Guyanese cricketer Aaron Beharry departed these shores on Wednesday to join the Ontario Cricket Academy (OCA) which will embark on a tour of Sri Lanka next month. This will be the sixth visit by the OCA to Sri Lanka since 2010.
OCA, based in Canada, will see its Youth team battle against District Development teams, Academies, and Colleges in a combination of T20, 40, and 50-over matches from March 11 -22 in Galle, Colombo, and Negombo.
In an interview, Beharry indicated that the tour is one that will help him understand his game better, test his fitness, and ultimately improve his performances on the field.
“I believe I have what it takes to play at the highest level; I have been scoring runs and feeling very confident in the work I’ve been putting in. There’s a lot more work to do and with the mentorship, I currently have around me, especially my dad, I’m certain I’ll get there one day,” the 20-year-old all-rounder told News Room Sport recently.
That inspiration from his father, Anil Beharry started when Aaron was a 10-year-old in the company of the elder Beharry at the Young Warriors Cricket Ground in Canje, Berbice.
“My love for the game started, playing at the side watching the older guys play on the pitch. I always used to tell myself, one day I would like to play with them there.”
The Berbican hopes his all-around skill can improve, more so on the batting front against spin, given the conducive nature in Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile, Director of OCA Derek Perera, speaking on Beharry’s inclusion, stated he is heading to be a senior international player in the not too distant future. “Aaron, apart from others, missed the opportunity to announce themselves at the Under-19 West Indies tournament, due to the closure of cricket during the pandemic.”
Beharry was added to the line-up via recommendation from one of OCA Senior Coach, Tribhawan ‘Jaggy’ Jagessar, a former School District Coach of New Amsterdam/Canje, who now resides in Canada.
Jagessar spotted Beharry very early in his career and has been following his progress with extreme interest. According to the Coach, “Aaron has an exceptional ability with the bat and ball (and) will definitely provide depth for the squad.”
One other player in fast bowler and attacking batsman, Kishan Missir, born of Guyanese ancestry is in the squad.
The squad includes four players who have recently represented Canada at the ICC Under-19 World Cup in the West Indies and one player who was in the reserve.
Full Squad: Siddh Lad – captain – (ICC U19 WC Player), Parmveer Kharoud – Vice Captain (ICC U19 WC Player), Sahil Badin (ICC U19 WC Player), Kairav Sharma (ICC U19 WC Player), Eran Maliduwapathirana (ICC U19 WC Reserve), Taimoor Shahzad (Joe Root Academy in Australia), Aaron Beharry (Berbice Youth Player), Gurpreet Singh (Yuvraj Singh Centre of Excellence in India), Taranveer Singh Kukreja (Yuvraj Singh Centre of Excellence in India), Dilraj Deol (Ontario Cricket U18), Dharm Patel (Ontario Cricket U18), Kishan Missir (Ontario Cricket U18), Aryan Desai (Ontario Cricket U18)
Management: Tribhawan Jagessar and Derek Perera
