April 2007
CRICKET “ WORLD” CUP MUST BE JUST THAT ………
As this is being written, the ICC Cricket World Cup continues in the Caribbean with the Super 8 matches well underway. Two of the so called minnows of world cricket having qualified to play, continue to confound the critics with performances that would have made their nationals and supporters proud wherever in the world they reside. These performances have also made nightmares of the sleep of some of the so called the big teams, having sent both Pakistan and India packing in the early rounds.
My old schoolmate and friend Michael Holding enjoys much favour worldwide as “a call it as he sees it commentator” and covers the current tournament for one of the major international television networks. Mikey in his Test playing days bedeviled many a batsman with unnervingly accurate demonic deliveries that would have changed the careers of many of them during his playing days. Today, as a commentator, his opinion is valued tremendously, and many a local and even regional commentator are quick to quote him on various cricket issues.
Consequent on his expressed opinion regarding the participation of these minnow teams in the World Cup of Cricket, a raft of local commentators and wannabe sportscasters took Mikey’s line and berated these lesser teams. What is interesting is that some of these same persons also echo the view of the need to attract more interest in the sport, without recognizing that the best way to do that is to increase the penetration of the sport at the participating nations level. The ICC is attempting to do just that by the admission of these minnow teams to the World Cup. The global economic survival of this sport resides in the pursuit of this strategy.
As the world shrinks, businesses are forced to recognize such a development and create new strategies to address same. Imagine the level of growth that could be possible in the sport if China with its huge population and rapidly growing wealth was brought into cricket’s mainstream.
The same applies to the United States of America. Myopia only allows the affected to see no further than the end of ones nose. We criticize the USA for playing a local baseball series and labeling it the World Series, yet we want a World Cup Cricket tournament where we are only prepared to accommodate eight teams. Maybe if we take a closer look at the game in the West Indies and the current performances of the regional team we might observe that with strict observance of such approaches we may soon not be at the World Cup.
Keep up the good work ICC, and to the minnows Bangladesh and Ireland, good show.
It would do all the critics a world of good to remember where one of the current tournaments’ favourite Sri Lanka started?
CRICKET “ WORLD” CUP MUST BE JUST THAT ………
As this is being written, the ICC Cricket World Cup continues in the Caribbean with the Super 8 matches well underway. Two of the so called minnows of world cricket having qualified to play, continue to confound the critics with performances that would have made their nationals and supporters proud wherever in the world they reside. These performances have also made nightmares of the sleep of some of the so called the big teams, having sent both Pakistan and India packing in the early rounds.
My old schoolmate and friend Michael Holding enjoys much favour worldwide as “a call it as he sees it commentator” and covers the current tournament for one of the major international television networks. Mikey in his Test playing days bedeviled many a batsman with unnervingly accurate demonic deliveries that would have changed the careers of many of them during his playing days. Today, as a commentator, his opinion is valued tremendously, and many a local and even regional commentator are quick to quote him on various cricket issues.
Consequent on his expressed opinion regarding the participation of these minnow teams in the World Cup of Cricket, a raft of local commentators and wannabe sportscasters took Mikey’s line and berated these lesser teams. What is interesting is that some of these same persons also echo the view of the need to attract more interest in the sport, without recognizing that the best way to do that is to increase the penetration of the sport at the participating nations level. The ICC is attempting to do just that by the admission of these minnow teams to the World Cup. The global economic survival of this sport resides in the pursuit of this strategy.
As the world shrinks, businesses are forced to recognize such a development and create new strategies to address same. Imagine the level of growth that could be possible in the sport if China with its huge population and rapidly growing wealth was brought into cricket’s mainstream.
The same applies to the United States of America. Myopia only allows the affected to see no further than the end of ones nose. We criticize the USA for playing a local baseball series and labeling it the World Series, yet we want a World Cup Cricket tournament where we are only prepared to accommodate eight teams. Maybe if we take a closer look at the game in the West Indies and the current performances of the regional team we might observe that with strict observance of such approaches we may soon not be at the World Cup.
Keep up the good work ICC, and to the minnows Bangladesh and Ireland, good show.
It would do all the critics a world of good to remember where one of the current tournaments’ favourite Sri Lanka started?
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