Published: Aug 20, 2015, 02:14 PM (IST)
Edited: Aug 20, 2015, 02:14 PM (IST)
Had you not loved cricket, you would not have landed on this page. Had you been clueless about the existence of the sport, you would have left the page by now. If you are reading this line, it probably means that the sport means something — however insignificant — to you. It may not have changed your life, but it has given you moments of joy when you felt the world had conspired against you. Cricket has made you laugh and cry and cheer and yell and cherish, and has probably made you a better human being. You had argued and shouted with friends, but you always knew it was cricket that held you together.
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What if I tell you today that the very existence of cricket is at stake? What if I told you that despite accumulating more money than the GDP of several nations, ICC does not contribute to expanding the sport? What if I told you ICC grants China a mere $30,000 a year? What if I told you ECB is reluctant towards inclusion of cricket in The Olympics — because Giles Clarke thinks it will coincide with the English domestic season? What if I told you that BCCI, ECB, and CA are smothering world cricket into non-existence?
Two men, Jarrod Kimber and Sam Collins, have taken the initiative to stand up against this. They made a brilliant documentary, Death of a Gentleman; so impactful was the trailer that ECB blocked Kimber’s media accreditation following its launch of its trailer.
Unfortunately for the Big Three, Kimber and Collins could not be subdued. They decided to start an initiative called #ChangeCricket, the details of which are provided below. If you really care for the sport, you can always voice your support by participating.
Where? Outside Hobbs Gate, The Oval. If you are elsewhere in the world, you can always do the rest.
When? 10 AM (GMT), August 20, 2015.
Dress code: Your country’s colours.
Agenda: Maintain a 3-minute silence “to reflect how the national boards of India, England and Australia have silenced the rest of world cricket”.
For social media: Whatever you do on social media, use the hashtag #ChangeCricket to voice your support.
For more information: Visit changecricket.com. There is also a petition that you can sign.
The sport has given us a lot. It is time we give it back.
(Abhishek Mukherjee is the Chief Editor and Cricket Historian at CricketCountry. He blogs here and can be followed on Twitter here.)
