Cricket fans celebrate the sport’s ‘meteoric rise’ in London, while cheering for Canada in World Cup | CBC News

As team Canada prepares for its second match in the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Men’s T20 World Cup Friday, cricket enthusiasts in London, Ont., are rejoicing in the sport’s growing popularity in the region. 

“Cricket has seen a meteoric rise in London specifically, and the growth we’ve seen in the last three to four years has been absolutely phenomenal,” said Mustafa Abbas, manager of the London Eagles Cricket Club. 

Abbas started the club with only three teams in 2010 when he was a student at Western University. Since then, the league has grown to more than 20 teams, which Abbas believes is due to London’s population boom, he said.

The club’s players are also a diverse bunch. Many come to London from different countries, cities and athletic backgrounds, with their ages ranging from 14 to 40.

Hesham Khan, 15, is one of the club’s youngest players. When he came to Canada from England six years ago, he struggled to find cricket programs for youth. After joining the Eagles, he said he’s had the chance to learn from older, more experienced players. 

“It’s beneficial because you get players of all kinds of experience, so for younger ones like me, you build those skills together,” said Khan. “Having that wide of an age range is something very unique to this league, not many others I know are like that

With cricket being one of the fastest growing sports in the world, witnessing its expansion in North America is really exciting, said Abbas.

It makes Canada’s entry onto the cricket world stage even more special, said one of the club’s team captains, Shashank Surabhi, 26.

“I come from India and it’s a big cricketing nation, so to see Canada competing with all those national teams is really a proud moment for us,” he said. 

“The team we have for Canada, it’s not a normal team, they’re very tough guys mentally and physically so I think they’re going to put up a good fight with all the other veteran nations, but it’s not going to be easy.” 

Surabhi came to Canada as an international student four years ago and joined the league because he wanted to continue with cricket. But beyond the sport, Surabhi has also found a strong community.

“What I really like here is the diversity. I get to meet a lot of different people with different cricketing opinions and knowledge spaces, so that helps me a lot in life as well to get to know the situations they deal with in sport,” he said. “It’s a really fun time to be here with all the boys.”

The club trains on the pitch at North London Athletic Field twice a week, and Surabhi has noticed that more people are curious about cricket and what it entails. Watching others take interest in the sport, gives the team a boost of energy, he said. 

Some local enthusiasts and businesses are also hosting cricket watch parties.

“I’m a local Londoner and this year is the first time that I know a couple of businesses who are hosting viewing parties for cricket matches, I’ve never seen that before,” said Abbas.

“Cricket is a very exciting game, a lot of people play it with a lot passion and everybody else from outside the ground sees it. Our goal is to make sure we have a brighter future for cricket in Canada.” 

Team Canada will play against Ireland on Friday, followed by Pakistan on June 11.