After a long Sunday of fasting and three hours of night prayer, a group of young men are gathered in a parking lot shouting, “Catch, catch, great catch, shabash boy!”
It’s almost midnight. The men are playing a double-wicket cricket series consisting of three overs for each team. They are using tennis balls covered with PVC tape, instead of the traditional leather cricket ball.
This is night cricket in Toronto, where the spirit of Ramadan takes on a unique form, as Pakistani-born friends Sarwar, Bilal, Malik and Anwar gather to play.
Despite the late hours, the friends from East York, Scarborough and other parts of the GTA come alive during these cricket matches. Spectators also gather around the makeshift pitch, cheering for their favourite players and enjoying the festive atmosphere.
Some people bring home-cooked food to offer, and traditional Pakistani snacks and drinks during the game.
Players and spectators find a sense of home at Eglinton and Warden avenues, where the atmosphere resembles a mini–Raja Bazar Rawalpindi, and the G9 district in Islamabad.
Why night cricket?
The strict rules of fasting during Ramadan are meant to teach self discipline, self control, and empathy for those who are less fortunate.
Fast is one of the Five Pillars of Islam, and dawn-to-dusk daily fast during the holy month of Ramadan lasts 12 to 17 hours, depending on the place and country.
In Toronto, a city known for its diversity and inclusivity, the Muslim community in East York plays a significant role during Ramadan. With more than 600,000 Muslim residents in Toronto and a population of 25,000 Muslims in East York.
The fast starts after a pre-dawn meal called Sehri or Suhoor, and is broken at sunset with a meal called Iftar.
The fast includes abstaining from food, drinking, smoking, and sexual activity, during daylight hours. While observing fasts and prayers alongside work can be challenging, the pre-dawn timings to start fasting and late-night prayers are made more attractive to followers when they can spend a few hours before Suhoor doing something interesting they enjoy.
For many South Asians, there’s nothing more special than cricket, so night cricket keeps them going during Ramadan.
Meet the players
Fawad Sarwar, captain of the Thorncliffe Warriors cricket team, is a dynamic accounting professional by day. He is an all-rounder, excelling in both left-handed fast bowling and aggressive batting.
His love for cricket runs deep, stemming from his days playing street cricket in Islamabad. Now, in the GTA, Sarwar and friends have formed a team that plays night cricket on weekends.
“Night cricket is always a great way to enjoy ourselves and stay physically fit,” Sarwar said. “We work full-time and don’t have much time for exercise and entertainment. Therefore, Ramadan night cricket is a perfect source of healthy activity, which later transitions into summer night cricket. You could say it’s also a pre-season preparation for us.
The team members also play day cricket, and Sarwar said they compete in four to five tournaments each summer across the GTA.
The majority of the team hails from East York, and Sarwar is confident of their skills. “I’m not exaggerating when I say we’re the best street cricket team in town.”
Despite winning only two out of five tournaments in the last summer of 2023, Fawad is confident they will improve their results this year.
“For us, cricket is about having fun and enjoying the moment,” Sarwar said.
Street-smart cricket
Umar Malik, a resident of Thorncliffe Park, is the captain of the Scarborough Stallions cricket team. He is a right-handed all-rounder, known for his talent as an opening batsman and right-arm medium-fast bowler.
In the successful 2023 season, Malik’s team emerged victorious in three out of five tournaments.
Malik said that while he used to play professional cricket in the GTA, opportunities to pursue it at a professional level were limited.
“Due to these circumstances, I shifted my focus to street-smart cricket, also known as tape-ball cricket,” Umar said. In this format, a tennis ball is covered with PVC tape to enhance its strength, speed, and accuracy, adding an extra element of fun to the game.
“We usually play in the Eglinton and Warden parking area,” Umar adds, “as there are no grounds available for cricket.”
Canada has a history of Cricket in North America rooted back with the colonial system but never qualified for the T20 World Cup.
In 2024, the ICC T20 World Cup will be held in the USA and West Indies. Canada qualified for the World Cup and face USA, Pakistan, India and Ireland in group matches.