'Mood is great' for Canadian cricketers ahead of 1st trip to ICC Men's T20 World Cup

Canada steps onto the cricket world stage Saturday when it takes on the co-host U.S. in the opening match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup in Dallas.

While known for other sports, the North American rivals have cricket history with their first meeting — in New York in 1844 — believed to be the first-ever international match. But this Canadian squad is looking to the future not the past, hoping to impress against some of the sport's biggest names.

"The mood is great," said Pubudu Dassanayake, in his second stint as Canada coach.

"Every player's dream is to be in the World Cup. So there's a lot of excitement within the playing group. And I think we're all looking forward to this big event."

Captain Saad Bin Zafar hopes the tournament shines a spotlight on the Canadian team and inspires a new generation of cricketers back home.

"You couldn't ask for a better platform than the T20 World Cup," he said.

A glimpse of Canadian cricket fans with the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/t20worldcup?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#t20worldcup</a> Trophy in Brampton