A Different Kind Of Opener: Playing T10 Cricket In Canada

In Perth, the first weekend in October usually marks the start of another cricket season. For years that has meant starting the season at home, playing in the longer formats where most of us learned the game.

This year was different. I was on a flight to Vancouver to play in a T10 tournament called the Canada Super60. It was a completely new kind of season opener and a reminder of how quickly cricket is changing.

T10 cricket is still new to much of the cricketing world but it is expanding fast. The format began in 2017 with the launch of the Abu Dhabi T10, designed to bring cricket to new audiences through a shorter and more accessible style of play. Since then, it has attracted hundreds of millions of viewers across global broadcasts and streaming platforms.

The tournament was held at BC Place, a multi-purpose stadium with a retractable roof in downtown Vancouver. It is the home of the BC Lions in the Canadian Football League and the Vancouver Whitecaps in Major League Soccer, as well as host to major concerts and international events with a capacity of around 54,000.

For the Super60, the stadium was transformed into a cricket ground with a drop-in hybrid pitch installed over the artificial surface. A hybrid wicket combines clay with a synthetic base, playing much like a traditional surface but with greater durability. It is ideal for multiple matches in a short tournament window.

Each team’s starting eleven included eight international players and three local Canadians. Squads featured cricketers from around the world including Australia, England, South Africa, New Zealand and across the subcontinent.

Most of us arrived in Vancouver only two days before the tournament began, with games played daily and a double header on finals day.

This limited preparation is now standard in modern franchise cricket. Gone are long training blocks where teams build cohesion over weeks. Instead, players from completely different backgrounds come together and are asked to perform immediately.

Growing up, you are taught to value your wicket. Getting out used to mean waiting days and sometimes weeks for another chance to bat. T10 is the opposite. You play daily, get out regularly and move on quickly. The focus isn't just on how many runs you make but rather how quickly you score them.

This was the fifth T10 competition I have played in over the last year and a half and even with that experience, I still have to remind myself how difficult the format can be.

Like always, these tournaments offer more than just cricket. They are a chance to explore new places and the city around you. Vancouver was no different, a scenic waterfront city where golf, ice hockey, cafés, restaurants and local shops filled the downtime among players.

Playing a ten over game inside a football stadium in Vancouver in early October felt a long way from the familiar start of an Australian summer. It captured how far the game has evolved, its reach and the unexpected paths it now creates.

Cricket itself has not become any easier to play, but the opportunities within it have never been greater.

You can read more on Hobson's overseas performances on his LinkedIn page.