tag:theconversation.com,2011:/ca/topics/cricket-world-cup-14431/articlesCricket World Cup – The Conversation2022-03-16T13:58:25Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1791232022-03-16T13:58:25Z2022-03-16T13:58:25ZWomen’s Cricket World Cup 2022: how South Africa fares on the world stage<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451880/original/file-20220314-117573-xy7e5x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">South Africa's Masabata Klaas (right) celebrates a victory against England.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">JOHN COWPLAND/AFP via Getty Images</span></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>In 2022 the role of hosting the <a href="https://www.cricketworldcup.com">Women’s Cricket World Cup</a> went to New Zealand. The tournament, held every four years, began on 4 March, with the final scheduled for 3 April. Second ranked <a href="https://www.cricketworldcup.com/teams/women/south-africa">South Africa</a> was the only African team to make it into the competition. Although Zimbabwe makes the world one day international <a href="https://www.icc-cricket.com/rankings/womens/team-rankings/odi">rankings</a>, the team never qualified. We asked sports management academic and women’s sport expert Kamilla Swart about the Proteas’ history – and their performance at the tournament. After qualifying in a group stage, eight teams play round robin matches before four teams play semi finals to determine the finals.</em> </p>
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<h2>What’s South Africa’s history at the cup?</h2>
<p>The 2022 International Cricket Council (ICC) Women’s World Cup is the <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/sports/icc-women-s-world-cup-a-glance-at-history-ahead-of-the-2022-edition-122030201407_1.html">12th edition</a> of the most anticipated tournament in the sport. The women’s cup was first held in 1973 with only seven teams. South Africa’s women’s national cricket team is known as the Proteas (like the men’s team) after the national flower. They first participated in the world cup in India in 1997, reaching the quarter-finals. The team had returned to the world arena for the first time, after the end of an <a href="https://www.sahistory.org.za/archive/international-boycott-apartheid-sport-mary-corrigall">international sports boycott</a> against the white minority government’s apartheid policies.</p>
<p>In the 2000 edition South Africa fared well, beaten by Australia in the semi-finals. But when the women’s world cup was hosted on home soil for the first time, the country only finished 7th in the group stage. And 2009 was also a nightmare with South Africa exiting in the group stage. In 2013 in India they reached the next stage – the ‘super six’ – to finish 6th. Returning to form in England in 2017, the Proteas again made the semi-finals, losing to England by two wickets.</p>
<p>In 2022, South Africa entered the tournament with the hope of finally bringing it home – and as the continent’s only representatives. Other <a href="https://www.cricketworldcup.com/teams">teams</a> include Australia (six-time winners), Bangladesh (making their debut), England (four-time winners), India (twice runners-up), Pakistan, New Zealand and the West Indies (once runners-up).</p>
<p>Due to COVID-19, qualification for the 2022 cup was decided through world rankings. The first seven editions were invitational, while a qualifying event took place from the 2005 edition in South Africa. 2017 witnessed the launch of the <a href="https://www.icc-cricket.com/womens-championship">ICC Women’s Championship</a>. It was conceptualised to grow the women’s game through a more extensive bilateral playing programme.</p>
<h2>How is South Africa looking this year?</h2>
<p>South Africa’s women started their campaign as the second best team in the current ICC women’s one day international standing. The Proteas came to this world cup with five consecutive series wins prior to the COVID period in January 2020. They had beaten New Zealand, Pakistan, India and West Indies. </p>
<p>In their <a href="https://www.cricketworldcup.com/news/2514429">first encounter</a> against Bangladesh at the Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022, a rusty team managed to win by 32 runs, with <a href="https://www.espncricinfo.com/player/ayabonga-khaka-387261">Ayabonga Khaka</a> declared player of the match for her outstanding bowling figures. However, they managed to score only 207 runs in their 50 overs. Taking on Pakistan <a href="https://www.cricketworldcup.com/news/2526187">next</a>, South Africa posted a target of 224 runs and just managed to restrict Pakistan to 217. <a href="https://www.espncricinfo.com/player/shabnim-ismail-276997">Shabnim Ismail</a> was pick of the bowlers. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451925/original/file-20220314-129299-2vg05y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Ateam of women in green and gold outfits on a sports field, gathering together, two clasping hands." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451925/original/file-20220314-129299-2vg05y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/451925/original/file-20220314-129299-2vg05y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451925/original/file-20220314-129299-2vg05y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451925/original/file-20220314-129299-2vg05y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451925/original/file-20220314-129299-2vg05y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451925/original/file-20220314-129299-2vg05y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/451925/original/file-20220314-129299-2vg05y.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">The Proteas celebrate a wicket against England.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">JOHN COWPLAND/AFP via Getty Images</span></span>
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<p>South Africa against England was a <a href="https://www.cricketworldcup.com/news/2533550">nail-biting match</a>. South Africa restricted current champions England to only 235 with the exceptional bowling of Marizanne Kapp. This was followed by a great display of batting from the whole team, particularly the youngster <a href="https://www.espncricinfo.com/player/laura-wolvaardt-922481">Laura Wolvaardt</a>, captain <a href="https://www.espncricinfo.com/player/sune-luus-487007">Suné Luus</a> and <a href="https://www.espncricinfo.com/player/marizanne-kapp-351836">Marizanne Kapp</a>. The team had managed to grab another two points. For her all-round effort Kapp was declared player of the match. </p>
<p>It’s without a doubt that South Africa are an equal contender for the 2022 cup despite being without their captain, Dane van Niekerk, who is injured.</p>
<h2>How is the women’s game faring generally?</h2>
<p>South Africa’s men’s team has not been very successful recently, while the <a href="https://www.keo.co.za/womens-cricket-in-south-africa-is-soaring-1/">opposite</a> is true for the women’s team. The current team is a mix of youthful and experienced cricketers who are now consistently performing well on the international circuit. Wolvaardt is still very young at this stage, however, she has broken several records. She’s the youngest woman to pass the 1,000-run mark and the youngest South African (female or male) to 2,000 runs. Ismail, an experienced campaigner, managed to grab 150 wickets for South Africa in one day internationals and became the 7th player to take this record.</p>
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Read more:
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<p>Overall, Women’s cricket is gaining global attention. Increasingly, sponsors are available, matches are broadcast and spectators are present. The women’s game is on the path to mainstream recognition. One can no longer say that cricket is just a men’s game. There is no longer a “man of the match” but rather a “player of the match” announced. There’s, no “batsman” but rather a “batter”. </p>
<p>Sports is not just used to empower but also to raise awareness against gender-based violence. Cricket South Africa’s <a href="https://www.crictracker.com/heres-why-south-african-womens-team-is-sporting-black-jersey-in-fourth-odi-against-west-indies/">Black Day campaign</a> was launched in 2021 to highlight violence against women. The ICC has also put the women’s game development as a top priority on their agenda.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/179123/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Kamilla Swart does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Kicking off the cup with three straight wins, South Africa is ranked 2nd in the world in one day internationals.Kamilla Swart, Associate professor, Hamad Bin Khalifa UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1708942021-11-01T14:04:53Z2021-11-01T14:04:53ZIndia v Pakistan: arrest of Muslim fans show how cricket is more than just a sport in these two nations<p>With the exception of cricket, India – a country of nearly 1.5 billion people – is spectacularly below average when it comes to international competitive sports. The world’s second most populous nation has the worst Olympic record in terms of <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-36941269">medals per head of population</a>. So its saving grace – so far as proving its sporting prowess is concerned – has been cricket, in which it is <a href="https://octavianreport.com/article/how-you-play-the-game-cricket-world-order-and-the-rise-of-india/">a dominant force</a>.</p>
<p>Once regarded as <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cricket-Country-Indian-Odyssey-Empire/dp/0198843135/ref=pd_sbs_1/260-7862544-5080716?pd_rd_w=wHvmS&pf_rd_p=a3a7088f-4aec-4dbd-97cc-9a059581fe7b&pf_rd_r=HT40V18HXNXFEXRESGMJ&pd_rd_r=c90acd5c-da6c-4a79-af9e-5a5ace487d01&pd_rd_wg=6Gx0c&pd_rd_i=0198843135&psc=1">a British colonial import</a>, cricket is the only sport that unites most Indians, who are deeply divided by caste, region, religion and skin colour. So, whenever there is an apparent lack of patriotic fervour when it comes to supporting India – especially when the country is playing arch-rival Pakistan – there is going to be a backlash.</p>
<p>After the Indian cricket team’s recent loss to the Pakistani team in the <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/25/kashmiri-students-mohammed-shami-india-pakistan-t20-match-online-abuse">T20 cricket world cup</a>, a section of the Indian populace descended into a paroxysm of hate, <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2021/10/31/india-kohli-spineless-critics-after-shami-abuse">pillorying Mohammed Shami</a>, the only Muslim cricket player in the Indian team, on social media. This drew a blistering response from the team’s captain, Virat Kohli who declared that: “Attacking someone over their religion is the most pathetic thing that a human being can do.” </p>
<p>But in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Rajasthan at least 14 people (mainly young Muslims) were arrested and charged after the match for celebrating Pakistan’s win, some of them under sedition laws which carry a life sentence. There’s a long history of bitter cricket rivalry between Pakistan and India, but this knee-jerk reaction against these so-called “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/oct/28/indian-police-arrest-seven-for-celebrating-pakistan-cricket-win">acts of sedition</a>” is a new low. </p>
<h2>War by other means</h2>
<p>Authorities in the three different states called on various sections of <a href="https://scroll.in/article/1009279/what-laws-are-being-used-to-book-those-who-celebrated-pakistans-cricket-win-over-india">India’s Penal Code</a> to detain and charge people celebrating Pakistan’s win. In Uttar Pradesh, where seven have been detained, one person was charged with sedition. Others were charged with various offences, including Section 153A, for promoting enmity between different groups, Section 504, intentional insult aiming to breach the peace. Police have also invoked Section 66F of the Information Technology Act, which covers “cyber terrorism” and also carries a life sentence.</p>
<p>In Rajasthan a female private school teacher who posted “we won!”, accompanied with a photograph of the Pakistan cricket team, was arrested for “assertions prejudicial to national integration” under Section 153B of the penal code. She was also sacked from her job.</p>
<p>In Jammu and Kashmir, six people – students and staff at two medical colleges – were detained for allegedly posting pro-Pakistan slogans after the match under an anti-terror law which prohibits supporting “cessation of a part of the territory of India”. This is particularly significant, because the contested Union Territory of Kashmir has long been a flashpoint between the two countries, so for one of the students to post a picture of the Pakistani flag on his Facebook page with the message: “I love you Pakistan, I miss you Pakistan, <em>Jeet Mubarak</em> (Congratulations on your victory) Pakistan”, was seen as deliberate provocation.</p>
<h2>Subliminal message</h2>
