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Spread of cricket in the world: The T20 World Cup of cricket is currently in its final phase. Out of the 20 teams that participated in the group stage, 8 teams India, Australia, South Africa, England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and host USA reached the Super-8 round. Old timers like Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka became victims of upsets and were eliminated from the competition. Out of the 8 teams that reached the Super-8, Afghanistan and USA are two such names that are surprising. The question is how did these two countries make such a lead in cricket that they moved ahead by shaking the teams that were established for decades? How would the ICC have deceived those countries that they got such a great success in a World Cup level competition?
Cricket is not just ICC and BCCI
Everyone knows how strong the hold of BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) is on ICC (International Cricket Council). Apart from BCCI, CA (Cricket Australia) and ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) are two cricket boards that hold important names in ICC. But do you know that apart from the above name, there are also different cricket boards representing each continent of the world? For example, ACC (Asian Cricket Council) which has 25 member countries and includes small countries like Brunei and Bhutan to big countries like China and Saudi Arabia, developed countries like Hong Kong and Singapore and Muslim majority countries like Iran and Oman. Similarly, the wings of cricket are spread across Africa (ACA-African Cricket Association), Europe (ECC-European Cricket Council), America (ICC America) and ICC East-Asia Pacific (countries of Australia, New Zealand region). In short, it can be said that apart from the only South American continent, cricket promotion organizations are operating all over the world.
really?
It is natural for this question to arise, because when the Cricket World Cup takes place, fewer countries get entry into it. Even die-hard cricket fans are surprised to know the names of some countries and think, 'Oh! This country also knows how to play cricket! Oh World Cup level cricket!'
Many people must have been surprised to see the names of countries like Papua New Guinea and Uganda in the current World Cup. No country like us can participate in games like the World Cup, right? A country would have got a chance to play at this level only if solid work was done at the local level.
Spread of cricket – how and how much?
A special fund is provided by the ICC to meet the basic needs of cricket in countries taking small steps in cricket. At the local level, friendly cricket matches are organized in schools and colleges to create interest and understanding of cricket among students and their parents. Coaches are prepared through online and offline courses, who work to prepare cricketers at the local level after being certified at various levels. Similarly, training for pitch and ground preparation is also provided to the interested person through ICC module. Sponsorship is also resorted to to promote cricket at the local level. Talented cricketers also benefit from the exchange program. To rapidly increase the interest of the new generation in cricket, the ICC also emphasizes on T20, the shortest format of cricket. Cricket has also been included in the Olympic Games to be held in Los Angeles, USA in 2028. The spread of cricket is also being considered for hosting the 2024 T20 World Cup in the US. It is a different matter that the ICC has not been able to achieve the targets set for this World Cup because of bad weather, bad pitches, low attendance and match cancellations due to faulty planning.
The truth of ICC's claim
However, despite all these claims of efforts, the truth is that cricket has not been able to spread across the world like other sports. Cricket is played in a total of 104 countries in the world, but only 12 countries are permanent members; the rest 92 are associate members. Even though cricket has been played on the world stage for decades, the situation is such that more than one country cannot be included in its mainstream. Many of the 12 permanent members are not alike in appearance. Cricket has declined in a country like Zimbabwe in the last two decades. Political instability and terrorism have also plagued Pakistan, which is sometimes considered an Asian giant. Sri Lankan cricket is also struggling with lack of money. When the ICC cannot help even these countries that have been playing good cricket for decades, the natural question is what kind of efforts are they making to inspire new countries to play cricket? God does not even know where the team participating in the World Cup today will be in the next World Cup!
While countries like Netherlands, Ireland, Afghanistan, Namibia, and Scotland have made remarkable progress in the cricketing field in the last few years, some more countries can be expected to show impressive cricketing performances in the coming years.