Cricket Canada, Mercuri deserve to take a bow | Says Frederick Halley
Vancouver Knights in triumphant mood after Sunday’s final
Vancouver Knights in triumphant mood after Sunday’s final

CRICKET Canada president Ranjit Saini and organisers of the inaugural Global T20 Canada cricket tournament deserve to take a bow for the splendid effort made in staging an event of such magnitude. According to an excited Saini, “In many ways, GT20 has kindled hope of a new and vibrant Cricket Canada, you can take my word on it, a new cricket nation is in the making.”

As expected and not surprisingly, there were itches but by the time the tournament climaxed at King City last Sunday, both Cricket Canada and league owner Gurmeet Singh of Mercuri Canada must have been pleased with the bold and exciting start in what promises to be years of fruitful entertainment for cricket-starved Torontonians.

That the spectators chose the final day to come out in their numbers after disappointing attendance in the previous matches was quite understandable, taking into consideration the location of the ground and the times the matches were being played.

The organisers were able to attract a galaxy of international stars, including West Indians Chris Gayle and Andre Russell plus banned Australian stars Steve Smith and David Warner among others which should be considered a plus when so many leagues around the globe are staging tournaments of this nature.

What was quite significant was the fact that Singh disclosed that he only acquired licence for the tournament in April and was contemplating whether he should go ahead with its first staging this year, taking into consideration the time factor, or wait until 2019.

In the end, a decision was taken to go ahead this year since they were also assured of getting the “big name” players.

The organisers also felt that North America was in dire need of a professional cricket league and it was essential to explore the market with the full understanding that profits wouldn’t be imminent and that they are prepared to sustain losses for at least the first three years.

Originally set to be played at three venues, Cricket Canada and the organisers ruled out Sunnybrook and the Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club and instead settled for the Maple Leaf Cricket Club ground, King City for the tournament which had the blessings of the International Cricket Conference (ICC).

Sherfane Rutherford celebrates his brilliant undefeated 134.

Prior to the commencement of the tournament, it was announced that the league had been conceptualised, designed, developed and managed by Mercuri Talent Management Pvt Ltd, an Indian company, with Cricket Canada, the official governing body for the sport in the country and that the two had entered into a 25-year Master Licensing Agreement which covers not just the Global T20 Canada, but also investment in developing the grassroots for the sport in the country.

Saini had boasted then that “Twenty20 Major League Cricket has the potential to change Canadian cricket forever. It is a great challenge and Cricket Canada is ready to deliver a resounding success. That it did cannot be disputed, especially when several prior attempts never got off the ground.

Mercuri had also made it clear that it was absolutely delighted to partner with Cricket Canada to contribute directly to aiding in the development of a world class Canadian national side. So it is not just about the league, but about the all-round development of the sport.

As expected, since the officials were only using three pitches throughout the almost three weeks, some players and coaches were measured in their criticism of playing conditions, alluding to the fact that it was not quite world class. Nevertheless, there were several high-scoring encounters and it all boiled down in some instances to mind over matter.

Still, frustration has come out at times. Montreal coach Tom Moody, whose team finished fifth in the six-team league, said that top-level batsmen are not accustomed to balls exploding off the pitch in front of their face.

Former Pakistan fast bowling great Waqar Younis, who was coach of Winnipeg Hawks, while admitting there was definite need for improvement, complimented the organisers for a splendid job in putting the tournament together in such short time.

Despite being runners-up, after going down to the star-studded Vancouver Hawks in the final, Cricket West Indies B were undoubtedly the talk of the tournament. Starting as the underdogs, the youthful side whose average age was 22 surprised all and sundry with some mouth-watering performances.

After playing unbeaten in their first four games and suffering two consecutive losses, they stunned Chris Gayle’s Vancouver Knights with a last-ball victory in their first qualifying encounter which propelled them to the final.

The victory was engineered by a fantastic unbeaten 134 by 19-year-old Guyanese Sherfane Rutherford whose 66-ball boundary-studded knock was spiced with 10 massive sixes and 11 fours and was the only century of the tournament.

Inexperience finally took its toll on CWI B as they stuttered to defeat against the same opponents in the final, a loss that was by no means a disgrace, following their earlier exploits.

The tournament organisers have promised that with more time to market the tournament next year, the possibility of starting shuttle services for fans from central points to King City is very much on the cards.

Indications are that there will be no major change as far as venue is concerned for the next few years although ardent cricket fans are hoping that the organisers will be able to persuade officials of the Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club into an agreement for the use of that facility which is more centrally located from downtown Toronto.

Promises have also been made to construct a stadium but that seems far off at the moment but there’s no doubt Global T20 Canada is here to stay.

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