ICC has reduced cricket to a sport that survives; not thrives

ICC has reduced cricket to a sport that survives; not thrives

Often the International Cricket Council (ICC) has been criticised for not giving proper importance towards the globalisation of the game. It is being argued that the game of cricket is only restricted to the handful of commonwealth nations. Rishad DSouza tries to find out the justification of these allegations.

Cricket journalists are always embroiled in trying to find the answer to the perennial question; will cricket survive? A look at empty seats during a Test series in West Indies or UAE serves well to accentuate this doubt. While most have limited their concerns to the survival of the longest format, others have more grave concerns about the survival of cricket on the whole, regardless of format. READ: ICC Cricket Committee to meet in Mumbai on Friday

To me — an avid cricket follower since childhood and now a budding journalist myself — the topic is boring and the crux of concern seems baseless. Questions over cricket’s ability to stand the trial of time have lingered over the sport for well over a few decades now, but cricket has continued to survive. READ: Should there be room for human errors by umpires?

To watch a Test match being played in front of only empty seats surely is not pleasing. There was a time when Eden Gardens drew crowds in excess of a hundred thousand on each day of a Test. These days it sometimes attracts a cumulative audience of less than the same number over five days. It does bother me as a fan. But are these signs of a dip in interest? READ: ICC Intercontinental Cup: Namibia, Hong Kong lock horns in pursuit of Test status

Admittedly, the advent of T20 cricket and the incredible surge in its popularity possibly has a slight role to play in the falling attendances. But let us be practical about this: the dynamics in developing countries like in the subcontinent have shifted dramatically over the past decade or so.

Markets have tightened and people find themselves in a constant battle with time. “I’ve had no time to breathe,” is one of the common utterances of the quintessential employee in the subcontinent. With employer pressure and job insecurity weighing down so heavily on the modern developing-country person, it may be a bit harsh to expect them to set aside five whole days for sport.

These factors may have pushed cricket to the background a little bit, but it still resides in the hearts of many. Television viewership for Test cricket has not fallen, though multitudes of people inject themselves with cricket laden shots in form of live scorecards, live blogs, and more. The point being made is that ICC has done well to keep cricket afloat, though at face value it may appear otherwise.

This doesn’t absolve ICC of the numerous allegations of mismanagement that fans and critics blame them for. After all, in an age of globalization, where sports like ping pong and baseball are attempting to spread their wings across borders to attract more people (with decent success, too), is mere survival enough? ICC has often stated its mission to transform cricket into a truly global sport, but has little to show for the promises.

What hinders ICC from staying true to their mission? Some may argue it is a lack of funds. Others may say it is the complexity of the game that makes it a difficult sport to market. However, any close observer of the sport knows it is nothing but sheer lack of will on part of ICC that has scuppered cricket’s chances of breaking into the consciousness of audiences outside the Test-playing countries.

The manner in which cricket has captured public imagination in Ireland and Afghanistan in recent times thwarts the notion that cricket suffers in popularity due to complexity of rules. ICC doesn’t lack in finances, either. However, the unwillingness to give more countries full member status can be attributed to greed for more finances since full members are entitled to slice of the profit generated by ICC at multinational events.

Given that Bangladesh were handed Test status in 2000 — fifteen years before they have started to look competitive in the format — the argument that Ireland and Afghanistan are not competitive enough for the format can be shredded and burnt. Ireland have been consistently competent against some of the full members, and Afghanistan don’t lag too far behind. Denying them a shot at Test cricket without undergoing an arduous path is gore injustice.

Even if incompetence were to be accepted as a real reason, there has been no genuine attempt at resolving the problem. While they are on elaborate tours to England, teams can easily take some time off to hop across the border and amid gulping down Guinness and absorbing Irish culture, can even play some cricket against Ireland.

Of course, touring Afghanistan is something no one will recommend at this point of time. But since Afghanistan team play their home matches in UAE, which also happens to be the adopted home of Pakistan, touring teams can surely field a side (even second string will do) against Afghanistan for mutual benefit. The fact that teams refrain from doing the same displays speaks volumes about their reluctance to introduce more teams in the fold.

Opportunities to thrust cricket into a cycle of unending blossom have been abundant. Let alone the countries on the fringes of the full member structure like Ireland and Afghanistan, ICC could have tapped markets in countries across the globe by heeding the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) suggestion to apply for cricket to be an Olympic sport.

Cricket’s administrators are all keen on keeping coffers overflowing. Selfishness has crept into minds and currency notes have shrouded visions, depriving thirsting nations of the noble sport of cricket. More heinously, they have denied others of even basic awareness of the sport.

Cricket deserves better. Someday, perhaps an administration will come by to serve cricket’s true purpose (the world stands on hope), but till then cricket is merely a sport that survives, not thrives.

(Rishad D’Souza, a reporter with CricketCountry, gave up hopes of playing Test cricket after a poor gully-cricket career. He now reports on the sport. You can follow @RDcric on Twitter)