Derek Perera

  • Played for

    Canada National Team, Canada U23, Canada U19

    ICC World Select U21 (England), Nondescripts CC (Sri Lanka), Sandgate Redcliffe District (Australia), Bradninch CC, Cullompton CC (England)

  • Coached

    ICC Americas XI (Head Coach - List A - West Indies Super 50). Canada National Team (Video Analyst), Canada U23 (Head Coach), Canada U19 (Head Coach), Canada U15 (Head Coach), USA Cricket Academy U13 (Head Coach), Cricket Ontario Men (Head Coach - National T20), Ontario U19 (Head Coach), Ontario U17 (Head Coach)

  • Qualifications

    CoachED ELITE Level 4, CoachED Level 3, ICC Level 2, ICC Level 1, NCCP Level 2

    Canada Coaches Association/NCCP - Certified Professional Coach

    NASM Performance Enhancement Specialist

    MSc Sports Performance / BA Kinesiology and Health Science

Coach Page

Among the best

Over the last two decades, Derek Perera has become one of the most iconic names in Canadian cricket. To add to that, the global cricketing fraternity has been full of praises and has applauded his contribution to Canadian cricket ecosystem.

Derek believes in the process of nurturing talent from a young age and this belief of his along with an eye for talent scouting has helped him and the Ontario Cricket Academy (OCA) produce some of the brightest stars in the sport in Canada.

As a Canadian-born cricketer, Derek rose to great heights as a player at a young age. He made a rapid rise through the system and graduated from Canada’s U-19 and U-23 teams at the age of 17.

This was just the beginning though. Next year, he went on to represent the Canada national senior cricket team at the age of 18 when he got a chance to try his skills against Bangladesh in 1996. In the same year, he also played against India and grabbed eyeballs among the cricket fraternity all over the world.

Elite level coach

As a coach, Derek has been plying his trade since 1998. Like his playing days, Derek has displayed equal dedication towards becoming a great coach. He has coached Canada U-15, U-19 and U-23 cricket teams already and was also the first ever Performance Analyst for the Canadian national senior cricket team helping them qualify for the World Cup in 2007. The ICC recognized him as one of the leading coaches in the continent by naming him as the Head Coach of the well renowned ICC Americas combined team in the 2016 West Indies Cricket Board ‘Nagico Super 50” tournament.

Derek is one of the most qualified and reliable coaches in Canada and is immensely respected worldwide in the cricketing circle. He has a proven track record and possesses passion for the game, second to none.

Derek has been credited with producing some of the best players in Canada over the last 20 years, with players graduating from OCA to Canada U19 and on to the national team.

Apart from his playing experience as an international cricketer, he is a certified ICC Level 2 cricket coach as well. Most recently Derek received his CoachED Level 3 coaching certificate, in a program designed and led by the legendary player and coach, Gary Kirsten. He was then selected to sit for the CoachED Level 4 - Elite Coach Certification, which boasts many international coach graduates. Derek joins a prestigious list of coaches as a certified Elite Coach Level 4 (CoachED).

In addition, he has undergone specialist cricket coach training at the MRF Pace Foundation under Dennis Lillee and has been a part of ICC High Performance Workshops with the late Bob Woolmer and Richard Done.

“Derek’s vision and passion for the game along with his undying efforts to improve the standard of cricket in Canada and help the country get back to the elite level has already reaped fruits. Several cricketers coming out of the Ontario Cricket Academy (OCA) are making it to the elite level and being called for stints in countries like India, Australia, West Indies, England, New Zealand and Sri Lanka.

Derek’s dream is to get Canada on the map of elite cricket playing nations in the world.”

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