Will it be just deshis playing cricket in the future?

[ialbd]

Originally Posted by Jadukor
I am pretty sure it would be the chinese

wait till it gets included in the olympics... esp t20... they'll master it in no time.

on the topic, 2015 world cup (Aus/NZ) will tell us more on this. Aussies are in general sports loving bunch, but I wonder how much attention this WC will get. It was such a brilliant move by ICC not to have the cricket WC in the same year as FIFA WC, Euro & the olympics...

P.S: if Aus/Eng/SA lose interest, maybe finally we'll get invited to India

[RazabQ]

Playmaker, do you just make up assertions or do you actually do some homework before making them? This is a question, not a dig.

Look at this thread: You claimed, that no one of Bangladeshi ancestry would play for another country. And Cricket is the most popular sport in so and so country

We don't have any player of BD ancestry good enough to command a regular place in a County or Shield side. As soon/if they start doing that, they'll gladly jump at the chance for playing for that country. It's simple economics.

Other than subcontinental countries, no other Test playing country has cricket as a #1 or even #2 sport. You seem to be oblivious to soccer, Aussie rules, rugby, basketball, etc.

One can say anything on an Internet forum. Does not mean one should.

Back to topic, yes I can see China dominating cricket if they get serious about it. And yes I am really worried about Test cricket.

[Sohel]

I'd say I'm a fairly well traveled person and when traveling, always take an interest in local sports interest and cuisine, but not in that order.

I'd say more people are passionate about cricket in South Asia than any other sport here. Not necessarily because of in depth knowledge of game and its wide array of nuances, but because of national pride. We pretty much suck at every other physically demanding sport on the world stage, and cricket is ideal for us physically because it allows players to stand around. I think we'll also do well in baseball, a hugely popular sport in North and Central America, the Hispanic parts of the Caribbean, and East Asia.

Because cricket is integral to national or community pride in the case of non-subcontinental players of South Asian ancestry no matter where they are, the proverbial Desi wants to play cricket at the highest level.

Cricket outside South Asia is a totally different story. Those nations are great to good at a number of other sports and don't really have cricket at the top of their respective list.

Cricket features prominently in the English media for a variety of reasons related more to tradition, including the literary tradition of cricket, than any actual popularity especially when compared to soccer. It is a subculture in its birthplace albeit a visible one.

Australians, at least when it comes to mass interest, only tend to care about the Ashes and Boxing Day cricket. Aussie Rules, Rugby, Soccer and even Swimming attracts way bigger crowds regularly. New Zealand is all about rugby.

In South Africa, most Whites and Biracial people (recognized as the distinct "Colored" race there) are into Rugby while most Blacks are into soccer. In Namibia, Kenya and Uganda, cricket is played and appreciated by a miniscule country club elite.

West Indies is comprised of many nations in and around the Caribbean and track and field is really big there. Many of their track and field athletes end up going to the US on athletic scholarships and end up playing popular American professional sports such as basketball, football and baseball. Only in Guyana and T&T with their huge Indo-Caribbean population, and the country clubs catering to the sociopolitical elite in Jamaica, Barbados and Antigua we see great interest in the sport. A formidable literary tradition adds to that interest.

Now looking at up and coming countries like Ireland, Scotland and Holland outside DesiWorld, we see sports like Hurling, Soccer and Golf, Soccer and a wide variety of sports from ice skating to cycling trump cricket.

All that being said, cricket fans are a passionate bunch no matter where they are or how small the their cricket subculture may measure up in size. Of course the same can be said of the Kendo or Aikido subculture in California and elsewhere.

I agree with the OP wholeheartedly that cricket is definitely a Desi thang, but do feel that if cricket were to become an Olympic event, we'll face serious competition from sports crazy, athletic nations like China, Korea, Japan and Germany, all hellbent on winning Olympic medals. I just hope "our cricket" doesn't become what "our hockey" has already become if and when that happens.

[al Furqaan]

I'll agree with playmaker, tentatively, that Desis won't be the sole demographic of the sport (like black people are for basketball, football in the US) anytime soon. There is enough interest in the "white" countries for the Hashim Amla's and the Jeetan Patel's to remain "tokens". But the WI has gone from black to about half brown now, and I think that will continue.

[Ish]

Originally Posted by Sohel
West Indies is comprised of many nations in and around the Caribbean and track and field is really big there. Many of their track and field athletes end up going to the US on athletic scholarships and end up playing popular American professional sports such as basketball, football and baseball. Only in Guyana and T&T with their huge Indo-Caribbean population, and the country clubs catering to the sociopolitical elite in Jamaica, Barbados and Antigua we see great interest in the sport. A formidable literary tradition adds to that interest.

This is an interesting discussion and I pretty much agree with everything Sohel wrote. One thing, however, which has not been noted so far is the influence of $$$.

Take the WI for example: as the recent Olympic coverage shows, athletes like Usain Bolt and Yohan Blake from Jamaica grow up playing cricket and are still huge fans. In fact, Blake has claimed he could be an elite bowler "faster than Zaheer Khan" if he chose that route for his career. But the reason young, talented athletes in Jamaica and the rest of the Caribbean have gravitated towards track and field, basketball, and other popular American sports rather than cricket is that there is simply more money to be made in those careers.

IPL and the T20 revolution around the world has the potential to change this. Right now, sprinting brings all the glory and $$ for Jamaicans. But the next generation of young Jamaican athletes now have Chris Gayle as an example to be emulated, with cricket as a viable professional option that may bring more glory and $$ than sprinting.

Likewise, if England ever implements a T20 league with the high profile sponsorships and $$ like the IPL, which Kevin Pietersen has recently been asking for, you will see more young British lads gravitate towards cricket rather than football only.

Basically, while I agree that the deshi countries may be more "fanatic" about cricket, it is also the only sport in those nations which provides a viable professional option for young athletes, and thus you see most if not all young males take up the sport. The non-deshi countries have tons of other sporting options, so the pool of athletes who take up cricket is limited. Change the money and glory equation, and I guarantee in the next generation you will have plenty of new cricket fanatics in non-deshi countries as well.

[BengaliPagol]

Originally Posted by playmaker
Cricket is the most popular sport in Australia

You said a very funny joke

Rule #1 dont make up facts.

If Aussies see this comment then they will laugh at you. NRL & AFL dominate the sports headlines in Australia. Aussies are fairly good at cricket because their grassroots levels are first class. You can easily play competitive cricket at school or sign up for a club team. From there if people recognise how good you are then you can go on towards playing rep level cricket and after that emerging blues and then state etc.

Soccer is fairly popular in Australia but we still suck in it.

[RazabQ]

To Asaad and Sohel and a couple of others, go check out the U19 rosters for the last WC as well. I'm telling ya, there is a serious risk that cricket might get marginalized to being a brown-only sport. The counter may be what Ish outlines - a series of 20/20 leagues making cricket lucrative enough to draw top athletes again from other ethnic groups.

On the same token, US, it its Cricket Association ever gets professional can be a strong player. The US born kids who are starting to now populate the leagues are VERY athletic and talented. Already the US team now has two US born players and that's without Cameron Mirza (Ian's student) breaking in.

[Mauryan]

as long as we will have 5 pointless tests matches in a series cricket wont win any more fans. not saying i don't like test cricket but its just not for everyone but if t20 cricket is taken more serious and is shown as main format of cricket then cricket will live on and maybe even be able to compete with football.