<p>For all the talk of cricket being “only a game” and that the “spirit of sportsmanship” must always prevail, sport is primarily war by other means. The two countries have fought four conventional wars since Pakistan was established following Partition in 1947. </p>
<p>Because of their mutual love for the sport, cricket provides an avenue for the two countries to play out their mutual enmity without resorting to force of arms. Cricket <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/23/world/asia/cricket-india-pakistan.html">can never be “just a game”</a> when India play Pakistan – it’s one of the greatest rivalries in sports, a contest of national identity and an opportunity for one to heap humiliation on the other.</p>
<p>While sport provides a symbolic platform for competition between contending nations, it can push rival countries into rabid nationalism. Football rivalry led to war between <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Soccer-War-Ryszard-Kapuscinski/dp/1862079595">El Salvador and Honduras</a> in 1969, when rioting during the lead-up to the 1970 Mexico World Cup led to a 100-hour armed invasion of Honduras by the Salvdorean military.</p>
<p>For many people in India, the thought of Muslim citizens actually crowing about a win by their bitterest rival on and off the sporting field is seen as unbearably disloyal. Meanwhile, for some Indian Muslims, Pakistan’s victory provides subliminal support for their resentment against what they see as <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-hindu-nationalists-are-cheering-moves-to-build-a-temple-challenging-a-secular-tradition-126901">Hindu majoritarian domination</a>, particularly in recent years under the government of the Hindu nationalist BJP under Narendra Modi.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-hindu-nationalists-are-cheering-moves-to-build-a-temple-challenging-a-secular-tradition-126901">Why Hindu nationalists are cheering moves to build a temple, challenging a secular tradition</a>
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<p>If the love of a sport can bring unity and fellowship, it can also provoke institutional and national bigotry. Let’s not forget that after the game, <a href="https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20211028-students-teacher-arrested-in-india-for-celebrating-pakistan-cricket-win">celebratory gunfire</a> erupted in the Pakistani cities of Islamabad and Karachi and the country’s interior minister, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, said the win was a “<a href="https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/pakistan-s-win-against-india-in-t20-a-victory-of-islam-says-pak-minister-watch-1869067-2021-10-25">Victory of Islam</a>”.</p>
<p>This is not the first time people have been arrested in India for supporting Pakistan. In 2014, 60 Kashmiri students were arrested for supporting Pakistan in the Asia Cup one-day tournament. The following year 15 men were arrested for supporting Pakistan in a Champions’ Trophy one-day game. But it’s also worth noting that <a href="https://scroll.in/latest/985724/96-sedition-cases-filed-against-405-people-after-bjps-2014-victory-shows-new-article-14-database">very few</a> of these sedition cases are ever successfully prosecuted.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/170894/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Amalendu Misra does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Kashmiri students were among more than 14 people arrested for celebrating Pakistan’s recent win over India.Amalendu Misra, Professor, Department: Politics, Philosophy and Religion, Lancaster UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1452462020-09-01T19:59:00Z2020-09-01T19:59:00ZHow COVID caused chaos for cricket – and may force a rethink of all sport broadcasting deals<p>Cricket Australia faces a <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/sport/cricket/crickets-high-stakes-standoff-with-tv-networks-has-no-winners/news-story/ed9101a6d0dee4d49f5cceb93c6dd40d">summer of discontent</a>.</p>
<p>The disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed financial and governance tensions and mistrust involving its players’ and state associations. However, those issues are a distant second to the current dissatisfaction and distrust that one of <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/sport/cricket/hard-yards-ca-faces-fight-to-regain-broadcaster-trust-20200828-p55qey.html">the sport’s broadcasting partners</a> has with the quality and scheduling of the upcoming domestic playing season.</p>
<p>Channel Seven’s A$450 million concern with the restricted number of Australian international cricketers who might appear in this year’s BBL tournament now threatens to destabilise the sport’s principal source of revenue – the combined Foxtel and Seven six-year broadcasting deal signed in 2018 and <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/battle-for-survival-broadcasters-on-brink-but-cricket-australia-digs-in-on-tv-rights-20200427-p54nof.html">worth A$1.18 billion</a> over its six-year term.</p>
<h2>COVID causes chaos</h2>
<p>In March, it had all looked so different. On International Women’s Day 2020, the MCG hosted the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-09/t20-world-cup-final-victory-for-womens-cricket-and-australia/12037732">ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Final</a>. Played in front of 86,000 people, Australia’s victory over India was a suitable end to a highly successful tournament. Within a week sport in Melbourne – including the first Formula 1 race of the year – and indeed globally had to shut down due to the pandemic.</p>
<p>Of all the major sports in Australia, cricket seemed the best equipped to survive the coronavirus lockdown. By then, 90% of the season had been completed. The <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-08/mens-twenty20-world-cup-pushed-back-to-2022/12537500">men’s T20 World Cup tournament</a>, to be hosted by Australia, was not scheduled until October, a month that marked the second anniversary of the appointment of the then CEO of Cricket Australia (CA), Kevin Roberts.</p>
<p>And yet the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-27/coronavirus-concerns-raised-about-australian-cricket-future/12287088">following month</a> 80% of staff at Cricket Australia were stood down. The CEO was indicating that by August cricket would, to the amazement of many within the sport, have <a href="https://www.afr.com/rear-window/kevin-roberts-engineers-cricket-australia-crisis-20200419-p54l6q">severe cashflow problems</a>.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/world-cup-2023-will-be-a-massive-boost-for-womens-sport-but-does-it-make-financial-sense-140445">World Cup 2023 will be a massive boost for women's sport – but does it make financial sense?</a>
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<p>By June it was clear the men’s T20 World Cup would have to be postponed and <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-06-16/kevin-roberts-showy-and-comical-as-cricket-australia-ceo/12357986">Roberts was gone</a>. He was replaced on an interim basis by Nick Hockley, then the CEO of the T20 World Cup local organising committee who had overseen the successful women’s T20 World Cup earlier in the year.</p>
<p>The previous Cricket Australia CEO, James Sutherland, had been in the job for 17 years. In contrast, 2020 was a precarious year to be a CEO in Australian sport – the CEOs of both <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/apr/23/raelene-castle-steps-down-as-ceo-of-rugby-australia#:%7E:text=The%20embattled%20Rugby%20Australia%20chief,the%20support%20of%20the%20board.&text=In%20a%20statement%20provided%20to,RA%20needed%20%E2%80%9Cclear%20air%E2%80%9D.">Rugby Australia</a> (RA) and the <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-20/nrl-ceo-todd-greenberg-stands-down-immediately/12165926">National Rugby League</a> (NRL) also departed their jobs in April.</p>
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<span class="caption">2020 has been a precarious year for many sporting codes, including NRL.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Dan Peled/AAP</span></span>
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<p>Reflecting on the year’s instability, Sutherland commented <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/sport/cricket/after-running-cricket-for-17-years-james-sutherland-has-a-new-mission-20200612-p5520f.html">empathetically</a> that when you’re a sports administrator, you can deal with anything but uncertainty.</p>
<p>And for all Australian sports, 2020 has brought nothing but uncertainty to their finances, competition scheduling and administration.</p>
<h2>Too much riding on broadcast deals</h2>
<p>However, one point that has been constant in the operation of elite professional sport in Australia and elsewhere is how dependent their revenues are on TV broadcasting deals. The AFL’s revenue in 2019 was just shy of A$800 million, half of which related to broadcasting and <a href="https://resources.afl.com.au/afl/document/2020/03/18/925fd047-a9b6-4f7d-8046-138a56ba36f4/2019-AFL-Annual-Report.pdf">media</a>. Broadcasting accounted for 61% of the NRL’s total <a href="https://www.nrl.com/siteassets/2020/nrl_annualreport_2019_hr.pdf">revenue</a> last year.</p>
<p>The lengths to which the AFL and the NRL have gone to ensure their seasons go ahead – from biosecurity hubs and lobbying state and federal governments for border exemptions, to pay cuts for players and staff – must be seen in the context of their dependency on TV money.</p>
<p>In April, the equation for the AFL and NRL, as it was for Rugby Australia and the Football Federation of Australia (FFA) whose schedules were also affected, was simple: in the absence of games, there would be no obligation on broadcasters to honour their TV rights deals. This meant up to two-thirds of the sport’s revenue would disappear overnight.</p>
<p>In terms of contract law, broadcasters hinted at provisions in the agreements with sports such as <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/sport/cricket/seven-steps-up-fight-as-cricket-australia-triggers-act-of-god-clause-20200830-p55qnb.html"><em>force majeure</em> clauses</a> (unforeseeable circumstances), acts of God and other principles of contract law, such as the <a href="https://www.lawinsport.com/topics/item/coronavirus-sport-the-law-of-frustration-and-force-majeure">doctrine of frustration</a>.</p>
<p>Broadcasters <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/a-league-looking-for-new-broadcast-partner-with-fox-sports-set-to-walk-20200330-p54fbc.html">argued</a> these would allow them to walk away from existing deals given that, for reasons outside both parties’ control, the playing season could not go ahead as scheduled, if at all.</p>
<p>Even as sports bodies desperately gave them assurances a season would go ahead, broadcasters remained <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/sport/nrl/nine-nrl-on-brink-of-deal-to-seal-1-9-billion-broadcast-bonanza-20200512-p54scv.html">adamant</a> that the product they had originally paid for was now of such a different variety that the original broadcasting deal would have to be stood down and terms and conditions renegotiated.</p>
<p>Clearly, it was in the interest of the above sports bodies to enter into such negotiations. They did so <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2020/may/20/nrl-broadcast-deal-with-nine-and-fox#:%7E:text=The%20NRL%20is%20powering%20towards,required%20from%20both%20their%20boards.">with alacrity</a> and <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/sport/afl/afl-secures-revised-broadcast-deal-20200611-p551nc.html">some success</a>. It must also be noted that an absence of live TV would likely have had an impact on what has fast become the second-most-important source of review for Australian sport – <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/sport/gambling-s-share-of-nrl-revenue-could-well-double-that-brings-power-20200515-p54tbg.html">gambling</a>.</p>
<p>For the broadcasters, as the playing seasons in the AFL, NRL and other codes were about to begin, they were acutely aware that without sport a significant advertising hole would be left in their schedules for the next six months. Moreover, given the pandemic had halted production of other advertising-rich programs such as reality TV, and the postponement of key international events such as the Olympics would exacerbate the scarcity of live sport on the schedules, it was also in the interest of broadcasters not to walk away from such deals.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/355694/original/file-20200901-16-myj6lq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/355694/original/file-20200901-16-myj6lq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355694/original/file-20200901-16-myj6lq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355694/original/file-20200901-16-myj6lq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355694/original/file-20200901-16-myj6lq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355694/original/file-20200901-16-myj6lq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355694/original/file-20200901-16-myj6lq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">The postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics added further pain for broadcasters.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Eugene Hoshiko/AP/AAP</span></span>
