Expanding cricket: The future of the sport in associate nations
Cricket has been on the rise worldwide ever since the introduction of the T20 format in 2003. In April 2018, the International Cricket Council (ICC) granted T20I status to all of its 105 members. To further allow these nations to showcase their talent, the 50-over World Cup is set to be expanded to 14 teams from 2027. Likewise, the T20 WC will include 20 teams from 2024.
The ICC recently greeted its newest associate members, Mongolia, Switzerland, and Tajikistan on July 18th. The ICC publicly announced the arrival of the upcoming cricket nations through social media. This means the newly admitted members will be able to participate in global tournaments, receive funding and numerous benefits to aid cricket development in their respective countries. However, much like the rest of the 91 associate nations, a few questions remain unanswered with countless challenges ahead.
Funding issues
Several associate boards and cricketers have complained about receiving low funding from the ICC and a lack of support from the apex cricket board. Many players have appealed to the ICC regarding their concerns but their needs have never been met.
With only 10 teams featuring in the previous edition of the Cricket World Cup, many countries missed out on plenty of capital. According to Forbes, Scotland lost out on the $1 million qualifying fee and potential sponsorships worth $200,000-300,000.
Amidst the pandemic, the Netherlands has faced one of the biggest financial blows in the cricketing world. The Dutch were prepared to face Pakistan and the United States at home this summer. Unfortunately, both tours have been canceled as cricket is banned in the country until September 1.
"It’s a massive financial loss, Pakistan coming for three ODIs, you’re talking about at least 6000 people coming. We’re not used to having those big games coming every year." Coach Ryan Campbell told Forbes.
In October 2018, 21-year-old Christopher Carter from Hong Kong announced his premature retirement. The wicket-keeper batsman played an essential role in Hong Kong's qualification for the 2018 Asia Cup. He took the tough decision to pursue his dream of becoming a pilot. Furthermore, he opened up on the obstacles he faced along with the lack of funding the board received, which influenced his decision.
"I already put my studies on hold before but I think it’s time to do what I’ve always wanted to do, and that is to become a pilot. It is difficult to be a cricketer in Hong Kong given the lack of funding. People within CHK [Cricket Hong Kong] work so hard to try and allow us to play on a full-time basis, The likes of Mark Wright [Director of cricket] and Simon Cook [Head coach] really do their best, but they are not supported well enough by the government or the ICC" Carter told the South China Morning Post."
Due to inadequate money, many countries without ODI status, hoping to host or go on an international tour have had to cancel their plans. Generating enough revenue to manage the costs of traveling abroad, players' and support staff's salaries and arrange matches while still making a profit without any broadcasters doesn't seem realistic.
Insufficient funds evidently cause various issues. Low finances discourage young players from taking up the sport, restrict boards from organizing matches frequently and limits access to several essential needs. It directly affects the performance of the players and the team due to which associate members are no match to full members, creating a huge gap of quality.
The gap of quality between Associate and Full members
A team ranked below 15 winning against a cricket powerhouse in the top 10 might just be considered a dream that may never come true in this sport. The lack of experience and exposure against competitive teams subsequently makes lower-ranked nations incompetent to perform on large stages such as ICC events.
Over the years, teams like Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Ireland have improved tremendously. However, this was prior to the ICC cutting down the number of teams in the T20 and ODI World Cup. These countries have also been constantly playing against full members for years.
Hence, cricketers belonging to these nations are familiar with facing top-quality teams. Other than at ICC events, associate teams with ODI status will barely face any high-ranked teams, whereas teams without ODI status will hardly play any matches at all.
Competing in major tournaments by just having the experience of playing against mediocre teams wouldn't be very helpful. Moreover, playing against stronger teams means attracting larger audiences and higher bids for media rights. Not only will these clashes prove to be building blocks for inexperienced teams, but they will also play a vital role in increasing funds and popularity of the game.
Popularity
The sport became popular among Afghans living in Pakistani refugee camps in the 1990s. Afghanistan's active participation and success in international cricket have given fans a reason to celebrate.
Moreover, the accomplishments of Afghani players such as Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman in T20 franchise leagues around the world have earned them a significant reputation in the cricketing world. Their rapid progress resulted in the team earning the status of a full member. Today, cricket is watched in almost every household in the country.
However, when it comes to other countries around the world, it's not that simple. For instance, football is deeply embedded in many European, African, South American and some Asian cultures as it's been the most popular sport in the world for centuries.
On the other hand, North Americans are quite obsessed with their own sports. Encouraging the youth to take up an unknown sport over well-recognized and paying sports is a huge challenge. The climb is made stiffer by the fact that the entire fanbase has to be build from scratch as only a handful follow cricket in these countries. In addition to that, people aren't used to watching a sports fixture lasting longer than 90 minutes, let alone a 5-day-long test match.
"I think the way soccer has never taken off as spectator sport in this country, and you know its the most popular sport in the world but for whatever reason in this country it hasn't taken off and if that hasn't happened with that sport, it's hard for me to believe a sport like cricket would." Mike Doocey, American sport anchor told ESPNCricinfo.
Can these nations overcome these challenges and make an impact in the world of cricket?
The short answer is yes. Although, it won't be a cakewalk. If given enough funding, attention and support, associate members have enough potential to generate plenty of revenue. Amongst the darkness of hardship, their players and staff are capable enough to shine as a beacon of hope at competitive levels.