribbean, United Kingdom and Canada, he was part of the Cinderella County side for whom he last played in 2013.
In the interim, he also turned out for the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) at the First Division level in the Georgetown Cricket Association (GCA) competitions.
Strong all-round performances at the First Division level subsequently earned him a place in the 2011 Guyana T20 squad and despite not being part of the playing 11, Heyliger said the experience was quite electrifying and satisfying. “I decided to build on the success of Guyana’s cricket and move on to gain some international experience.”

Heyliger explained that he went on to play cricket for teams in Trinidad and Tobago, Antigua, and moving farther afield to England, played for Basingstoke in the Hampshire League. “With new success and recognition in the United Kingdom, I gained a spot in the Middlesex League with a team in Uxbridge, increasing my knowledge, skills, and career development on the international level,” he boasted.

Heyliger’s cricketing stint in Canada started in 2014 when he turned out for Islanders Sports Club in the Toronto & District Elite Division tournament. He, however, switched to Vikings in the 2015 season when he enjoyed a very productive season and later represented Brampton Masters.

More recently, he turned out for Yorke in the Toronto & District T20 tournament, the only one played this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. In the interim, he has been undergoing rigorous training under the tutelage of former Canada player and Guyanese-born Abdool ‘Birdy’ Samad and has also been helping the youths under Samad’s command.

Heyliger made his List A debut for Canada in the ICC World Cricket League Division Two tournament in February, 2018. In September of the same year, he was named in Canada’s squad for the 2018–19 ICC World Twenty20 Americas Qualifier tournament. The following month, he was selected for the Regional Super-50 tournament in the West Indies.