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<h2>Lessons from a difficult year</h2>
<p>The lessons from all of this are that, despite its protestations, it seems inevitable Cricket Australia will also have to renegotiate its broadcasting deal with Seven. The reality for modern sports organisations is that, while they rightly lament the absence of spectators, a dearth of subscribers does much greater commercial damage.</p>
<p>Cricket Australia faces a slightly trickier situation than the AFL, NRL and others faced earlier in the year. A key <a href="https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/29757796/train-wreck-channel-seven-launches-attack-cricket-australia,-threatens-terminate-contract">concern for the domestic broadcasters</a> is that CA has been frustratingly slow in confirming its summer schedule. </p>
<p>Moreover, in renegotiating with other sports, there was never an issue that the best players available domestically in those sports would not play. Given the international demands and scheduling in cricket – notably Test matches against India and Afghanistan – it seems CA cannot guarantee the availability of the quality of player in competitions such as the BBL that the broadcasters feel their money deserves.</p>
<p>While matters now seem tense between CA and its broadcasting partners, the current standoff is probably all just part of the preening process. Already, <a href="https://www.theage.com.au/sport/cricket/big-cash-league-cricket-australia-s-bid-to-draw-world-s-best-to-bbl-20200831-p55r2h.html">CA has responded</a> by indicating it will be more aggressive in its recruitment of marquee international players for the BBL. It has also raised the salary cap for those on BBL rosters. A “relaunched” BBL in its tenth year and over the summer holiday period would be an attractive proposition.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/355699/original/file-20200901-16-ll4w19.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/355699/original/file-20200901-16-ll4w19.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355699/original/file-20200901-16-ll4w19.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355699/original/file-20200901-16-ll4w19.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=375&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355699/original/file-20200901-16-ll4w19.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355699/original/file-20200901-16-ll4w19.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/355699/original/file-20200901-16-ll4w19.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=471&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">A relaunched Big Bash League (BBL) this coming summer could be an attractive proposition.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Scott Barbour/AAP</span></span>
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<p>As the interim chief of CA, who is in an unenviable position, contemplates the inevitable phone call with the broadcaster, it might be advisable for him first to call the CEOs of the other sports organisation that have been recently through this process. The sport’s former, long-time boss Sutherland, recently installed as the CEO of Golf Australia, would also be worth talking to. Their experience could be invaluable for cricket in the weeks ahead.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-the-fall-out-from-postponing-the-olympics-may-not-be-as-bad-as-we-think-134531">Why the fall-out from postponing the Olympics may not be as bad as we think</a>
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<p>Finally, an interesting subtext to all of this is the emerging view that sports rights are <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-04-15/the-economics-of-tv-sport/9654004">overvalued</a> and the future of such deals lies elsewhere in streaming services and on other digital, even in-house <a href="https://www.afr.com/companies/media-and-marketing/why-sports-rights-have-passed-their-peak-20200429-p54oe2">platforms</a>.</p>
<p>But that is a matter for the future. For now, cricket powerbrokers should heed the advice of one of sport’s most colourful dealmakers, the boxing promoter Don King, who once said that, in sports contracts, you never get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/145246/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jack Anderson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The pandemic has caused massive disruption to cricket in Australia and revealed just how dependent many sporting organisations are on their broadcast deals.Jack Anderson, Professor of Sports Law, Melbourne Law School, The University of MelbourneLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1203022019-07-14T20:26:53Z2019-07-14T20:26:53ZEngland win Men’s Cricket World Cup in a last-ball thriller – now will the country see more matches on free TV?<p>To say, “cricket was the winner” doesn’t really cover it. England’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/jul/14/england-new-zealand-cricket-world-cup-final-match-report-super-over">astonishing World Cup victory</a> came off the last ball of a “super over” – a tie-breaker that was only needed because the game itself had ended in a tie. </p>
<p>On the final ball of a tournament that has lasted since the beginning of June it came down to this: New Zealand needed two runs to win, England needed to restrict them to one. If wicketkeeper Jos Buttler had fumbled Jason Roy’s throw as the Kiwi batsmen ran for their lives, the street parties would have been happening in Dunedin and Auckland. </p>
<p>No World Cup final could have been more exciting or demonstrated so clearly the passion, excitement and camaraderie that sport has to offer. The greatest game of one day cricket of all time? Given what was at stake, without a doubt.</p>
<p>British broadcasters, understandably, were celebrating as hard as anyone. Earlier in the day, BBC Test Match Special began its radio coverage of England’s victorious World Cup final with the words of <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/player/24598.html">England skipper Eoin Morgan</a>. The trophy was there to be won he suggested, but there was also an opportunity to promote the game on a “huge platform”.</p>
<p>His words bear some scrutiny. First of course, after losing finals in 1979, 1987 and 1992, Sunday’s victory at last confirmed England’s <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/48958223">recent dominance in one day cricket</a>. Secondly, it is significant that England’s captain is an Irishman. </p>
<p>England have never been concerned about <a href="https://internationalcricket.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_England_cricket_captains">their captain</a>’s birthplace or ethnicity. The role has been held, among others, by two other Irishmen, two Welshmen, a Scot, two sons of diplomats born in Trinidad, another in what was formerly known as Bombay, and another in what was previously Madras. </p>
<p>Diversity indeed, has defined English cricket since ultimate batting stylist Prince Ranjitsinhji <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/player/19331.html">made his England debut in 1896</a>. In the 2019 semi-final against Australia, it was <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/player/669855.html">Jofra Archer</a> — from Barbados with an English father — who drew first blood for England. He played a crucial role in the final – delivering the vital, nerve wracking “super over”, on which the whole championship depended.</p>
<p>Earlier, in the semi-final, the bowler responsible for the crucial removal of two Australian batsman in a single over was <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/player/244497.html">Adil Rashid</a>, a Muslim from Bradford. For those celebrating Britain’s cultural mix, the ovation he received as he returned to his fielding position was a special highlight in a day full of them. </p>
<h2>Every game’s a home game</h2>
<p>The tournament contained other such uplifting moments. India versus Pakistan for example, was <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2019/jun/16/india-v-pakistan-cricket-world-cup-2019-live">played with a bonhomie</a> unimaginable given that when they last met in a World Cup match at Manchester in 1999, the two nations were <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/pakistan-india-nuclear-bomb-kargil-war-former-cia-officer-sandy-berger-bruce-riedel-a6758501.html">technically at war</a>.</p>
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<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/mens-cricket-world-cup-the-story-of-the-afghanistan-team-and-why-its-such-a-crowd-pleaser-118302">Men's Cricket World Cup: the story of the Afghanistan team and why it's such a crowd pleaser</a>
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<p>And the balance of cricketing power undoubtedly now lies in the subcontinent. The MCC recently announced its first non-British president in the form of former Sri Lankan captain, Kumar Sangakkara.</p>
<p>Women’s cricket, meanwhile, is thriving in England, its exponents increasingly recognised for their skill first and their gender second. Indeed, former Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist recently judged England’s Sarah Taylor to be the <a href="https://www.espn.co.uk/cricket/story/_/id/23871418/sarah-taylor-best-wicketkeeper-world">best in that position in the world</a>, “male or female”. Seemingly cricket is a model of diversity and inclusivity.</p>
<h2>Is anybody out there?</h2>
<p>Which brings us to Morgan’s assertion that the game could be promoted on a “huge platform”. Of course, it’s potentially the case – but reality warns us otherwise. Until the final this World Cup, unlike its football and rugby equivalents, was largely hidden from view in the UK behind a Sky paywall. </p>
<p>The public appetite has been healthy enough, with BBC’s head of radio and digital, Ben Gallop, tweeting that even before the final, England’s semi-final was “our biggest live page of the year for any sport”. The audience on Sky though, peaked at around a million. When England’s women footballers played their World Cup semi-final against USA nine days earlier, the free-to-air audience on BBC was almost 12m. </p>
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<p>Consequently, suggests former England bowler <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2019/jul/06/england-cricket-world-cup-tv-infuriate-sky">Vic Marks in The Guardian</a>, England’s cricketers might well feel a little bemused that “such a huge chunk of the country has no idea who they are and how they play” . </p>
<p>When, during the memorable summer of 2005, England cricket <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/oct/14/the-spin-england-cricket-kevin-pietersen">last became a national preoccupation</a>, Channel 4’s coverage meant that enquiries about who was “in” and “out” were much more likely to refer to England’s batsmen than the contestants of Big Brother or Love Island. </p>
<p>But with these new enthusiasts on the hook, English cricket promptly threw them back, as, <a href="https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/sport/2019/07/english-cricket-only-has-itself-blame-forgotten-world-cup">according to David Skelton in the New Statesman</a>, it decided that “revenue was more important than growing the audience for the sport” .</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/cricket/cricket-world-cup-final-england-vs-new-zealand-live-free-to-air-channel-4-sky-sports-a9001226.html">late deal brokered</a> between SKY and Channel 4 to show Sunday’s final on UK terrestrial TV might be too little, too late. True, it might catch a wave of residual interest, but even so, only cricket could schedule its ultimate showpiece to coincide with the British Grand Prix and the men’s final at Wimbledon. Cricket in England now worryingly <a href="https://theconversation.com/womens-football-to-grow-the-game-dont-banish-it-to-pay-tv-119838">slides back behind its paywall</a>. </p>
<p>Change, in the form of a new cities-based competition called “<a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/cricket/the-hundred-format-start-date-schedule-teams-what-we-know-jonathan-liew-a8835086.html">The Hundred</a>” is coming next year. For purists, it is <a href="https://www.thecricketer.com/Topics/domestic/who_on_earth_is_the_hundred_for_we_try_to_identify_the_ecb's_mysterious_'new_audience'.html">not really cricket at all</a> and, by wooing an audience that it probably already had in 2005, the game is playing fast and loose with a loyal following it already has. </p>
