Cricket growing in popularity in Quebec but many calling for more resources

“Across Canada, it’s a very fast-growing sport,” said Charles Pais, president of Cricket Quebec and treasurer of Cricket Canada.

Montreal hosted the Six Nations Cup over the weekend with teams competing for the ultimate prize.

The sport’s popularity — growing in the province.

“For their mental health being and physical wellbeing cricket is an amazing game your whole body has to work for that. And you also have to work mentally to actually put out your strategic idea of how you can play on the field itself,” said Mudasser Akabar, CEO of the Montreal Tigers cricket team.

“It’s been growing and I think it’ll continue to grow because there’s a lot of Asian communities and other communities that are moving in, it’s about the friendships, about the energy, and about the passion for the sport.”

“It’s been amazing we have this ongoing for the past 6 years now and every year the turnout has been great we come together the community,” said cricket player and backman for Team Pakistan Muhamad Umar.

Cricket is one of the oldest sports in the world – its popularity raging on in South Asian countries like India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Bangladesh – the love of the sport – is being passed down from generation to generation.

“I actually got into it because of my dad, he’s actually playing right now, he got me into it, basically since I was born and just following in his footsteps and trying to do better than him,” chuckles junior cricket player Daniayl Gilani whose father was playing for Team Pakistan on Monday.

“Cricket is something we grew up playing and watching, back home it’s a big thing it’s very similar to hockey in Quebec I think we share the same sentiment, if you’re a hockey fan it’s the same thing for us,” said Umar.

“That’s what my wife asks me every time because every weekend I’m out here instead of at home, it’s been something that’s in us in our blood since childhood, it’s in our blood, that one passion I haven’t let go of,” said Kamaljeet Parmar, captain for Team India.

But the game can’t go on without places to play – something many cricket players in Quebec and across Canada have been fighting for.

“What is important is growing but we have to sustain it, to sustain it we need grassroots-level development,” said Pais.

Pais was honoured for his longstanding achievement and dedication to cricket in the country with 17 years of service nationally and 45 years provincially.

He hopes his passion for the sport will inspire others to involve themselves and grow it further.

Despite the love for the game, cricket players and organizations say the resources are very limited, with barely any access to proper cricket fields, let alone indoor facilities.

“A lot of games of cricket in Quebec have been canceled this year because of water logs in Verdun at the hospital and if we had the facilities from the municipality and from the government, that would really help. And also to bring international cricket,
said Akbar.

“We don’t have a lot of indoor facilities mainly living in Quebec the winters are long and there’s not a lot of things to do if you’re a cricket fan,” said Umar.