Hopes that Canada's cricket World Cup campaign will boost game

Cricket might not be as popular in British Columbia as it is elsewhere in the world, but 17-year-old ArnavSekhrisays the game is catching on in Canada.

"A lot of people are picking it upthese days and it's a positive change," said the young player from Surrey, B.C. and his optimism about the sport's prospects is only growing asthe national men's team gears up for its first ever T20 World Cup.

"It's going to start [getting recognition] and people like us are going to get more opportunities," said Sekhri, amedium-pace bowler and batsman who currently plays for Surrey's Master Blaster cluband has been competing in the British Columbia Mainland Cricket League (BCMLC) for the last four years.

Canada is one of 20 participating teams in theT20 tournament the shorter format of the game that's taking place in cities across the U.S. and the Caribbean Islands this June.

The national men's cricket teamlast took to the international stage at the 50-over World Cup in 2011.

Cricket Canadapresident Amjad Bajwasays qualification for the T20was a much needed success for the national team.

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The Canadians had failed to qualify for the eight previous editions of the T20 World Cup and also lost its One Day International (ODI) status after a number of losses in the 2014 World Cup qualifier in New Zealand.

"[We] struggled after 2011 but in [the] last two to three years, [things] have gone upup again," Bajwa told CBC News.

Canada regained its ODI status for the first time in almost a decade by finishing in the top four at last April's World Cup QualifierPlayoff in Namibia. The national team then qualified for theT20 in October after defeating Bermuda to win theMen's T20 World Cup Americas Region Final.

'The game of immigrants'

Bajwasays he credits a rapid growth in international students and immigrants from South Asia and other cricket-loving regions of the world for the Canadian team's recent successes.

"It's still a game of immigrants because a lot of these students are coming," he said.

One of the team'sbatsmen is Aaron Johnson, who moved to B.C. from Jamaica in 2019.

Johnson says cricket is becoming more popular and competitive in the province.Five of the selected players for the World Cup squad are from B.C.

"I think the game has grown a lot from 2019 ... we have so many cricketers in B.C.," he toldCBC News.

"Financially, as well, there's a lot more sponsors coming on board."

More grounds and support needed

More money is coming into the sport, withCricket Canada receiving funding from the International Cricket Council.

In addition, Cricket Canada handed outfull-timecontracts to more than dozen playersallowing the cricketers to earn a monthly salaryafter the national team regainedODI status.

But Bajwa says he'd like tosee more support forthe gamefrom the local, provincialand the federal government.

"We don't have many groundsdedicated to cricket.We usemulti-sports grounds," he said.

There are 41 cricketing grounds in B.C., according to a directory onbcmcl.ca, nine of them in Surrey and six in Vancouver.

In April, the City of Surrey announced it'smoving forward with a natural grass cricket pitch at Sullivan Heights Park as part of its five-year financial plan.

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BCMLCpresident HarjitSandhu says he welcomes the city's support, and that the BCMLC is now focusing on introducing cricket to the provincial school curriculum.

"Our aim is to go to more schools and introduce the game," he said."If you want to develop cricket here, weneed to go to the grassroots."

Canadawillplayits opening match in the T20 Men's World Cup against theU.S.in Dallas onJune 1.