<p>The World Cup might have been won by England, but if if young players in the country don’t get to watch their heroes, it risks wasting something special.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/120302/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Richard Thomas does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>It was the greatest advertisement for cricket, but now the game needs to be promoted to everyone, not hidden on pay-TV.Richard Thomas, Lecturer, Media & Communication, Swansea UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1188012019-06-18T08:47:28Z2019-06-18T08:47:28ZMen’s Cricket World Cup: diversity must be one of the rewards of a successful tournament<p>The ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup is well underway in the UK and fans of participating nations from around the cricketing world – many of whom live in the UK – are thrilling to the exploits of some of the game’s biggest stars playing in what is arguably the biggest competition the sport can offer.</p>
<p>England and Wales last hosted the Men’s World Cup 20 years ago. Since that time, some aspects of the game have developed substantially, while others have been seemingly more resistant to change. Among those changes, globally, we have witnessed growing interest for shorter formats – most notably T20, which is the shortest form of the game currently played internationally – and arguably, <a href="http://theconversation.com/cricket-more-twenty20-may-sow-seeds-of-demise-for-the-quintessential-english-game-75520">a declining appetite for test matches</a> – at five days, the longest, most traditional format.</p>
<p>As hosts – and number one ranked one-day cricket team in the world in 2019 - expectations on the England team have never been higher. And, what of that England team? The starting line-ups have so far featured three black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) players in Adil Rashid and Moeen Ali, whose family origins are in Pakistan, and Jofra Archer – the team’s latest star, who was born and raised in Barbados, but who has qualified for England thanks to his father, who is English.</p>
<p>Rashid and Ali have been part of the England line-up throughout the period since the last World Cup in 2015, while Archer only actually qualified to play for England in March this year. This was earlier than expected, following the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/46382499">decision to relax its residency ruling</a> from seven to three years from January 1, 2019.</p>
<p>In addition to Archer’s proven on-pitch ability to take wickets and win matches, there will inevitably be discussions about his off-field ability to stoke up interest in the game among young black people. Cricket – like any sport – has to compete for participants, and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/jun/04/england-cricket-broadcasting-bbc-champions-trophy">the latest figures show</a> that fewer than 280,000 people in the UK regularly play cricket, almost half of what it was 20 years ago.</p>
<h2>A sport for all</h2>
<p>In recent times, the ECB has not been shy to use the representation and success of its BAME players as part of its marketing strategies. Moeen Ali in particular – <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2015/jun/13/monty-panesar-england-forgotten-spinner">like Monty Panesar before him</a> – has become somewhat of a cult hero among many white England supporters and is even more popular among <a href="https://www.skysports.com/watch/video/sports/cricket/11392620/englands-south-asian-conundrum">British South Asian supporters</a></p>
<p>The ECB’s attempts to reach out to underrepresented groups was well illustrated in June 2018 when it partnered with broadcaster Sky to make the second test of England’s series against Pakistan into what they called <a href="https://yorkshireccc.com/news/view/6679/ecb-and-sky-to-partner-on-participation-test">“The Participation Test”</a>. During the lunch interval on each day of the test, Sky showcased some of the ECB’s equality and diversity work – initiatives which ranged from shining a spotlight on disability cricket and the women’s game as well as its programmes to encourage more young people into cricket: <a href="https://www.chancetoshine.org/about-us">Chance to Shine</a>, a national charity, which aims to give more young people (mainly those in state schools) access to cricket, and <a href="https://www.ecb.co.uk/play/all-stars">All Stars</a>, the ECB’s newest initiative aimed at getting children aged between five and eight involved in the sport. </p>
<p>Of particular interest to me, as someone who has been working on ethnic diversity in cricket for over a decade, was the launch of the ECB’s <a href="https://www.ecb.co.uk/south-asian-action-plan">South Asian Action Plan</a>. This comprises 11 points and aims to create more opportunities for South Asian communities to engage with cricket while building strong relationships between South Asian communities and the ECB, the counties and individual clubs. The plan also focuses on ways to use cricket to <a href="https://www.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/blogs/expert-opinion/2018/05/cricket-ecb-action-plan-response/">make a positive difference to communities</a>.</p>
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<p>The ECB’s strategy to engage with South Asian communities and drive up interest and participation among these groups <a href="http://eprints.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/1341/">makes sense</a>. <a href="https://www.sportengland.org/research/active-lives-survey/">The Active Lives Survey</a> shows that, overall, while people from BAME communities are no longer less likely to participate in sport than white Britons, <a href="https://www.ethnicity-facts-figures.service.gov.uk/health/exercise-and-activity/physical-activity/latest">participation by those from South Asian backgrounds</a> in sport in general is still relatively low . </p>
<h2>Diversity the watchword</h2>
<p>But cricket is rather different. Despite only making up approximately 11% of the overall British population, <a href="https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/42412706.pdf">research for the ECB</a> identified that no less than 30% of grassroots cricketers are drawn from BAME groups – and the game is particularly popular among those from South Asian communities.
But research I have been involved in suggests that ethnic diversity at grassroots level is <a href="http://eprints.leedsbeckett.ac.uk/782/3/LMU%20-%20South%20Asian%20Cricket%20Coach%20Project%20-%20Final%20Report%20-%20Draft%202%20-%2014-11-2014.pdf">not necessarily transferring</a> into other aspects of the game, such as coaching. </p>
<p>Using information published on the websites of the 18 “first-class” counties in England and Wales, for the 2019 season – excluding those registered as overseas – only 30 of 362 male players (8.3%), ten of 106 female players (9.4%) (seven registered to one county), seven out of 118 managers/coaches (5.9%) and nine of 79 male Academy players (11.4%) were from a BAME background. </p>
<p>So, compared to the BAME population, these figures (excluding those related to coaching) do not immediately appear too serious. But research has consistently identified that BAME representation on the pitch is only a partial win because <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01419870.2013.790983">experiences of participation</a> are often tinged with perceptions of exclusion and racism. Moreover, something that the ECB will be very keen to learn is how they can get more BAME groups and individuals into stadiums to follow the national and county teams. </p>
<p>Notwithstanding the excellent attendance figures (and anecdotally, significant diversity in attendance) for the World Cup to date, it is well acknowledged that the England cricket team struggles to <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1012690211416556?journalCode=irsb">garner the support of British BAME communities</a>. </p>
<p>I hope the England team is successful at the World Cup – and I hope that success will have an impact on the level of interest in the sport. But we should not get carried away by assuming that <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/jun/04/england-cricket-broadcasting-bbc-champions-trophy">increased exposure to the sport</a> – for example, via media coverage (which is, sadly, mostly hidden behind a Sky pay wall) – and increased interest in the sport will necessarily lead to <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/16184742.2014.996583">increased numbers of players, coaches, spectators or volunteers</a>. </p>
<p>What cricket – and any sport – needs is commitment and resources <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19407963.2017.1406676?journalCode=rprt20">from the top</a>, not to mention a workforce that is skilled in and knowledgeable about the communities it serves to take advantage of the unquestionable potential of events like the Cricket World Cup.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/118801/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Thomas Fletcher does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Participation in grassroots cricket by black and minority ethic players is strong, but players often experience exclusion and racism.Thomas Fletcher, Senior Lecturer, Events, Tourism, Hospitality and Languages, Leeds Beckett UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1183022019-06-11T09:48:19Z2019-06-11T09:48:19ZMen’s Cricket World Cup: the story of the Afghanistan team and why it’s such a crowd pleaser<p>The latest data from the Office of National Statistics estimates there were about 76,000 people identifying as Afghan nationals living in the UK. When their cricket team played their first match in the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup on June 1, it must have felt to their Australian opponents as if a fair proportion of that population had come to Bristol to cheer their team on.</p>
<p>As it turned out, Australia – a giant of the cricket world who have won the World Cup five times – beat Afghanistan quite easily, as expected. But the spirit in which the Afghanis played and the ebullience of their supporters in the crowd won them many friends among neutrals, who were quite happy to cheer them on against the “old enemy” from down under.</p>
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<p>To some, the inclusion of Afghanistan on the world sporting stage may come as a surprise, as the country is more popularly known for its long history of war, conflict and colonial and imperial rule than sporting prowess. But this is its second men’s World Cup tournament and the national team won many admirers for the way in which it <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2015/feb/26/cricket-world-cup-afghanistan-scotland-report">beat Scotland in the 2015 World Cup</a> held in Australia and New Zealand.</p>
<p>Like most countries that were former territories of the British Empire, cricket was <a href="https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/full/10.1108/JACPR-12-2012-0016?mobileUi=0&">played in Afghanistan during the 19th century</a> but the the Afghan Cricket Federation – now known as the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) – wasn’t formed until 1995. The Taliban lifted its ban on cricket in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/apr/01/cricket-afghanistan-world-cup">2000</a> and the first <a href="https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/716713">national team was formed</a>. </p>
<p>The team has been more recently supported by powerful political groups, such as the Hezb-eIslami/Gulbuddin (HiG), which congratulated the team after a victory against Pakistan. Before a 2012 one-day international between Afghanistan and Pakistan, Taliban representatives contacted the ACB to offer support. These groups perhaps saw cricket as a way to demonstrate the <a href="https://surface.syr.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1004&context=exchange">legitimacy of their regime, locally and globally</a>.</p>
<p>From 2001, the team quickly progressed and made the semi-final of the Asian Cricket Council Trophy in 2006. In April 2009, Afghanistan gained one-day international status – an incredible achievement in just eight years which they justified with their World Cup win over Scotland in 2015.</p>
<h2>Coming of age</h2>
<p>In 2017, Afghanistan was <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/40364481">awarded full member status of the ICC</a> and played its first test match in 2018, <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/series/18544/game/1133983/india-vs-afghanistan-only-test-afg-in-india-2018http://www.espncricinfo.com/series/18544/game/1133983/india-vs-afghanistan-only-test-afg-in-india-2018">losing heavily to India</a>, one of the game’s giants. But they recovered to win a <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/series/19052/report/1168120/afghanistan-vs-irelan">one-off test against Ireland</a> in March 2019. Playing in test “whites” is significant as it reflects a form of acceptance on to cricket’s world stage. </p>
<p>But this appearance as being global equals in cricketing terms masks underlying tensions between former colonial powers and colonised countries about how cricket should be played. What forms of cricket are most valued – test cricket or limited overs competitions – remain contested, with the Western countries tending to value the longer form of the game and with Asian countries generally preferring one-day cricket. </p>
