'What Do We Gain From Making Cricket A Worldwide Sport?'
Sportstar|November 18, 2017

Writer-­supreme and cricket historian Gideon Haigh, ever alert to the SHAPE­ SHIFTING WAYS OF THE GAME, was in India recently, and in an informal interaction with senior journalists at The Hindu’s head office, he spoke extensively about cricket’s current state, its governance issues and the challenges posed by the Twenty20 format.

'What Do We Gain From Making Cricket A Worldwide Sport?'

Cricket is at its tipping point. The game’s shortest format threatens to canni­balise its elder siblings — Test and ODI cricket. The Interna­tional Cricket Council is mulling a trial measure with four­dayTests. And for a sport with a limited global footprint, but still yearning to emulate football’s world ­wide spread, there is the grim reality of accepting that just four strong teams — India, Australia, England and South Africa — are propping up the willow game. Other squads, be it the mercurial Pakistan or promising New Zeal­ and, are struggling for a toehold and Sri Lanka and the West Indies are in a free­fall.

Interestingly, in a case of his­ tory repeating itself, the threats of commercialisation of cricket — first evident in 1977 when Kerry Packer unveiled his World Series Cricket (at that point derisively called as pyjama cricket) — are back in vogue through mush­ rooming Twenty20 leagues, led by the Indian Premier League (IPL) which commenced in 2008. “Show me the money,” is not just an oft­repeated dialogue from the 1996 cult­hit Jerry Maguire, it has now become a strident echo from cricketers asking for more than their pound of flesh in an era of big brands and bigger bucks that define various Twenty20 leagues, including the IPL.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der November 18, 2017-Ausgabe von Sportstar.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der November 18, 2017-Ausgabe von Sportstar.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS SPORTSTARAlle anzeigen
Tokyo Marathon Cancelled For Amateurs On Coronavirus Fears
Sportstar

Tokyo Marathon Cancelled For Amateurs On Coronavirus Fears

Organisers in Japan cancelled the amateur portion of the Tokyo marathon, affecting around 38,000 runners, on fears about the spread of the new coronavirus in Japan.

time-read
1 min  |
March 21, 2020
Right Criteria To Pick The Tennis GOAT
Sportstar

Right Criteria To Pick The Tennis GOAT

What should the criteria be? What weight should be attached to each criterion? And what should not be considered as valid criteria?

time-read
10+ Minuten  |
February 8, 2020
The making of a batting behemoth
Sportstar

The making of a batting behemoth

If Steve Smith dominated the Ashes in England in a dramatic, blockbuster fashion then his like for like a replacement, Marnus Labuschagne, is the Next Big Thing after an exciting summer of run-glut.

time-read
4 Minuten  |
February 8, 2020
WHEN ACES WERE REWARDED...
Sportstar

WHEN ACES WERE REWARDED...

It was an evening of nostalgia and celebration when the Sportstar Aces awards were given away in Mumbai.

time-read
6 Minuten  |
February 8, 2020
A question of recognition
Sportstar

A question of recognition

After a week of awards, one wonders if it’s only a departed player that one will be named after.

time-read
2 Minuten  |
February 8, 2020
Thinking straight, thinking right!
Sportstar

Thinking straight, thinking right!

“A lot depends on when I am bowling and what is required from me. That’s something I do when I play for India and I try to follow the same thing in the domestic circuit,” says Yuzvendra Chahal.

time-read
7 Minuten  |
December 14, 2019
The Big Three and the Next Gen
Sportstar

The Big Three and the Next Gen

Though the Big Three are very unlikely to retire during the same year, Judy Murray, mother of Andy, echoed the sentiments of many fans worried about the impact of their departures.

time-read
9 Minuten  |
December 14, 2019
WAKING UP TO MENTAL HEALTH
Sportstar

WAKING UP TO MENTAL HEALTH

Sport at large and cricket specifically has taken an inordinately long time to address the elephant in the room — the dark abyss of depression.

time-read
5 Minuten  |
December 14, 2019
Like sunshine in a gloomy dressing room
Sportstar

Like sunshine in a gloomy dressing room

Bangladesh quick Abu Jayed Rahi is new in the red-ball arena, but his swing brings back old memories — of James Anderson on green tops.

time-read
6 Minuten  |
December 14, 2019
The league of the masses
Sportstar

The league of the masses

With traditional clubs locking horns with the hard-working nurseries of the game, the I-League will continue to keep the beating heart of Indian football alive despite official apathy.

time-read
4 Minuten  |
December 14, 2019