Toronto gets set for 1st America Cup

The first America Cup Cricket Tournament will get under way here on Aug. 5, it was officially announced in Toronto.

According to Geoff Edwards, president of the Canadian Cricket Association, teams from Argentina, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, United Sates and host Canada are expected to take part in the seven-day event.

Plans for holding the America Cup tournament in Canada were approved at a recent meeting of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in Bermuda. Cricket has gained immense popularity in Canada after the launching of Sahara Cup four years ago.

Since then old rivals India and Pakistan had been playing together a five-match series of One-Day Internationals in September every year until last summer's Kargil conflict which disrupted Sahara Cup.

Pakistan had won the inaugural event of the Cup by three games to two (3-2) with India winning the next contest by a very convincing margin of 4-1.

The 1998 Sahara Cup was lifted by Pakistan who defeated India by an identical margin of 4-1. The cup could not be held last year as the main sponsors declined to support the event following Kargil dispute. However, the Canadian cricket officials quickly arranged a unique twin-series called "Toronto Cricket Festival 1999." It involved teams from India, Pakistan and West Indies with Caribbeans playing a separate three-match series with South Asian sides.

West Indians first played Indians losing the series 1-2. Afterward they took on Pakistanis who made a clean sweep of the series winning it 3-0.