<p>As part of the shift in dominance in the game – and the growing power of the Asian countries, the Asian Cricket Council has helped support the Afghan team alongside the ICC providing funding to support the development of cricket in the region. Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India – which recently offered use of training facilities in Uttar Pradesh – have supported the development of the Afghan team, which strengthens cricket in the South Asia region. At grassroots level, The <a href="http://afghanconnection.org/rise-afghan-cricket">Afghan Connection</a>, a UK based charity, has – in partnership with the MCC – supported cricket development in Afghanistan by <a href="http://afghanconnection.org/rise-afghan-cricket">building pitches and training coaches</a>.</p>
<h2>National identity</h2>
<p>Cricket as a metaphor for the Afgan nation was played out in the BBC’s 2012 film <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00ydj1r">Afghan Cricket Club – Out of the Ashes</a>. Despite unstable political conditions in Afghanistan, the film follows men learning to play the cricket and documents their friendships, passion and humour. Cricket was portrayed as the vehicle through which against all the odds, as refugees living in makeshift camps in Pakistan, these men found hope, salvation and a reason to feel proud of their nation. </p>
<p>This popular metaphor offers a romantic view that cricket is the way to bring peace to Afghanistan. Globally, the success of Afghan cricket has captured public imagination because of Afghanistan’s perceived inferiority globally – in cricketing and socioeconomic terms – to the West. Beating “them”, the former imperial and colonial nations, at their own game, mirrors broader power struggles that ordinary Afghans across the diaspora negotiate and challenge on a daily basis.</p>
<p>Despite its popularity in Afghanistan, cricket does not embrace everyone. Women’s cricket is not supported by the state or any other social institution. A women’s cricket team was formed in 2010 but disbanded in 2014 by the ACB, partly due to lack of funds and also due to death threats which <a href="https://www.rferl.org/a/afghanistan-girls-want-a-cricket-league-of-their-own/29175022.html">threatened the girls and women’s safety</a>. </p>
<p>In this context girls and women continue to organise their own teams and they play cricket to challenge ideas of Muslim female fragility, and create their <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9781315637051/chapters/10.4324/9781315637051-6">own spaces to play on their own terms</a>. This is why the ICC has granted Afghanistan full test status, despite regulations which state that new member nations must have a women’s national team to be eligible. This exception <a href="https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9781137323514">reproduces gender inequalities</a> and is contradictory to the ICC’s commitment to the global development of women’s cricket.</p>
<p>On Tuesday June 18 at the Old Trafford cricket ground in Manchester, 19,000 spectators will attend and millions more will watch and listen on TV and radio. Many of these will be Afghan fans hoping to see their team excel against England – the host country and favourite to win the competition. The match will no doubt evoke media narratives about peace, war and ongoing conflict – but even if history is made on the cricket pitch, and huge celebrations follow, we need remember the Afghan people and their ongoing day-to-day realities beyond the boundary.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/118302/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Philippa Velija does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>One of the highlights of the 2019 men’s cricket World Cup is the Afghan national team and their global support.Philippa Velija, Head of Education and Sociology, School of Sport, Health and Social Sciences, Solent UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/813042017-07-21T12:08:28Z2017-07-21T12:08:28ZWomen cricketers hit sixes too<p>The England women’s cricket team will be met by a <a href="https://www.icc-cricket.com/media-releases/439649">sell-out crowd</a> of 26,500 people as they walk through the Long Room and out onto the pitch at Lord’s for their World Cup final clash against India on July 23. The last time England won this competition on home soil, in 1993, the players had to <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/cricket/article-4711930/Jo-Chamberlain-drove-England-s-World-Cup-win-1993.html?ITO=1490">receive special permission</a> to make the same walk through the pavilion, which did not officially open its doors to women until 1999. </p>
<p>This record attendance for an international women’s cricket game in England and Wales is testament to the game’s development. But it also exceeds the expectations of many – including Lord’s owners, the Marylebone Cricket Club, which required reassurance from the International Cricket Council that it would be able to fill the nation’s largest cricket ground. </p>
<p>Encouragingly, 31% of those 26,500 tickets have been sold to under 16-year-olds. This positive sign of the growing popularity of the women’s game among young people was also evident in the inaugural Kia Super League – a 20-over women’s tournament – in 2016: <a href="http://annualreport.ecb.co.uk/">42% of fans</a> attended with families.</p>
<h2>Super strength</h2>
<p>A criticism of women’s cricket has been the perception that it is less entertaining than its male counterpart. A lack of sixes and slower bowling has been attributed to an alleged lack of strength and physicality in women. This perception has not been confined to cricket – many female athletes have had to battle against the traditional notion that strength is a “<a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/2159676X.2014.928897">quintessentially masculine attribute</a>”. This notion suggests that women are not only incapable of acts of strength, but that they should also be <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00336297.2001.10491733">viewed negatively if striving to achieve them</a>. </p>
<p>After England’s exit from the 2013 World Cup, coach <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/21461052">Mark Lane suggested</a> that part of their downfall may have been their lack of big hitters. The England squad have since channelled their efforts into improving their hitting. Alongside the already emphatic hitting ability of women players across the world, such as India’s <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/40668019">Harmanpreet Kaur who hit</a> seven sixes and 20 fours in her team’s semi-final win over Australia, this defies both the traditional notions of strength and the subsequent perceptions of the game. </p>
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<p>Players seek to combine strength with skill. The <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/">number of sixes England have hit</a> has risen from just three in 2013, to 20 in this year’s tournament so far. This continued increase in the quality of cricket, aided by the 2014 introduction of <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/26171943">full-time professional contracts</a>, is perhaps one contributor to the growth in popularity among fans and players across the country. </p>
<h2>Grassroots growth</h2>
<p>Since 2005, more than <a href="https://www.chancetoshine.org/about-us/what-we-do/girls-cricket">1.5m girls</a> in state schools have played cricket through the Chance to Shine charity. The number of clubs in the country with women and girls’ sections has risen <a href="http://annualreport.ecb.co.uk/">from 90, ten years ago, to now more than 700</a>. Chance to Shine street projects have also provided opportunities for young people who may not have access to local clubs. </p>
<p>Despite this growth, the 2014 ECB National Playing Survey indicated that still only <a href="https://www.kentcommunitycricket.co.uk/news/item/ecb-announces-key-findings-from-2014-national-cricket-playing-survey">7% of participants</a> in England and Wales were female. </p>
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<p>The England womens’ World Cup games have had a community feel to them. Average ticket sales have been higher than any previous women’s World Cup at around 1,700 per game and women have <a href="https://www.icc-cricket.com/media-releases/439649">purchased</a> 50% of the tickets. These matches have been well-attended by women and girls’ club teams from across the country coming together to support the national team. </p>
<p>These fixtures provide the perfect social opportunity for the women and girls’ cricket community in a family-friendly atmosphere. This is an atmosphere that seems to have been lost in some forms of the men’s game, such as the domestic T20 competition in which crowds are now often much more alcohol-focused than family-focused. </p>
<p>The presence of tangible, accessible role models in women’s cricket has also contributed to the rising interest in the game from young people. Prior to the introduction of their full-time playing contracts three years ago, England women were employed by the ECB as both players and coaches, allowing them to spend a large amount of time with young people in the game. The ongoing involvement of high-profile <a href="https://www.chancetoshine.org/about-us/what-we-do/girls-cricket/england-women-coaching-ambassadors">Chance to Shine Coaching Ambassadors</a> such as England captain Heather Knight – and a playing schedule that is less demanding on their time than the men’s – mean that this contact time has continued. The best women’s players in the country have been allowed to maintain a close, hands-on relationship with the grassroots game – a huge positive in the engagement of young people. </p>
<p>The strength of women’s cricket continues to grow in England and Wales. The second year of the domestic T20 Kia Super League begins less than three weeks after the World Cup final, featuring top players from across the world. This year <a href="https://www.ecb.co.uk/super-league/fixtures">eight games will be shown live on Sky Sports</a>. The signs for both the professional and grassroots games appear positive – and women cricketers are only going to keep hitting more and more sixes.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/81304/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Hannah Newman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>And they are attracting record crowds: Lord’s is a sellout for England vs India in the World Cup Final.Hannah Newman, PhD Candidate, Loughborough UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/385522015-03-10T06:19:58Z2015-03-10T06:19:58ZWhy England is so bad at one-day cricket<p>Even for a country accustomed to sporting defeat, this one hurts. England has been <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2015/mar/09/england-v-bangladesh-cricket-world-cup-live">unceremoniously bundled out of the Cricket World Cup</a> by Bangladesh. So where do we start? </p>
<p>First, hats off to the opposition, and while defeats against Australia, New Zealand, and Sri Lanka were to be expected, Bangladesh deserves special credit for its performance, which according to the betting odds at least, is a moderate, but not remarkable result.</p>
<p>Beyond that, there are two potential areas that might receive attention in the inevitable bloody postmortem: the current England team, and the current England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) regime. Each contributed to the dismal England performance, but the crucial point here is to determine the most significant cause and effect.</p>
<p>Let’s first look at the current England one-day cricket squad and the lead-up to the World Cup. The late changes to the squad, particularly the <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/cricket/international/england/11324893/Alastair-Cook-very-very-upset-at-losing-England-captaincy-says-James-Anderson.html">replacement of Alastair Cook as captain</a>, are well documented. This in itself would not have been a significant problem had it not been for the fact that the problems the revamped squad were meant to resolve were seen, even at the time, as potentially irresolvable. </p>
<p>It seems that the selectors were well aware of where the deficiencies lay, but had no real solutions, and on the whole, replaced like for like. These disruptions may have contributed to a clear loss of confidence and under-performance if nothing else. </p>
<h2>Second-rate stats</h2>
<p>It’s not that the squad lacks quality, but in comparison to most squads, including some of the affiliate nations, the team has no real one day match-winners. Yes, some of the players in this team have been match-winners in the past, but they are not on a par with the likes of <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia/content/player/5334.html">Aaron Finch</a>, <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia/content/player/325026.html">Glenn Maxwell</a>, <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/newzealand/content/player/37737.html">Brendon McCullum</a>, <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/westindies/content/player/51880.html">Chris Gayle</a> and <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/southafrica/content/player/44936.html">AB de Villiers</a>. </p>
