Is Cricket Going Global? An Examination

Another decade has passed by. A decade that will be most noted for giving birth to cricket’s latest variant – T20, and subsequently the IPL.

What’s also been heartening this decade is the spread of cricket to newer destinations across the world – Japan, China, Papa New Guinea, Sierra Leone, Vanatu, Indonesia, Nepal and Afghanistan. Cricket has managed to shatter its image as a game of the English colonies and has truly reached previously alien destinations for cricket. That these countries have produced teams that consist of largely locals and not immigrants from cricketing nations is what convinces me that cricket is truly on the path of becoming a truly global sport in the foreseeable future.

Ireland’s been the biggest addition to cricket from Europe. That they have contributed players of the caliber of Ed Joyce, Eoin Morgan, O’Brian brothers and tall and strapping fast bowler Boyd Rankin is wonderful. They seem to be able to produce a good amount of locally bred cricketers and that it tells a tale in itself – that the game is embraced by the locals and that the future is in safe hands and is not dependent on a few migrants which is the case with nations like Canada, Scotland and U.A.E. Europe has a structure in place for cricket and is played in seven divisions consisting of six teams each. Not only is the cricket competitive, but it is also telecast and commentary provided in the native tongue. It augurs well for cricket in Europe.

Bad administration and governance has put paid to the hopes of very promising cricket nations from southern Africa – Kenya and Zimbabwe. While it is a shame as to how things have panned out for these two nations through the decade, cricket has found acceptance in Eastern African nations Tanzania and Uganda. That it has found acceptance in the tiny western African nation of Sierra Leone is a victory in itself. Not only that, they also seem to be producing really exciting talents at the U19 level.

Argentina, another soccer mad nation is keenly into cricket nowadays. It plays in the ICC Americas Division 1 Championship and Division 4 of the World Cricket League. It has a structure in place and has national representation in the U15, U19 and U23 categories. With Guyana (as part of West Indies) as the sole representative of South America in top flight cricket, Argentina is doing its best to achieve One Day International status someday. That Afghanistan achieved that status last year will fuel the desire of ambitious cricket nations like Argentina.

The decade also saw established cricket nations tap into their reserves better. England has successfully managed to tap into a large population of Asian immigrants. South African imports and Australian-born cricketers have served them well. That there wasn’t much representation from the local black community through the decade must have been a sore point. But with the call-up to Michael Carberry in the ongoing Test series in South Africa promises to be a starting point for higher representation from the black community this decade.

Australia, team of the decade, strangely was left to muse over their inability to have inspired their many ethnic populations to produce enough Test cricketers. Cricket Australia, through Matthew Hayden, has vowed to take cricket to its native aboriginal community and soon hopes to see an aboriginal cricketer representing Australia. Strangely enough, earlier in the decade, Ian Chappell took pains to have the first Australian team to tour England – the 1868 Australians – officially recognised. Thirteen of the fourteen members of that team were aboriginals. While it is true that aboriginals were treated as second rate citizens even after they gained the vote to power in 1967, the cricket some of them displayed on the 1868 tour was very much top drawer stuff. Sample this:

An attractive wristy batsman Johnny Mullagh used to occasionally drop on one knee and place the ball over the wicket-keeper’s head against fast bowlers! He had a fine tour of England in 1868 scoring 1698 runs. Not only that, he also captured 245 wickets at ten runs a wicket. Johnny Cuzens scored 1358 runs and took 114 wickers at 11.9.

The 1868 aboriginals were officially recognized during the tea break on the first day of the 2004 Boxing Day Test against Pakistan. They were given special player numbers – prefixed with AUS – as official recognition as the first to represent Australia.

Usman Khwaja from New South Wales is widely touted as a potential Australian player. He might pave the way for other Asian immigrants to take up the game more earnestly in Australia this decade. Australia will be keen to tap into the riches of their multi-ethnic population to regain the world dominating ways of the decade gone by.

South Africa is abuzz with expectation as it is set to host the 2010 FIFA world cup. All said and done, football is still a black man’s game in South Africa while Rugby League and Rugby Union is a white man’s passion. In post-apartheid South Africa, cricket is the truly universal sport that has representation which befits the image it so seeks as a rainbow nation. It was de Villiers and Duminy, two players that represent modern day South Africa, who officially ended Australia’s domination at Perth. There are teething problems still with the cloud over quota system and losing players to England as Kolpak players and otherwise, but still it has cut through barriers and has acceptance across all sections in South Africa. Cricket is better for it.

The last decade saw India emerge as the financial epicenter of cricket. By the end of it, they had a cricket team that was also the best on the field to match its financial clout. It was also the decade where cricketers emerged from smaller centers of the nation – best represented by a man from Ranchi leading his country to a world cup triumph. The Parsis were the first to take to cricket in India and they formed the Oriental Cricket Club in 1848. Since then, cricket has come a long way in India. It has crossed the religious barriers of the Bombay Pentangular days and sits on the cusp of franchise based cricketing future. It might not only take cricket to smaller centers, it also promises to bring out talents from previously unknown places of the country. More importantly, how it uses its power might dictate how T20 cricket affects future of all cricket.

Sri Lanka has produced to most natural cricketers of the decade. That it continues to harness natural ability with minimal intrusions is credit to their coaches and the system that continues to nurture and back original cricketers. They will want to travel better in the new decade and improve their record overseas. But, cricket will expect Sri Lanka to produce unique talents like Malinga and Mendis in the years to come.

It is strange to think that the most coached cricketing nation, England, is also nation that has started to embrace the unorthodox skills of Eoin Morgan and Kevin Pietersen. It will do well to remember that it was people like John Willes and Edgar Willsher that were responsible for changing bowling to over-arm from under-arm simply because they dared to be different. Then Bernard Banquet, Etonian and an Oxford Blue, first bowled the ball that looked like turning one way then turned the other (googly) at the turn of the 20^th century and then kept mum about the delivery because the others laughed at him at the mention of his mysterious delivery. He gave wrist spin a new dimension just by turning his wrist over while delivering his routine leg-spinner.

Then Australians took over and Clarrie Grimmett added to wrist spin by inventing the flipper. Jack Iverson took his obsession of spinning the ping-pong ball to the cricket field in the mid 20^th century and was the best spinner in the world for four years before he faded away and killed himself. Gleeson perfected the strange art and till Mendis showed up in 2008, it was a skill best forgotten.

In between, a West Indies left-arm finger spinner, Ellis Achong, spun one the other way while touring Englad with the West Indies in 1933. Achong was the son of Chinese cocoa planter. Walter Robins, one of Achong’s many victims remarked: “Fancy being bowled by a bloody Chinaman.” To which Learie Constantine retorted: “Do you mean the bowler or the ball?” Now we know the origin of chinaman!

Cricket seeks to expand and wisely so. Spreading the game is essential for the health of cricket. There are only eight powerful playing nations. Every time there is a fallout between two nations it constitutes a quarter of the cricketing world and cricket is held to ransom. Cricket will expect the newer nations to take to cricket seriously and become a part of the powerhouse in time. It is not improbable and cricket would like to believe in it. If Johnny Mullagh could play his version of the dilscoop way back in 1868, no reason not to believe the Japanese off-spinner Raheel Kano could be next to bowl the doosra.

It promises to be an exiting decade for cricket.

References:

Chappelli Speaks Out – Ashley Mallet

Mystery Spinner – Gideon Haigh

A Corner of a Foreign Field – Ramachandra Guha

In It To Win It – Peter Roebuck