TOPSHOT - Steve Smith of the Toronto Nationals stands on the pitch at the Maple Leaf Cricket Club in ... [+]
The Cricket T20 World Cup is approaching fast. Anticipation for the first match between the co-hosts, the United States and their North American neighbors Canada on June 1 is gaining momentum. The game will be played at the Grand Prairie Stadium, the former home of the Texas AirHogs and venue of the first Major League Cricket season last year.
While much focus is on whether the home nation can compete with the giants of their group, India and Pakistan, the Canadians can slip happily below the radar. In a warm-up five match series with their nearest rivals, geographically at least, they lost 4-0 with one match washed out. Expectation isn't huge. Historically, the Maple Leafers can at least claim the bragging rights over the U.S. with a famous win in the first recorded international cricket match in 1844.
There’s a huge heritage in Canadian cricket and the continuation of the annual Auty Cup is a nod to the connection between the two nations on the green fields before baseball pitched up. Once upon a time on the prairie, cricket was declared Canada’s national sport by its first-ever PM John A Macdonald. The Toronto Cricket Club was established in 1827 although the inception of the game was strongly influenced by the missions of the Royal Navy and the British Army. George A. Barber, an English schoolmaster, was prominent in setting up the Toronto Club and is known as the father of Canadian cricket.
The most important development in recent times for the international team has been regaining their ODI status after almost a decade out of he mainstream loop. “Regaining (the ODI) status after nine long years is an outstanding achievement and a game-changing moment for Cricket Canada. It puts us on the same map as the leading Associate cricketing nations in the world,” said a jubilant former Cricket Canada President Rashpal Bajwa to the Emerging Cricket site this time last year.
It has been a long journey back for a country that had appeared in the 1979, 2003, 2007 and 2011 50-over World Cups before the ICC introduced the new World Cricket League divisional structure. This meant Associate members needed to finish in the top six of the World Cricket League Division 2 tournament. At their lowest ebb, Canada were languishing in League Division Three by 2017.
This has resulted in difficulties retaining a solid playing pool. In a 2015 interview with ESPNcricinfo, former captain Rizwan Cheema summed up the mood: “Once you slip down the pecking order [in Associate cricket] it's hard to climb out. It's hard to even have players for the team. If there's no career as a cricketer, how do you keep your players interested?"
Now the surge, the revival, is making the Maple Leaf fly in the wind again. Cricket is the fastest-growing sport in the country, supercharged with the return of the GT20, a franchise that first appeared with considerable success in 2018 when it attracted stars like Steve Smith, Chris Gayle, David Warner and Andre Russell. Before the pandemic, it was the most watched event in North America outside of the Super Bowl.
In the 2023 GT20 season, six teams were allocated $579,000 to spend on a 16-man roster with the proviso that at least six Canadians would be included and that three must be in the starting XI. That averaged at $36,000 per player and again attracted a healthy cohort of international stars who could energize and educate homegrown talent. Tim Southee, Mohammad Rizwan, Rassie van der Dussen, and World No. 1 allrounder Shakib Al Hasan were among the luminaries. Gayle, now very much in his dotage at 44, also returned for the fun as did Pakistan cricket legend Shahid Afridi.
The action took place in Ontario's Brampton sports complex which is aiming to morph into a major cricket international facility. The City has allocated $7 million for further growth although funding might be three or four times more than an estimated $49 million to expand the current CAA Centre from a 5,000-seater to a fully-fledged and equipped venue.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 22: (L-R) Liam Plunkett and Dwayne Bravo pose for pictures during a ... [+]
The tournament was broadcast to 110 countries around the world with an estimated television audience of about 150 million people globally, the vast majority of which was outside North America. The trick now is to grow the grassroots game and get away from the part-time "weekend warriors" contracts of the past. There's still a dearth of dedicated cricket grounds as many matches are played in multi-sport venues. Canada's elevation to League 2 will ensure the squad are paid salaries between $55,000 to $65,000 and will train full-time.
Canada’s first venture into the T20 World Cup is led by 37-year-old skipper Saad Bin Zafar, a veteran of 38 T20Is. Like the U.S. team, most of the playing members are thirtysomething and of Indian or Pakistan origin although opening bat Aaron Johnson brings some Caribbean flair to the team. His 74 at Prairie View in the second T20 against the States in April came at a strike rate of 184 with six sixes. Canada will need something special from him in the real thing.
Incoming President Amjad Bajwa is focusing on the growth. "Our qualification for the T20 World Cup has sparked unprecedented excitement and support, enhancing grassroots interest in cricket across Canada," he said after his appointment. The green shoots are there to make for some good shots in June and way beyond.