<p>Even if we focus more soberly on statistics, only Joss Buttler and Moeen Ali feature in the tournament <a href="http://stats.espncricinfo.com/icc-cricket-world-cup-2015/engine/records/batting/most_runs_career.html?id=6537;type=tournament">top 50 batting strike rates</a>. On the same list, Bangladesh has five batsmen all with strike rate of more than 100. </p>
<p>In the ying and yang of one day internationals, the under-appreciated counter to a batting blitz is a bowler’s economy rate. Here in the <a href="http://stats.espncricinfo.com/icc-cricket-world-cup-2015/engine/records/bowling/most_wickets_career.html?id=6537;type=tournament">current top 50</a>, Bangladesh has four players with an rate of less than 5.5 runs per over. Admittedly, the Bangladeshi four aren’t high up the table and two are part-timers. England however have only one player – Moeen Ali again, with a economy rate of 5.28. </p>
<p>So it’s quite possible that beyond poor performance England lacks specialists, or at least one-day specialists to compete at this level. The stats going into the tournament would seem to have predicted England’s demise. Joss Buttler (111.30) and Moeen Ali’s (103.09) career strike <a href="http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/stats/index.html?class=2;filter=advanced;orderby=batting_strike_rate;team=1;template=results;type=batting">rates</a> are England’s highest and indicates their current World Cup performances are about par, but that level of firepower gets them to only 29th and 41st in this competition. </p>
<h2>Wrong priorities</h2>
<p>Beyond this team, those responsible for nurturing one-day specialists are the ECB and England Cricket. The price and value of broadcasting rights mean different versions of the game end up as winners and losers in terms of prioritisation. The knock-on effect is a domestic and international cricket landscape where specialist talent either develops of declines. For the ECB, test match cricket still rules the roost, with the one-day game a distant third behind T20 cricket. </p>
<p>But even here this hierarchy needs to be carefully unpicked. On the face of it the one-day game seems to be between a rock and a hard place – where 50 over-a-side provides a structure that neither suits the best test players, nor the best T20 players. </p>
<p>This comes with an added twist in that in England, the domestic T20 tournament is woefully behind the Indian Premier League, Australia’s Big Bash and the South African RAM Slam. The T20 league has to be seen as not an entity in itself, but a solution to a problem it cannot hope to fix. The shorter form of the game is really the sole surviving means for income generation for England’s 17 professional counties, as broadcast rights, sponsorship revenues and gate receipts make domestic one-day and four–day championship cricket uneconomical.</p>
<p>But does it make sense to have a domestic T20 competition with 17 teams? At present it does because there is no real appetite from the ECB to rationalise T20 cricket through a franchise structure, not only because of the fight from the counties that would involve, but also because the current competition provides life-support to county cricket, and a four-day double inning contest that is the proving ground for test talent. </p>
<p>The perennial scheduling problems that arise in trying to effectively accommodate T-20 with championship cricket are testimony to this uneasy alliance. All this means of course that one-day cricket, at domestic and to a lesser extent, international level, has been out of sight and out of mind.</p>
<p>Other countries have their own domestic and national cricketing issues, but seem to have adapted better in maintain a balance between all forms of cricket. England’s one-day team, which includes all but one of its test players (Alex Hales), clearly has not. It leaves only for Afghanistan to rub salt in England’s cricketing wound.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/38552/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alun Hardman does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>English cricket has given up on the one-day form of the game.Alun Hardman, Senior Lecturer in Sports Ethics, Cardiff Metropolitan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/376622015-02-18T16:04:10Z2015-02-18T16:04:10ZIreland to be cricket’s next super power? Don’t hold your breath<p>It may come as a surprise to some that the biggest story out of the 2015 Cricket World Cup this year has not been about hosts Australia, or its foes England, South Africa or India. Instead, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/31479350">Ireland’s shock win over the West Indies</a> on the second day of the tournament left many asking if the cricketing world order was about to shift.</p>
<p>The win confirms Irish cricket success can be sustained and is not based on neo-patriot has-beens and the “never-quite-made-it” players prominent in its <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/wc2007/engine/current/match/247465.html">2007 World Cup victories</a> over Pakistan and Bangladesh. </p>
<p>The current team is one of seasoned campaigners and eager early-career professionals effectively coached and led. Behind the scenes, the Irish Cricket Union has ambitious plans to <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/16698328">achieve test status by 2020</a>. Through astute collaborations with English first-class counties, Ireland can refine talents emerging from its domestic game with the aim of achieving what has so far been the hallmark of cricket status, to be an ICC member and play five-day matches.</p>
<p>As for the West Indies, the World Cup isn’t over, but the side bears hallmarks of a disparate, uninterested group with variable professional virtues. Despite the presence of Indian Premier League mega-stars such as Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels, it seems unable to find a unifying cause. This side may do better, but there is little prospect that it will repeat the successes of the 1970s team, winners in 1975 and 1979. Currently ranked 8th out of 10, the challenge for the test team is colossal.</p>
<h2>Where there’s a will …</h2>
<p>Do these stories say anything more about cricket’s world order in a wider sense? I think they do, but let’s put the global dynamics of cricket into perspective. Cricket is not football. In global terms, popularity and money means more frequent and greater fluctuations in the footballing world order – did anyone predict Costa Rica and Belgium could get so far in a World Cup? </p>
<p>In cricket, we have, and will retain, the big five – Australia, England, India, New Zealand and South Africa – which will continue to dominate on and off the field. Cricket, a game shackled by its colonial past and at variance with trends in modern living, will change its guard more slowly, less dramatically. </p>
<p>Change is more likely outside this group of nations and much depends on how the two vital ingredients for cricket success – the possession of a will and a way – are played out at a national level.</p>
<p>“Cricketing will” is a shared desire for on-field success framed by cultural heritage, social significance, and political capital. So the game will thrive better in countries where there is a long history of playing the game, where cricket contributes to a shared sense of identity, and furthering cricketing interests meet with broad political appeal. “Cricketing way” is about the availability of cash to build sustainable cricket systems. The flow of money into cricket to provide talent identification, player development, quality coaching, high-level competition and merited rewards is where performance excellence will occur.</p>
<p>The big five have both the will and a way to cricket success which will see them good for the considerable future – advantage to India if the wealth generated from the IPL is redistributed effectively to nurture the potential talents of its grassroots game. </p>
<h2>At-risk nations</h2>
<p>Where change is most likely is within the next tier of nations. At risk are Pakistan and Sri Lanka, who despite their history and passion for the game require significant advances in developing infrastructure to remain competitive with the big five. The most notable decline may happen to Sri Lanka, who will find it difficult to sustain the achievements of the past ten years. Internal political stability threatens Pakistan.</p>
<p>Then come the West Indies, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, who for varying reasons face challenges in sustaining the willingness and the means to merit their ICC status. These “at-risk” nations will be challenged on and off the field by successful associate nations. </p>
<h2>Newcomers</h2>
<p>At the present World Cup, the gap between the “minnows” Ireland, Scotland, Afghanistan and the United Arab Emirates and West Indies, Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, all full ICC members with test-playing status, is smaller than ever. </p>
<p>The cricketing future of Scotland will be similar to that of Ireland. The other two nations are likely to progress the most, but for quite different reasons. </p>
<p>Afghanistan has improved its cricket status the most in recent years, though it did <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/cricket/31517951">lose its first game to Bangladesh</a>. Its challenge will be the extent to which its cricket infrastructure can progress alongside increasing economic, political and democratic autonomy. When left to go it alone, can Afghanistan find a way to match the cricketing will of its people?</p>
<p>The UAE (host to the ICC headquarters in Dubai) perhaps presents the greatest cricketing enigma; 90% of its <a href="http://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/labor-migration-united-arab-emirates-challenges-and-responses">7.8 million-strong migrant population</a> out of a total population of 9.2m come from India, Pakistan or Bangladesh. While oil revenue has provided a way to support cricket development, at the same time a national transformation has also created the “cricketing will”. </p>
<p>Changes in cricket tastes, particularly a growing resistance to the charms of the longer form of the game (Ashes aside) is developing faster than changes to international rankings. The irony may be that by the time any associate nation satisfies the criteria for ICC full member status, the right to play test cricket may well be a burden rather than a blessing. So Ireland, UAE and others, be careful what you wish for – campaigning for the right to play test matches may be like signing up for a gourmet French cooking course and learning how to make French toast.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/37662/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Alun Hardman receives funding from Welsh Assembly Government.</span></em></p>It may come as a surprise to some that the biggest story out of the 2015 Cricket World Cup this year has not been about hosts Australia, or its foes England, South Africa or India. Instead, Ireland’s shock…Alun Hardman, Senior Lecturer in Sports Ethics, Cardiff Metropolitan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/377012015-02-17T03:47:10Z2015-02-17T03:47:10ZThe honeymoon is over for India’s Modi, thanks to Delhi’s ‘AK-67’<p>A taste of the unpredictable, raucous world of Indian politics came to the Adelaide Oval as India played Pakistan in their Cricket World Cup showdown.</p>
<p>In front of me was an India supporter wearing a Modi mask. Party volunteers donning masks of <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-man-who-dines-alone-26758">Narendra Modi</a> became ubiquitous in the election campaign that brought him to power last year. “Modi! Modi! You’re here?” shouted a man behind me, leading me to assume he was a fan of the controversial prime minister. </p>
<p>Minutes later, however, he shouted “Kejriwal! 67!” – a reference to the landslide victory of <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-19796991">Arvind Kejriwal</a> and his Aam Aadmi (common man) Party (AAP) in this month’s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delhi_Legislative_Assembly_election,_2015">Delhi state election</a>, in which the AAP won 67 of the 70 seats.</p>
<p>Three men later walked past us wearing Gandhi topis (hats) emblazoned with the party’s name and slogan – a symbol worn by the AAP’s legions of volunteers. This prompted yells of:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>AAP! You won Delhi and now you’re here! I’m so glad to see you here! Kejriwal! 67!</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Suddenly, thanks to the AAP’s unexpectedly sweeping victory, the dominant narrative of Indian politics has changed. Modi’s much-vaunted political “wave” in the 2014 national election has been brought to a grinding halt by a political upstart who had been <a href="http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/modi-targets-anarchist-kejriwal/article6775417.ece">dismissed as an “anarchist”</a> by Modi. Modi campaigned in Delhi for his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and it lost 28 seats, retaining only three.</p>
