With origins dating back more than 500 years, cricket is the oldest team sport in the world. With the increase in new Canadians coming from countries in which cricket is a national pastime, it is once again gaining popularity in Canada. OMNI Television explores the often misunderstood sport of cricket in new, original one-hour documentary, Cricket Nation. Following the lives of two avid amateur Toronto cricket players: new Canadian Surinder Puri and the Canadian-born Martin Fisher. Together they challenge a group of judgmental, beer league hockey players from Brampton, Ontario, to take on the game, in an effort to get them to open their minds and give cricket a chance. This one-hour documentary premieres Sunday, August 26 at 9 p.m. ET/MT on OMNI. 2 in Ontario and OMNI Alberta, and at10 p.m. PT on OMNI BC.
Proclaimed in 1867 as Canada’s first national sport by Prime Minister Sir John A. MacDonald, cricket is once again on the rise in Canada. For new Canadian Surinder Puri, cricket is a way in which new immigrants can build communities in their new country. For the Canadian-born Martin Fisher, cricket is another activity that exposes him to new experiences and new friends. Unfortunately, Fisher’s new-found love for cricket is often met with ridicule from his hockey-loving friends, who refuse to take the sport seriously. This original one-hour documentary follows the intense match-up as rugged amateur hockey players face some of the best cricket bowlers in Canada for the ultimate showdown of new of Canada’s most beloved and long-standing sports.
Cricket Nation was produced by Cricket Nation Productions Ltd. Stephen Young-Chin (Santa Clause) serves as director and producer. This documentary was fully funded by the OMNI Television Independent Producers Initiative.
