Cricket rises from the Ashes into Asia

Updated July 11, 2008 10:43:31

Not just a passing phase? Australian Shane Warne and Trinidad's Brian Lara play in the Hong Kong Sixes tournament, the match that's helped cricket's push into China. [Reuters]

Renewed Ashes rivalry between Australia and England, and India's never ending epic battles with Pakistan, have generated greater international interest in the sport of cricket.

The advent of the much shorter 2020 version of the game has also propelled cricket's international appeal to new heights.

The excitement generated by the success of the recent Indian Premier League has spread beyond the boundaries of the Indian sub continent, with an emerging force in Asia.

Cricket is now making headway into the world's most populous nation, China.

Jon Newton, the president of the Shanghai Cricket Club, told Radio Australia's Connect Asia program, the level of uptake of the sport has been significant.

"If we take Shanghai for an example, there's already between 15 and 20 schools, from primary schools right through to universities that are actually coaching and having cricket programme institutions," he said.

"Ten years ago, that situation didn't even exist."

Since China became a member of the International Cricket Council in 2004, it's embarked on an ambitious plan to become a major international player.

It will also be the scene of cricket's introduction to the Asian Games when Guangzhou, the capital of China's southern Guangdong province, hosts the event in 2010.

Terry Zheng, the deputy head of the Chinese Cricket Association, says it's left the Chinese brimming with confidence.

"The officials of the Chinese Cricket Association went to Hong Kong to view the international sixes [tournament]," Mr Zheng said.

"After that they thought this game is very simple for Chinese people because its emphasis is on eye-hand coordination, there's no body contact.

"I think there are already three Asian champions.

"So we believe that Chinese people can also do well in this game," he said.

The spokesman for the Asian Cricket Council, Shariah Khan, says their cause is now being supported by Chinese Government.

"It's very much backed by the national sporting body and once they're involved, they have the administrative expertise and the reach across China to engage various departments which means the school departments which obviously needs to make grounds for the children available to play and then of course the bureaucrats who need to obviously sanction everything," he said.

Cricket is also experiencing an era of revival in southeast Asia.

Former British colonies, Singapore and Malaysia, actively promoting the game in schools and hosting international tournaments.

In fact, Malaysia has enlisted the help of cricket giants Australia to enhance the sports development.

Its cricket association recently signed a cooperation agreement with the Western Australian Cricket Association, WACA.

"This is where WACA is going to come with various forms of assistance, for example, coaching expertise," Siva Chinnadurai, the vice president of the Malaysian Cricket Association told Connect Asia.

"We will be having specialist clinics, batting, bowling, wicket keeping, even development of the turf guys - the curators and other personnel involved with cricket."

It's just not baseball

Promoting the game in the region, however, is proving a major challenge.

For China it's a case of sheer ambivalence of the sport itself.

"Apart from some of the young people, if you mention cricket to your average Chinese person, they always assume you're talking about baseball," Jon Newton from the Shanghai Cricket Club said.

For Malaysia, it's an issue of professional development.

"It's a mad chase for the paper - certificate, examinations are so important," Siva Chinnadurai from the MCA said.

"It's a great problem trying to convince all these people that cricket is a great sport, it's a wonderful team sport and it's not about winning or losing but lots to gain by getting involved with sports."

Despite the challenges, Shariah Khan from the Asian Cricket Council believes the prospect of cricket expanding in Southeast Asia and China will undoubtedly give the sport a massive boost.

"The fact that China will play the game makes very big news in the rest of the world," he said.

"For them to even engage with the sport on a small level will have a tremendous impact on the cricketing countries around the land mass in China and by extension, the rest of the world."