October 13, 2008	Monday	Shawwal 13, 1429

TORONTO, Oct 12: The organisers of the Toronto Twenty20 tournament have signed a five-year contract with Cricket Canada to organise high-profile cricket tournaments here in the summer.

“It is a step forward in promoting cricket in Canada and we will be holding such cricket events in which the world’s best teams including Pakistan, India, South Africa or other teams are playing, depending on their availability, of course,” Imran Khan, the chief executive of the Dubai-based Al-Barakah Properties, told reporters on Sunday.

Imran, who was accompanied by Nauman Nabi Ahmed, chairman of Sports Marketing International, said: “Canada has potential to help in the development of cricket and the game in recent years has gained a tremendous boost here with the holding of international matches among teams like West Indies, Bermuda and Canada.

“After five regular editions of Twenty20, cricket will be at its peak here in North America and we just don’t want to restrict the span of our activities here. We have some plans outlined to have similar events in other parts, including Dubai and America,” he asserted.

Imran further said it was a matter of pride that Pakistan and Sri Lanka, two former world champions, are competing in the first Twenty20 tournament despite the fact that it is being played at the beginning of winter.

“The International Cricket Council has approved our future plans and we have joined hands with Cricket Canada to promote cricket here under a long-term scheme,” he added. “From May to August, we have ideal weather for international cricket tournaments in Canada and we will be organising our events in these months to attract crowd from all over the world.”

He said the idea of having this tournament in Canada was conceived by the former chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Dr Nasim Ashraf, and the organisers are grateful to him and the PCB for their help in promoting cricket in Canada.—APP