Photo Credit: Cricket Canada
Cricket Canada has appointed Pubudu Dassanayake as the Canadian National Men’s Cricket Team’s Head Coach. The Sri Lankan-born Dassanayake has been appointed to the position for an initial two-year term commencing August 1, 2022.
Dassanayake will be with the Canadian team for its matches during the forthcoming July 25-August 7 ICC Cricket World Cup Challenge League A. All matches in the Canada-hosted round-robin tournament, which will be feature the National teams of Denmark, Malaysia, Qatar, Singapore, Vanuatu and hosts Canada competing against each other in their ongoing quest for qualification to next year’s 2023 ICC World Cup, will be played at King City’s Maple Leaf Cricket Club!
Pubudu Dassanayake was born on July 11, 1970, in Kandy, Sri Lanka. As a right-handed wicket-keeper batsman, he represented Sri Lanka in 11 Test matches and 16 ODI’s during the 1993-1994 two-year period. After emigrating to Canada, Dassanayake made his Canadian international debut at the 2005 ICC World Cup. He also represented Canada at the 2005 and 2006 editions of the ICC Intercontinental Cup.
Dassanayake was until recently serving his second stint as Nepal’s Head Coach, a position from which he’d officially announced his resignation on June 28, 2022. Dassanayake had initially coached the Nepal National team from 2011 – 2015 during which he had achieved noteworthy successes. Under Dassanayake’s coaching guidance Nepal had qualified for its maiden ICC T20 World Cup appearance in 2014.
Dassanayake’s forthcoming August 1, 2022, assumption of the Canadian Head Coach position will also be his second stint at the helm of Canada’s National Men’s cricket team. After his retirement from playing, Dassanayake was initially appointed as Canadian National Head Coach in August 2007, having acted in the position for several months prior.
Dassanayake oversaw Canada’s successful qualification for the ICC 2011 World Cup, resigning almost immediately after the tournament’s completion to shortly thereafter take up his appointment as Nepal’s Head Coach. Dassanayake was also appointed US Head Coach in September 2016 but resigned in July 2019.
Dassanayake will take over the Canadian National Men’s team coaching responsibilities from interim Coach Amarinder Bhinder. The South African-born Bhinder had served as Canada’s Interim Head Coach since November 2018.
In announcing the appointment, Cricket Canada President Rashpal Bajwa expressed the confidence of himself and his Board of Directors that Dassanayake’s demonstrated cricket knowledge and outstanding experience would be most valuable assets to Canada’s ongoing ICC World Cup 2023 qualification attempts and as well on regaining its previously lost Official ICC ODI status. President Bajwa also expressed Cricket Canada’s gratitude, on behalf of itself, the National team players, as well as the members of the entire Canadian cricket community to Amarinder Bhinder for the sterling service he had provided as Interim Head Coach.
