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

Cricket Canada has lost a major partner and one of its biggest platforms for helping expose 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 estatethat 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