Canadian cricket import Harkaran Mann said his goal is to help the Wangaratta Magpies A grade side win the grand final, pure and simple. Alongside fellow Canuck, Akhil Kumar, Mann was added to the Magpies’ list for the first game back after the Christmas break, eager to help his side not only make the finals, but win the whole thing. Mann is no stranger to the region, having played out at Ovens Valley United in the 2022/23 season, where he posted some remarkable numbers. He made 448 runs averaging 48.67 from 11 innings last time he was out here, including a monster 150, while his handy spin snagged 16 wickets at 18.56. Despite only playing two games so far, due to abandoned rounds, excessive heat and a bye, the Canadians are already having an impact. Mann is 30th overall on the batting charts after two knocks (71 off 64 balls and 34 off 41 balls), while Kumar’s explosiveness with bat and ball has seen him take five wickets at 11.40 and average 32.50 with the blade. Since his last time down under, Mann said he’s been focussing purely on his cricket, with stints in domestic franchise cricket alongside Kumar. “Recently I was part of the Super 60 comp which was in Canada in BC [British Columbia], as one of the associate reserves for one of the teams, the Montreal Royal Tigers,” he said. “It’s a pretty good standard, I got to play with some Aussies as well, like Andrew Tye and Josh Brown. “Me and my friend Akhil just had some time off in the new year, and wanted to play some cricket before our season in Canada. “So why not come back to where I came last time and see what we can do. “I had initially spoken to Ovens, but thing didn’t work out the way they were supposed to, I guess. “Special thanks to Magpies for helping us get out here on short notice. “Getting the two of us out here’s probably not easy for the club, but they made it happen, they’re taking care of us. “It’s really good, it’s been a good change – not that I didn’t enjoy playing with the boys when I was here last time, but it’s good.” While there has been a stunning lack of cricket in the new year, Mann said he and Kumar had taken to exploring the region and Australia as a whole if a match is called off. “We’ve been here a month a and a half now there hasn't been much cricket in the past month because it’s been too hot so one of our games got cancelled and we had a bye,” he said. “We get to train in the week, go to the gym, and practice. “It’s good there’s two of us, so we just practice quite a lot during the week, hit a lot of balls. “We find something to do on free weekends or the weekdays, drive down to Melbourne or something like that.” The Magpies take on Yarrawonga Mulwala at the Showgrounds this weekend, with a win going a long way to helping them secure a spot in the top four and finals. “Yarra’s always been a good team – last time I came, they were pretty good as well, so hopefully we go alright,” Mann said. “We have a pretty good team, a lot of good guys, and Akhil and I just strengthen the team a little bit more. “We should be able to make the semis, but our goal would be to finish in second place so we can have the home semi-final and then go from there.” The match commences at 12.30pm.
