Cricket Canada World Cup qualifying matches in King City closed to spectators due to security concerns

Cricket Canada World Cup qualifying matches in King City closed to spectators due to security concerns

Decision comes after shootings and allegations of match fixing involving Cricket Canada

Spectators will be banned from Canada’s upcoming Cricket World Cup qualifying matches beginning Saturday, after one of the teams involved in the international three-team series expressed security concerns, the fifth estate has learned.

Cricket Canada announced on social media on Friday that all tickets for the Men’s Cricket World Cup League 2 qualifying matches north of Toronto in King City, Ont., would be cancelled and refunded “due to unforeseen circumstances.”

A source with direct knowledge told the fifth estate the Dutch team expressed safety concerns but the International Cricket Council (ICC) had already been considering the decision to close the matches to spectators.

“It’s disappointing that teams touring Canada have to be given extra security, it’s sad,” said another source connected to the team, who CBC News is not identifying because he fears he could lose his position with Cricket Canada.

He adds that it’s “disappointing that families won’t be allowed” to attend because players typically perform better when they are on the sidelines.

The decision comes amidst a period of turmoil for Cricket Canada.

Earlier this week, a house owned by the president of Cricket Canada, Arvinder Khosa, was shot at a second time in less than a month, in what police are saying is an extortion-related shooting.

On Monday, the Dubai-based ICC announced it had suspended Cricket Canada’s membership and took over managing its finances due to "serious breaches of its membership obligations."

Corruption, Crime & Cricket Canada

That decision follows an investigation by the fifth estate, which revealed allegations of corruption, interference by organized crime, and possible match fixing against former officials, all of whom denied the allegations — and the former captain of Canada’s men’s national team Dilpreet Bajwa.

He did not respond to a request for comment at the time.

Canada was set to play two matches each against both the U.S. and the Netherlands at the Maple Leaf Cricket Club, approximately 54 kilometres north of downtown Toronto. The matches are part of the qualifying requirements for the 2027 Cricket World Cup which features the 50-over version of the game.

The matches will still go ahead but without spectators and family members of the players.

“The decision to hold the event without spectators is an ICC directive, and we are fully complying with their requirements,” said Swapnil Thakare, a spokesperson for Cricket Canada.

It wasn’t immediately clear if Cricket Canada board members would be able to be allowed on the grounds.

Representatives of the ICC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A spokesperson for the Dutch Cricket Association declined to comment.

Nazar Syed was planning on attending with his two-year old son and his father, a longtime cricket fan, and says he felt blindsided by the ticket announcement.

“It's tough because we only have a few months where teams come and tour Canada and we get to see international players — players that we see on TV, we get to see them in real life,” said Syed who hosts the cricket podcast Backward Point.

He says it's upsetting that the controversies around Cricket Canada have resulted in fans being shut out from the grounds.

“Talks of gang violence and shady organizations involved with Cricket Canada. I'm just genuinely sad that it's come to this… it's a sad state of affairs. It’s a huge boiling mess.”

The six One-Day International (ODI) matches that will be played in King City are scheduled to take place starting June 6 and run until June 16.

Canada’s first match is against the United States on Saturday morning.

League 2 allows lower-tiered nations to compete for a spot in the World Cup.

The top four countries of League 2 will progress to the qualifier tournament for the 50-over World Cup, taking place next year in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

Steven D'Souza is a co-host of the fifth estate and Roxanna Woloshyn is a producer with The National. They can be reached at steven.dsouza@cbc.ca and roxanna.woloshyn@cbc.ca.