Some twitterings on Cricket Canada by Ashish Bagai and Zubin Surkari provide worthwhile perspectives on the state of Canadian cricket and on departing Cricket Canada President Ravin Moorthy’s contribution to the game in Canada. Now retired Canadian captain Ashish Bagai twitter posting noted: “Ravin was instrumental in moving the game forward”.
Zubin Surkari mentioned “cricket is getting better” and there are “more Canadian players than ever before”. The comments, if expanded, would doubtless point to increases in not just the number of players, but also in the quality of the players. Surkari also noted “CEO needs more face time”, indicating, I suspect, a need for a broader public face from cricket’s administrators in building the game across Canada.
Ravin Moorthy clearly helped secure the participation of the various Canadian players in salvaging the International All-Star “big game” at the Rogers Centre in May 2012. Moorthy became President of Cricket Canada shortly before this game. The loss of key players before the game, and a range of issues surrounding the game place left many participants and spectators unhappy.
But, I think, it could have been much worse if there had been no game. An opinion that depends on one’s perspective and particular interests, although Canadian cricket clearly took a reputational hit on an international basis in the aftermath of this event.
Ravin Moorthy leaves the national cricket stage after seven years of service to the Canadian Cricket Association and Cricket Canada, including the last two years as President. He is highly regarded as a result of previous efforts to re-build cricket in Alberta, particularly in the Calgary area. Best wishes to him for his efforts, and for the future inside and beyond the boundaries.
Moving forward, it is fitting, in a way, that photos of Sri Lanka’s T20 success features on Cricket Canada’s facebook pages, as much help has been provided by the cricketing authorities of Sri Lanka in recent years, including help preparing for the 2009 ICC World Cup qualifier and for the main event in 2011. Hopefully a photo or two will emerge of those inducted into the new Canadian Cricket Hall of Fame, but action on that front now rests with the new President, the new board and the Cricket Canada staff.
The 2012 National Cricket League may have been born with a much greater fanfare if the All Star International game had produced a financial windfall for Canadian cricket. Instead it began in a rather empty looking field on opening day. Video-streaming coverage of the two finals saw the tournament closing T20 match washed out before one over was completed, but the 50-over game did produce a result on an earlier rainy day for those who hung in.
In 2013 the tournament gained a title sponsor as the 2013 CIBC National Cricket League and heralded much expanded TV and internet streaming coverage due to a relationships with Rogers Community TV. A relationship that had existed briefly for the 2008 Scotiabank National Cricket Championship. This championship is due to return in 2014, so the departing President leaves a legacy event that the new board will, hopefully, ensure continues for many years and introduce further improvements, on and off the field so Canadian cricket can expand and become better known across the country.
There is no doubt that the number of players has been increasing due to a variety of efforts in different parts of the country. The quality of some of the players is also improving, as Zubin Surkari has pointed out.
If one takes a look back at a couple of photos on Cricinfo from the 2001 ICC Trophy playoff for third place and qualification for the 2013 ICC Cricket World Cup spot, the Canada- Scotland game at the Toronto Cricket Club had rather more spectators than one tends to see at current international matches in this country. Canada won the game, and the path to international cricketing success was opened.
News reports on Cricinfo about the 2001 ICC Trophy pointed to Canadian playing success on the field, success in attracting spectators, but financial difficulties to move the game ahead in this country.
A country that in November 1989 attracted the largest crowd in the ICC Americas region for a cricket match.
It takes on going, well-planned efforts and related publicity to produce sustainable events that could both welcome reasonable crowds to Canadian cricket tournaments and international matches, as well as bounce out internet and TV coverage on a national and international basis.
The history of Canadian cricket between the 2001 ICC Trophy and the present day provides a notable series of moves and progressions similar to playing snakes and ladders. Going back to 1979 and Canada’s first entry into a Cricket World Cup, Canada and Sri Lanka qualified to join the Full Members party in England. But, sadly, Canada will not be participating in the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, but Sri Lanka will be there. (EN)