Canada could use more cricket

by Jenni Dunning on November 23, 2009

Monali Patel plays on the Canadian national women's cricket team.

20-year-old cricketer wishes the sport was more popular in North America

Monali Patel has put on the black and red uniform so many times she hardly notices the metal bars in front of her face anymore.

It’s a curious but necessary outfit for the opening batsman and part-time bowler for Canada’s national women’s cricket team.

“If you wear it for the first time, you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, it’s so lumpy,’” she says, comparing it to goaltender equipment.

“There’s a special way of running in it. After you get used to it, it becomes part of you.”

The 20-year-old has played on the team for four years. She also plays in the Toronto District Cricket League. There is no local women’s league in Toronto—though there’s talk of one being created—so she joins the men.

Patel’s part of a long history of the intricate game, which dates back to 16th century England.

It’s still a growing sport in Canada but it’s already prominent in many other countries around the world. For Patel, she says she just loves playing on a team for a sport she loves so much and is a huge part of her life.

Jenni Dunning: Do you play cricket full time?

Monali Patel: Cricket doesn’t pay the bills. They only pay us when we’re on tour; when we’re travelling with the team for training camps or competition, they pay us per day. I was at the University of Guelph for biological sciences. Now I’m thinking of doing dental hygiene in March.

JD: What’s the difference between Canada’s national team and those in other countries?

MP: There are full member teams. They get full funding and play the World Cup no matter what. Canada, an associate team, is the next level down and plays against other associates. You have to play your group of countries (to reach the World Cup qualifiers). You have to work your way up in the tree.

Teams like Ireland, Scotland, Holland, they’re around cricket a lot more and their girls go play in the English league. It’s definitely tough. I played against the Aussie national girls and the English girls and they’re so much ahead than where we are. It’s quite phenomenal.

JD: What’s it like playing cricket as a woman when the game has largely been for men in its long history?

MP: I think it’s more of a location thing, speaking internationally. I spent last winter in Australia playing cricket in a league in Sydney. Women’s cricket is huge over there. They’re so supportive of women’s cricket. I think it’s more about development in Canada. The men have had that start over here, but the women haven’t. It’s hard to stand up and get moving.

In Kitchener (where I played on a cricket team), they were so not welcome. It almost felt like I was an outsider every time I went to practice. That’s why moving to Toronto for practice was perfect. With my (local) team, I don’t feel like I’m the girl on the team, I feel like I’m a member of the team.

JD: Is women’s cricket growing in Canada?

MP: It’s definitely growing. Almost every country has cricket teams. It’s huge pretty much everywhere but North America, I’d say.

The Sports Canada program, they have a contract with Cricket Canada, where Cricket Canada sends their main players (to the program). They come up with a fitness plan and a nutrition plan. We prepare physically and mentally. It will be our first team training with them. We never had something like this before. It’s totally free. It’s a step up from what we’ve had before. Girls would get injuries and it was kind of like, “Deal with it yourself.”

I hope things keep getting better. It’s better than nothing. You can’t complain when you don’t have much. Also, about two and a half years ago, we got our new coach. We’ve gotten more attention through him. He played cricket for Canada before (and was) also the national selector for the men’s team.

JD: Is it mostly good news for cricket?

MP: The one thing that’s holding us back is just extra funding. The team has to understand we have to win bigger competitions. The World Cup comes every four years. It’s a long process. You have to take the initiative to start to get better or else it’s a waste of time.

JD: Tell me about the structure of your team.

MP: We’re based half in Ontario and half in B.C. We each have our own coach.

JD: How do you practice for tournaments then?

MP: It’s like a boot camp for two weeks (before games). For the past two years we’ve been going to Trinidad and staying at the cricket academy over there. You do fielding sessions, batting sessions, bowling sessions—two weeks of boot camp to get you into shape. We play games as well, three to five games, depending on how long you’re there for.

The Trinidad and Tobago teams (are) top-notch competition. Their girls play in the West Indies team. It’s hard to get into the West Indies team. (Playing practice games against them) gives us a higher edge. We might be in Barbados for training next.

JD: What’s next for your team?

MP: We play against the U.S. July 5 to 12. Before then, we’ll meet for a week to get to know each other and train. We won the Americas Cup, (so we get to) select where we want to play and practise on the ground we’re playing on. That’s a huge advantage. You’re used to playing there and you know how your pitch is going to be reacting.

The Americas championship is every two to three years. Since we push for it every two years, the winner and runner-up have a three-game series and whoever wins goes to the 2012 qualifiers for the World Cup, which will be in India in 2013.

JD: What would it be like to play in the World Cup?

MP: I want to play the World Cup so bad. I have friends who play the World Cup and it’s a dream. It’s the highest honour in cricket. You can’t go wrong.

JD: How do you feel when you’re playing?

MP: When my coach was saying I was pretty natural (and) when I felt positive playing, that’s when I thought I’d rather be doing this than anything else. When I’m on the field and I’m batting, I don’t think there’s anywhere else I’d rather be—just me and the ball, right there on the pitch.

It just feels amazing. You’re overly happy. It’s just a state of mind you can’t explain—comfortable and satisfied. It’s great. Last winter when I was playing (in Australia), I thought, “Oh my gosh, how often does this happen?” I’m somewhere else playing cricket in a women’s league, which (I had) never done before, with these Aussies that live, eat and breathe cricket.

JD: What does it take, physically, to compete in cricket?

MP: You have to be pretty fit, playing in temperatures of Trinidad, 35 C plus humidity, standing on the field for three hours and batting with all your equipment on. Running around all day in that is not easy. It does require a lot of upper body strength. It’s absolutely crucial to be fit. I work out every day. It’s something you owe yourself to the team. You can’t go out there and make a fool out of yourself. You have to be able to do it the right way.

JD: Who are your heroes?

MP: I have a few idols in cricket. Rahul Dravid of India. I am absolutely amazed at how he plays. He’s known for his patience and for his drive and his calm composure on the field. I’d love to be able to play like him someday. AB Devillier from South Africa (is another hero). He plays really well, just noticing how he handles the pressure and how technical he is when he plays.

Indian player Mithali Raj (is amazing because of) how technical she plays and how many records she’s broken in India. If I could play like (England’s Claire Taylor), I would probably not need anything else in the world. She’s the number one batsman in the world.

JD: Should cricket be included in the Olympics?

MP: That would be amazing. That would give so many more countries opportunities to get to know the game. I’m waiting for that day. It would be the biggest step in uniting cricket around the world.

You could easily have a Twenty20 format in the Olympics. Those are the most exciting because you have to try and score as much as possible. It’s a lot of slogging and a lot of boundaries. It’s quite fun to watch. They only last three hours.

JD: What are your hopes for the future of cricket in Canada?

MP: The more funding, the more opportunities we have. Hopefully we can play in a national competition. Maybe some other provinces can get teams together.

I would probably start targeting, publicity-wise, areas that don’t know much about cricket, or nationality groups that don’t know about cricket. That would be a good player pool to go to and get girls and come out and play from softball teams, which is a similar game.

To join a cricket team, contact your local club or contact Monali at monalipatel615@hotmail.com.