<h2>A stunning twist on AAP’s rise and fall</h2>
<p>A former civil service officer and activist, Arvind Kejriwal is known affectionately by his supporters as “Muffler Man” for his penchant for wrapping his head in a muffler to ward off the cold during Delhi’s bitter winters.</p>
<p>Kejriwal’s AAP burst onto the Indian political scene in December 2013, tapping into growing disaffection over corruption to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delhi_Legislative_Assembly_election,_2013">win enough seats</a> in the Delhi state election to head a minority government.</p>
<p>The party has attracted high-profile candidates and supporters. They include India’s leading human rights lawyer, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prashant_Bhushan">Prashant Bhushan</a>, activist <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medha_Patkar">Medha Patkar</a>, social scientists <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yogendra_Yadav">Yogendra Yadav</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajmohan_Gandhi">Rajmohan Gandhi</a> (a grandson of Mahatma) and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meera_Sanyal">Meera Sanyal</a>, who quit her job as head of the Royal Bank of Scotland to contest the national election. The AAP’s victory also represented a new type of politics – one not grounded in dynasties, class or identity politics, but in issues of livelihoods and accountability.</p>
<p>But the AAP’s stint in power was short-lived. After failing to get his anti-corruption bill through the state legislature, Kejriwal resigned as chief minister after 49 days. That left Delhi under the control of the central government for more than a year while fresh elections were organised. The AAP <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_general_election,_2014#Other_parties">performed poorly</a> in the 2014 national election and lost support in Delhi, where voters punished it for prematurely quitting government.</p>
<p>In the meantime, Modi had quite the dream run after his 2014 election victory. He was <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-indian-pm-is-doing-the-rounds-and-look-what-hes-getting-out-of-it-32673">feted by world leaders</a>, including Tony Abbott and Barack Obama, and <a href="http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/11/17/thousands-gather-rock-star-modi-sydney-stadium">fawned over</a> by the Indian diaspora.</p>
<p>Opposition to Modi’s rule has been muted. The Congress Party, which Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party trounced in the national election, remains in disarray. It has been wiped out as a political force in Delhi – a remarkable state of affairs for the “grand old party”, which dominated Delhi politics for 15 years. </p>
<p>A powerful regional rival of Modi, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jayalalithaa">Jayalilithaa</a>, was recently convicted of corruption. Another regional leader, Mamata Banerjee, has been <a href="http://indianexpress.com/article/india/west-bengal/peoples-magic-says-mamata-as-trinamool-edges-closer-to-win-bypolls-in-west-bengal/">put on the defensive</a> by the BJP’s electoral inroads in her state of West Bengal.</p>
<h2>Modi faces rising discontent</h2>
<p>However, discontent has been brewing within the electorate and within Modi’s Hindu nationalist movement. The last nine months have brought little of tangible benefit to the <em>aam aadmi</em>; Modi’s government is increasingly seen as favouring the business elite. </p>
<p>The government has sought to alter labour laws and the previous government’s social policies on welfare and land acquisition to make them more business-friendly. It has also attempted to undertake these reforms through stealth – by-passing democratic debate by introducing ordinances to dilute existing legislation. This is counter to the expectations of greater accountability and transparency that have been at the core of voters’ demands.</p>
<p>The BJP’s grass-roots affiliate, the <a href="http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/919613/Rashtriya-Swayamsevak-Sangh-RSS">Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh</a> (RSS), has also revived the spectre of destabilising social conflict through its attacks on churches and campaigns against Valentine’s Day and the supposed rising prevalence of Muslim men marrying Hindu women.</p>
<p>Modi and the BJP leadership seem to regard these incidents as embarrassments, but they also appear to be struggling to control these extremist elements. Another problem is the RSS’s unhappiness with the pro-business, pro-market thrust of the BJP’s economic policies.</p>
<p>The Hindu nationalist movement has long been divided between those espousing hardline Hindu nationalism and anti-globalisation economics and those, like Modi, who are committed to pro-market, pro-business economics and use the divide-and-rule politics of Hindu nationalism as a tool to win power. These tensions are now coming to the fore.</p>
<h2>AAP comeback galvanises opposition</h2>
<p>Despite being punished in the national election, the AAP and Arvind Kejriwal remained popular. This was because even his brief period in office resulted in tangible change in the lives of Delhi’s inhabitants. Stories abound about how corruption dropped during the AAP’s 49 days in power thanks to the introduction of measures like a <a href="http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-others/aap-to-bring-back-corruption-hotline-lokpal-bill-in-houses-second-sitting/">phone hotline</a> to report corrupt officials.</p>
<p>Kejriwal has acknowledged his resignation was a mistake and asked for Delhi’s forgiveness. An electorate eager for new ideas and a new style of politics has been keen to oblige.</p>
<p>While it has <a href="http://www.ndtv.com/delhi-news/looking-to-spread-wings-in-four-states-in-next-five-years-says-aaps-yogendra-yadav-739715">national aspirations</a>, the AAP remains a regional electoral presence confined to Delhi and Punjab. The Kejriwal team, dubbed “AK-67” by the media, has a long road ahead to address Delhi’s myriad governance problems.</p>
<p>Nonetheless, the AAP and Kejriwal have emerged as a visible face of opposition to Modi. Kejriwal’s modest dress sense and persona and his campaign against India’s “VIP culture” present a stark contrast to Modi’s “strong man” image and love of expensive monogrammed suits.</p>
<p>The AAP’s victory in Delhi has also reinvigorated opposition politics. The first face-off will be over the BJP’s <a href="http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-decoded-what-changes-has-the-narendra-modi-government-made-in-the-land-acquisition-ordinance-2048240">Land Acquisition Ordinance</a>. Modi is eager to have this passed through the upper house, where the BJP is in the minority, to facilitate the acquisition of land for industrial developments.</p>
<p>With a galvanised opposition – including the AAP, the Congress, the RSS, the Left and regional parties – Modi’s task just got a whole lot tougher. The honeymoon is definitely over.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/37701/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Priya Chacko is affiliated with the Australian Greens.</span></em></p>A taste of the unpredictable, raucous world of Indian politics came to the Adelaide Oval as India played Pakistan in their Cricket World Cup showdown. In front of me was an India supporter wearing a Modi…Priya Chacko, Lecturer in International Politics, University of AdelaideLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/374772015-02-13T00:28:47Z2015-02-13T00:28:47ZAustralia’s summer of sporting events – has it been worth it?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/71825/original/image-20150212-13226-vlxswg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The second major sporting event Australia is hosting this summer, cricket's World Cup, begins on Saturday night.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP/Paul Miller</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The cricket World Cup’s opening game, which pits Australia against England on Valentine’s Day, is the latest twist in a summer in which Australia has played host to two of the world’s biggest sporting events. Football’s <a href="http://www.afcasiancup.com/">Asian Cup</a> and cricket’s <a href="http://www.icc-cricket.com/cricket-world-cup">World Cup</a> have brought representative teams of 27 sporting nations to these shores in pursuit of two elusive trophies. </p>
<p>The curious geography of international sport has meant that the only countries participating in both tournaments are Australia and the United Arab Emirates. Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney are the only Australian cities to stage both football and cricket games.</p>
<p>Apart from the surprising entertainment of the Australia Day <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-01-27/abbott-facing-growing-backlash-over-prince-philip-knighthood/6047750">knighting</a> of Prince Philip and the ensuing <a href="https://theconversation.com/au/topics/liberal-leadership-crisis">political turmoil</a> in the Liberal Party, sport has offered the summer’s most conspicuous contests. By the time the cricket World Cup final rolls around on the eve of Easter, matches will have been running ever since the pre-Christmas Test matches against India. </p>
<p>But what is the significance and value of these festivals of international sport? Are they worth the effort, cost and risk? Large quantities of public money are spent in securing and presenting them, including <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/afc-asian-cup/socceroos-asian-cup-semifinal-wont-be-moved-to-sydney-despite-hunter-stadium-limitations-20150118-12srbm.html">keen competition</a> between the states for host rights “packages”. </p>
<p>International sport creates a massive carbon footprint that is hardly good news for planetary sustainability. As cultural researcher Toby Miller has <a href="http://tobymiller.org/images/Sports/Consumerism/Afterword.pdf">noted</a>, the 2010 World Cup in South Africa:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>… had the largest carbon footprint of any commercial event in world history: 850,000 tonnes of carbon expended, 65% of it due to flights. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Few events in the world are more dependent on flying large numbers of people long distances than a major sports tournament in Australia.</p>
<p>There are also the familiar “bread and circuses” <a href="http://www.theage.com.au/it-pro/sport-so-much-chatter-about-nothing-20101124-186wc.html">criticisms</a> that sport distracts people from really important matters. If that sounds a little too puritanical, there is no doubt that “big sport” seriously disturbs the cultural and media ecology. Television and radio news program schedules are often changed and when the news can be accessed it’s likely to be led and dominated by the sport event that changed the schedule in the first place.</p>
<p>So, how convincing are the conventional justifications for hosting mega events? The most prominent case is economic and emphasises the benefits of sports-related activity, especially tourism. Tourism Australia <a href="http://www.tourism.australia.com/news/Media-Releases-2015-afc-asian-cup.aspx">described</a> the Asian Cup as providing a “free kick” in generating 500,000 spectators (it was actually 650,000), including an estimated 30,000 from overseas. </p>
<p>More diffusely, the advantages of attracting the wandering eyes of the world to Australia are stressed through television viewing figures. This was <a href="http://corporate.olympics.com.au/news/australian-victory-caps-stunning-asian-cup">estimated</a> at more than a billion worldwide for the Asian Cup. A similar number is <a href="http://www.icc-cricket.com/cricket-world-cup/about/279/about">predicted</a> for the cricket World Cup.</p>
<p>The economic benefits of hosting mega sporting events are <a href="http://www.e-elgar.co.uk/g_emag.lasso?ebook13isbn=9780857930279&title=International%20Handbook%20On%20The%20Economics%20Of%20Mega%20Sporting%20Events">notoriously inexact</a>. The equally common claim that mega sport moments make for sustained higher levels of sport participation and improved health and fitness are also <a href="https://theconversation.com/mega-sized-sporting-events-too-often-fail-to-deliver-health-legacy-31540">frequently discredited</a>. </p>
<p>The stubborn lack of evidence connecting mega sporting events to real profits and blooming health leads their proponents into more nebulous territory – such as that they function as important sport diplomacy vehicles, especially as Australia turns towards and embraces Asia, from which 20 of the 27 teams in the two tournaments originate. </p>
