Toronto Blue Jays drop Cricket Canada from promotional day after fifth estate investigation

Cricket Canada has missed a john major partner and unity of its biggest platforms for serving exhibit new fans to the game, the fifth estate has confirmed.

In an email, the Toronto Blue Jays said that “Cricket Canada is not involved in this year’s Cricket Day at the Park on May 23,” though the team said the event will continue as scheduled.

The annual event, entering its fourth season, connects fans of both baseball and cricket and exposes the latter to a wider audience.

The decision comes after an investigation by the fifth estate that revealed broader allegations of corruption, financial mismanagement and attempts to fix parts of matches by major figures at Cricket Canada. Those accused all deny the allegations.

For the past three years, Cricket Canada national team players and officials have been featured at the popular promotional event in a pre-game ceremony at Toronto’s Rogers Centre, including in 2024, when Saad Bin Zafar, who was captain of Canada's national men's cricket team at the time, threw out the first pitch. 

Last year, the first 15,000 fans who arrived at the stadium received a Blue Jays and Cricket Canada warm-up jacket.

In a statement to the fifth estate, Cricket Canada said, “Collectively, we have agreed to limit Cricket Canada’s involvement in this year’s event to ensure the focus remains on the community and the experience itself.”

“‘Cricket Day at the Park’ is a valued initiative led by the Blue Jays, and their support reflects the continued growth of the sport across Canada.”

The event is presented by TD Bank, which sponsors both the Jays and Cricket Canada. It did not respond to questions about Cricket Canada’s role in the event.

It did however, respond to inquiries about its future relationship with Cricket Canada.

“We have shared our concerns with Cricket Canada, and are closely monitoring their efforts to strengthen governance, oversight and leadership of the organization," it said in a statement.

The Blue Jays consulted with Cricket Canada when they first created the event in 2022 to “gain a better understanding of cricket fans in both Toronto and Canada,” Andrea Goldstein, vice-president of communications, told the fifth estate in an email.

They created the event as a way to reach South Asian and Caribbean audiences who may have grown up with cricket and had less exposure to baseball.

Despite Cricket Canada’s absence this year, the Blue Jays say they are continuing to build bridges between cricket and baseball fans.

This year, the event will include henna artists, Bhangra dancers, dhol drummers and virtual reality cricket. 

The Jays will also host the Ontario Cricket Academy to recognize “the grassroots organization and the exceptional work they are doing in youth cricket across boys and girls programs,” Goldstein said.

In addition, the Blue Jays Baseball Academy will host its second annual baseball-cricket clinic next month along with the Ontario Schools Cricket Association and other South Asian organizations.

Corruption, Crime & Cricket Canada

Steven D'Souza, Roxanna Woloshyn, Lisa Ellenwood

Steven D'Souza is a co-host, Roxanna Woloshyn is a producer and Lisa Ellenwood is a senior writer with the fifth estate.

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