The Toronto Cricket Festival - A very refreshing experience!! (Monday, September 13)

Monday, September 13

The Toronto Cricket Festival - A very refreshing experience!!

Colin Croft

Let me get some history correct straightaway. I have been to Toronto many times, quite a few of those visits being cricket-related. Of course, I have been covering cricket, part-time, everywhere since 1993. As much as I have been to Toronto so often, I have never been fortunate enough to experience the Sahara Cup competition, that one day series held over the last three years in Canada featuring the Indians and the Pakistanis. This is also my very first visit to the normal venue for that competition, the Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club.

I am here to tell you that I have never seen cricket, generally, and a competition, particularly, as well organized and implemented as the presently ongoing DMC Cup and Trophy competitions featuring India, Pakistan and the West Indies. The DMC Cup features India, captained by the youthful Saurav Ganguly and the West Indies while the DMC Trophy features Pakistan, captained by the reinstated Wasim Akram and the West Indies, captained by the rested and relaxed Brian Lara. These competitions became realities because the Indians and the Pakistanis have their ongoing political problems, something very alien to the cricketers. How fortuitous for the West Indies Cricket Team. In a way, the West Indies are something of peacemakers here between the two teams while enjoying some much needed cricket; the best of both worlds, if you will.

The International Management Group - IMG Group (the organizers), Trans World International (the television company), DMC Inc. (the sponsors), the Canadian Cricket Association and the Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club should all be extremely pleased with their efforts and effects. Frankly, I have never seen such good organization anywhere in my cricket travels. Very well done, guys!!

The one thing that makes any competition interesting to anyone outside of the immediate organizers is information, lots of it. A well informed public is one willing to try to understand what is happening. At the DMC Cup this last week-end, there was no lack of information. Indeed, there could even be a threat of having too much of it. Everything was written down and distributed to the uninitiated. From the exact directions to the cricket ground from anywhere in Toronto to the size of the ground to the officials and their contact telephone numbers to contact to the players etc. to the times and places for the Press Conferences, added to the normal information on the teams; all this was available, and more. Everything was done with the usual North American know-how and effectiveness. Very little was left to chance.

One of the things which impressed me most was the simplicity of the vehicle parking arrangements and facilities. Parking was located about two miles away, as the crow flies, from the cricket ground itself. Instead of asking anyone to walk from where their cars were parked, everyone, and I mean everyone, was bussed via air conditioned mini-busses to the ground. There were so many mini-busses that when I got to the parking area about 8:00am on the first day of play, I myself had one to myself. The organization is brilliant. This is what it takes to put on an event in the First World. Only God knows when the Third World, which includes the Caribbean, would become such. Never have I experienced such efficiency and effectiveness.

Mr. Bill Sindrich, of IMG/TWI, at the initial Press Conference for these games, suggested that the association with the three teams involved is great for expanding the footprint of the game of cricket. Even without the many e-mails received about the competition to confirm his sentiment, one accepted his thoughts as true. Cricket is spreading like wild-fire.

Dr. Geoff Edwards, the President of the Canadian Cricket Association, is elated at the way things have turned out. Not only is his association guaranteed exposure to at least one billion (with a "b") people via TWI, but since the CCA is the host of the 2001 ICC Trophy competition, this expanded footprint must do good things for Canada's cricket. Remember too that Canada would be playing this year in the Red Stripe Bowl competition in October. What a fillip this is for Canada's cricket.

Dr. Edwards is chuffed and suggested; "We are delighted that Canada is host to this revamped competition again. It is more the pleasure because the West Indies are now involved. That means that we would be tapping into the support of three very significant migrant populations for our games; the Indians, the Pakistanis and the West Indians. This festival has been made possible through the constant support of the people involved in the programme for the development of cricket in Canada. The funding that we would receive from this event is vital to the ongoing financing of our ambitious development programme."

Those ambitions are real. Because Canada and the United States of America come under the umbrella of the West Indies Cricket Board, Canada, and especially the Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club, would be very much in vogue when the West Indies host the 2007 Cricket World Cup. If one experiences these great things here now, imagine how good it would be when the entire focus is put into the West Indies 2007 World Cup effort.

According to Mr. Sudhir Thomas, Managing Director of DMC Inc., the sponsors of this competition, "DMC Inc. has been Canada's best kept secret. With three Test playing countries participating for the first time ever in Canada at almost the same time, we are positive that the event would generate a very positive response." Quite so. He was not wrong at all!! I am sure that everyone will benefit from this exposure.

Some more information. DMC Inc., which was established in 1985, is a Toronto based IT consulting services leader, specializing in the delivery of electronic commerce applications. Considering that one of the major sponsors of West Indies home series is also Canadian; Scotia Bank International; one would have to agree that Canada and its business environment are playing a great part in the development of cricket in the Americas and especially the Caribbean.

The teams themselves, at least the Indians and the West Indians, might just be finding it somewhat difficult to really get on with things cricket-wise. No-one could blame them. The cricket ground is really idealic. It is so beautiful that one wonders if One Day Internationals should really be played here or if, instead, perhaps a great big party, the garden-party variety, and Texas picnic-style bar-b-ques would not be better suited for the venue instead.

The trees and greens are wonderfully well manicured. The quaint stands are just enough to suggest that cricket is played here, while the main pavilion is a cross between a grandstand, a dinner theatre and the very effective clubhouse that it is. Yet one thinks more of the English country-side game of perhaps a century ago, when a stroke for four would be greeted with a warm cup of tea, some scones or cucumber sandwiches and the ubiquitous "well played, lad" or "good shot, old chap"!!

Imagine all of this and them contemplate, if you will, from a Caribbean point of view, the following: This cricket is being played on the back-steps of the Caribbean. Yet it cannot be seen anywhere on the television in the Caribbean. At least the first set of games were not seen in the Caribbean. There is something wrong here!! Is this the Twilight Zone or what?? Luckily, the radio is still available and your truly and others are trying to bring it to the Caribbean. We must do better than this!! Enjoy!!

Colin E. Croft