Nicholas Kirton grateful for second World Cup chance after enduring harrowing 2025

A legitimate concern many Associate players have when they participate in a World Cup is if it will be their only one. Former Canada captain Nicholas Kirton is no exception. The Barbados-born batting allrounder was part of the side's inaugural campaign in 2024 and instrumental to their first (and to date only) win, a 12-run triumph over Ireland in New York. In the moment, he knew that could the high-water mark of his career.

"It was just a matter of trying to stay present and enjoy it, because at that point in time, I didn't know if we would be at another World Cup," he tells ESPNcricinfo. "It was just about trying to make the most of the opportunities." He's in Ahmedabad now, about to play his second T20 World Cup, but it almost didn't happen for him, for entirely non-cricketing reasons.

In April 2025, Kirton was arrested on drug-related charges including possession, trafficking, importation and intent to supply while travelling to Barbados. He was found with cannabis in his bag at the Grantley Adams Airport and was later released on bail. He has pleaded not guilty in a case that is ongoing in Barbados - the next hearing is in April - and described it as the biggest "learning curve" of his life.

He was heading back to Barbados when, he says, someone he knew brought him a bag to travel with. He says he didn't check the bag properly. "It was just a case of me not checking my bag properly and if it's someone that you're close to and you're just doing a favour to bring a bag then…"

He has since relied on assistance from a combination of police, his lawyers and Cricket Canada. "Speaking to the lawyer and explaining that I was not really at fault because it was a lack of knowledge. At the end of the day, like, in this situation, it's more often than not, they understand, especially when you give the full story and explain how it happened and how it could have potentially got to that point," he says. "The police were actually pretty helpful in explaining it. You're still responsible for checking your bag properly."

Kirton says he is no longer associated with the person he thought he was helping. He is also "back out playing cricket and doing what I love, which has been really good."

Though he missed the North American Cup, last April, as he dealt with the charges, he was picked for Canada, and retained as captain, in the NoFrills T20I series that included the Bahamas, Cayman Islands and Bermuda in June and for the T20 World Cup Qualifier Americas Region Final that followed immediately afterwards. Canada were unbeaten through those series and secured their spot at a second successive World Cup.

Much has happened since then, most of it off the field. Kirton is no longer the captain, and has been replaced by Dilpreet Bajwa. Canada have yet to play a match under Bajwa's leadership and have not played a T20I since June or any cricket together since September. Their preparation for this event was a month-long training camp in Sri Lanka, which Kirton believes will be enough to ensure they are competitive, though he knows he will have to play a big role.

With a cricketing pedigree that includes experience with the West Indies Under-19 side, as a first-class player for Barbados and a CPL deal with the Jamaica Tallawahs, Kirton was on track to play for the West Indies but qualified for Canada because his mother was born there. He was lured north by the idea of being an international sooner. "I was playing for Barbados when Canada had the qualifying tournament to try to get back ODI status in 2023, and I actually left in the middle of the Barbados first-class season to join the team in preparation," he says. "We knew once we got back to ODI status that would be pivotal to getting Canada back to the level where we wanted to go and then there were the potential World Cups to come.

"I had to think a while about it, but at the end of the day, the opportunity to play international cricket right away as opposed to playing first-class cricket in Barbados and having to wait another two-three years to get into the West Indies side, I saw the opportunity and I took it."

Was it too hasty, especially considering one of his closest friends, Matthew Forde, has now made it for West Indies? "Obviously, the Caribbean is my culture and my background but coming into this team and getting to understand different guys - we have some guys from Pakistan, some guys from India - has helped me develop more as an all-around person rather than just cricket," he said. "I try to look at the positives either way. I think I don't regret it. It's been a very good experience so far."

The expat community form the bulk of Canada's approximately 40,000-strong playing community - which would not even fill half the seats of their World Cup opening venue in Ahmedabad - which has turned cricket, by some estimates, into the country's fastest growing sport. Kirton has seen major improvements in interest and infrastructure over the last few years, especially in the Greater Toronto Area. "Canada is very diverse and the people playing cricket come from India, Pakistan, even Sri Lanka or the West Indies, and I see a lot more fans coming out, especially since we had GT20, and now the Super 60, and a lot of those fans are local-born Canadians who are following the sport a little bit more.

"And there's been a lot of work done, especially in Brampton, in terms of getting approval from the government to put in turf wickets. It's definitely growing, even outside of the turf wickets, there's a lot of grounds where there's still matting or astroturf where you can play. It's heading in the right direction."

The current Canada side will be hopeful the same can be said about them as they look to leave a mark on the global stage. In the group that is considered the toughest - with South Africa, Afghanistan and New Zealand in it - their aims are realistic and optimistic. "We're trying to make sure, like the last World Cup, that we at least win one game, if not two," Kirton said. "Who knows, if we win two games and results go our way, we maybe could qualify for the Super Eights. The team is very, very talented. It's just about us coming together and playing as a unit."

That's how he remembers the Ireland result from 2024. Canada were 53 for 4 before Kirton scored 49 off 35 balls and shared a 75-run fifth-wicket stand with Shreyas Movva to help the team reach 137 for 7. "I know I batted well to get us to that score but then our bowlers bowled really well on that pitch, especially our pacers, to help us defend it. All the guys came together and gave that little extra push for us to get over the line. That's what we need again here."

And to remember that they're living a dream. "It's definitely a privilege to be able to play cricket in India," Kirton says. "It's really iconic. India's the best team in the world right now and it's good to have the opportunity to come here and play at venues like Ahmedabad and Chennai and against the teams we're going to come up against.

"To be able to get some performances against them to measure where I'm at as a batsman and a cricketer, that is what I'm looking for. And then just to try to enjoy it, stay in the moment, and see where I am at the end of it."