<p>While sport may encourage goodwill between nations, it can also provide a focus for geopolitical tensions. There were <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/sport/soccer/afc-asian-cup/angry-gulf-nations-leading-charge-to-kick-australia-out-of-asian-football-confederation-20150129-131e5g.html">rumblings</a> from West Asia, on the eve of the Asian Cup final between Australia and South Korea, that the host nation should be expelled from the Asian Football Confederation for not being Asian enough. The irony would not have been lost on sport diplomacy advocates and sceptics alike.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/71828/original/image-20150212-13188-1h0d5p2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/71828/original/image-20150212-13188-1h0d5p2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/71828/original/image-20150212-13188-1h0d5p2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/71828/original/image-20150212-13188-1h0d5p2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/71828/original/image-20150212-13188-1h0d5p2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/71828/original/image-20150212-13188-1h0d5p2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/71828/original/image-20150212-13188-1h0d5p2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Australia won football’s Asian Cup in dramatic circumstances on home soil in January.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP/Paul Miller</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>More seriously, had Indonesia qualified for the Asian Cup, sport diplomacy would have been a very delicate matter as many people make stringent attempts to save Australians <a href="https://theconversation.com/bali-nine-hypocrisy-politics-and-courts-play-out-in-death-row-lottery-36205">Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran</a> from the appalling prospect of a firing squad. </p>
<p>Sports events are characterised by assembling large numbers of people in confined spaces in a competitive atmosphere. While serious social disorder would have been unlikely, a “diplomatic incident” involving protest at the apparent determination of Indonesia to execute the two men would not. </p>
<p>In any event, the possibility of sport-related or facilitated <a href="http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17430437.2013.776246#.VNuJqPmUfxg">political violence</a>, and the enthusiasm of authorities for subjecting people attending or living near mega sporting venues to <a href="http://www.ashgate.com/isbn/9780754679455">heavy-duty control and surveillance</a>, has already inflicted some very undiplomatic indignities on them.</p>
<p>Despite – or perhaps because of – these concerns, the most reliable justification for hosting mega sports events is as boosters of national morale and collective identity. The vagaries of national team performance – as Brazil discovered to its deep shame in hosting the 2014 football World Cup – can put a dampener on pride in country. But it can have the reverse exhilarating effect, as many Australians found in winning the Asian Cup on home soil. </p>
<p>At the same time, event organisers have artfully harnessed the “old country” passions of diasporic sport fans in multicultural Australia.</p>
<p>Mega sporting events, in the final analysis, are exuberant and expensive parties. Not everyone wants to be invited to or attend them. But nobody could have ignored that across the summer, with its usual diet of the Australian Open tennis, cycling’s Tour Down Under, A-League football, domestic Twenty20 Big Bash and international tri-series one-day cricket, two very big travelling sport circuses swung by.</p>
<p>These mega events won’t be back for a while. But just as Australia’s summer of the sporting event recedes into history, it will already have merged seamlessly with the rugby and Australian rules football seasons. Too much sport, as the nation’s foremost sport philosophers have <a href="https://theconversation.com/too-much-sport-is-barely-enough-what-makes-roy-and-hg-funny-23311">pithily proposed</a>, is barely enough.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/37477/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>David Rowe currently receives funding from the Australian Research Council for the Discovery Projects 'A Nation of "Good Sports"? Cultural Citizenship and Sport in Contemporary Australia' (DP130104502)</span></em></p>The cricket World Cup’s opening game, which pits Australia against England on Valentine’s Day, is the latest twist in a summer in which Australia has played host to two of the world’s biggest sporting…David Rowe, Professor of Cultural Research, Institute for Culture and Society, Western Sydney UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/362512015-01-15T03:58:57Z2015-01-15T03:58:57Z‘You cannot be serious!’ A look at this summer’s elite sports officials<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/69087/original/image-20150115-3042-icn9y2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Australia will be blessed this summer with world-class sporting officials, who often operate under more scrutiny than any single player.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">EPA/Dave Hunt</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Sports-mad Australians are in the middle of a busy summer of world-class sport. We’re currently gripped by football frenzy as the best players in Asia ply their craft in the <a href="https://theconversation.com/as-the-asian-cup-kicks-off-can-australia-win-on-home-soil-35822">Asian Cup</a>. The world’s richest cricket team, India, has just lost to Australia in a four-Test series and the world’s best tennis players are currently spotted around our major cities. And not to be forgotten, cricket’s summer finishes with the World Cup.</p>
<p>The stakes are high. Most of the sports mentioned are operating under tournament conditions, where each game is vital and players are under pressure to perform and make the winning play. But more than just players and coaches are under scrutiny. With a summer of quality sporting talent on display, it is worth considering that we also have world-class officials – referees, umpires and judges – testing their skills and, often, operating under more scrutiny than any single player.</p>
<p>Officiating is a rewarding but thankless job in professional sport. Criticism occurs routinely and praise is often an afterthought. For example, Japanese striker Keisuke Honda, fresh from Japan’s 4-0 win over Palestine in the Asian Cup, publicly <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-01-13/asian-cup3a-japan27s-keisuke-honda-criticises-standard-of-ref/6013684?section=sport">criticised</a> the standard of refereeing. </p>
<p>In the final of the Hopman Cup – a key Australian Open lead-up event – Team USA spent five minutes <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-01-10/radwanska-shocks-williams-in-hopman-cup/6010634?section=sport">arguing</a> with the chair umpire and tournament referee.</p>
<p>Rather than criticising the official and their decision-making, players, coaches, spectators and the media should take a closer look at both the proverbial and literal playing field the official operates on and appreciate their skill and tenacity.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/69088/original/image-20150115-3021-1hbu3me.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/69088/original/image-20150115-3021-1hbu3me.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69088/original/image-20150115-3021-1hbu3me.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69088/original/image-20150115-3021-1hbu3me.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69088/original/image-20150115-3021-1hbu3me.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69088/original/image-20150115-3021-1hbu3me.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69088/original/image-20150115-3021-1hbu3me.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">An argument over an umpiring decision interrupted the final of tennis’ Hopman Cup.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP/Tony McDonough</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Follow the money</h2>
<p>In 2012-13, UEFA, the governing body of football in Europe, <a href="http://www.uefa.org/MultimediaFiles/Download/uefaorg/Administration/02/07/89/16/2078916_DOWNLOAD.pdf">spent</a> €29.2 million on “referees and match officials” for 1823 matches, ranging from underage internationals to the Champions League final.</p>
<p>Rough calculations put the average expenditure per match at €16,017 to cover the match fees, flights and accommodation for the four referees and supporting officials, as well as training and administration overheads.</p>
<p>Radamel Falcao, currently on loan to Manchester United, is reportedly paid <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/manchester-united/11068678/Radamel-Falcao-to-earn-265000-per-week-as-Manchester-United-pay-24-million-for-season-long-loan.html">£265,000 per week</a>. Officials are well-paid, but there should be no doubt they are driven by their love of the game and not a weekly pay cheque.</p>
<h2>Officials are skilful too</h2>
<p>As we delight in the skills of the likes of Roger Federer, Virat Kohli and Tim Cahill, take a moment to consider the skills of the unseen arbiter of the laws and rules. The decision-making of international sports officials is the best in the world. We’re not going to see anything better today. </p>
<p>According to the English Football Association, we’ve never seen more accurate decision-making. English Premier League referees are sitting at <a href="http://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/30704681#officialsinsport">95% accuracy</a>.
In how many games does Cristiano Ronaldo, the <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-01-13/ronaldo-wins-third-ballon-dor-as-fifa-player-of-year/6013580">world’s best footballer</a>, achieve 95% passing accuracy? He <a href="http://www.whoscored.com/players/5583/show/cristiano-ronaldo">doesn’t</a>. </p>
<p>Closer to home, the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) elite panel of umpires operated at a correct-decision average of <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/mcc/content/story/654885.html">94% in 2012/2013</a> (with technology assistance). What percentage of the time does a batsman play the right shot to a ball? As a spectator, how often do we think an unsuccessful LBW appeal is out before seeing the HawkEye result and feeling embarrassed?</p>
<h2>The globalisation of officiating</h2>
<p>For several decades, international sporting codes have insisted on the neutrality of their officials to mitigate the risk of home-nation bias. As a result, the officiating system has become increasingly globalised. </p>
<p>An internationally qualified official will rarely have a “home” game. They live out of their suitcase and work with other officials whose only thing in common is the love of the game they officiate. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/69089/original/image-20150115-3042-11ejyvf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/69089/original/image-20150115-3042-11ejyvf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=842&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69089/original/image-20150115-3042-11ejyvf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=842&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69089/original/image-20150115-3042-11ejyvf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=842&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69089/original/image-20150115-3042-11ejyvf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1059&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69089/original/image-20150115-3042-11ejyvf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1059&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/69089/original/image-20150115-3042-11ejyvf.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1059&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Internationally qualified officials rarely have a ‘home’ game.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">AAP/Dave Hunt</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Quality control at the international level is also difficult. Players in a national or club team spend up to ten months of the year together, training as a group and understanding each others’ strengths and weakness. This understanding is vital to their successful performance as a team. </p>
<p>International officials train within their own country with their national bodies. Training together at the international level might be limited to international <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-07-15/ben-williams-canberra-world-cup-referee/5597750">tournaments</a> or periodic training camps and teleconferences. </p>
<p>Within a single month in a season, an official may officiate at three different levels of competition. Ensuring each official is on the same page at the same time under these conditions is a great challenge, but one that international sporting organisations are adept at handling. </p>
<h2>An even playing field</h2>
<p>Investment has occurred in most sports to improve the quality of decisions and the well-being of the official. But there is always room for more. </p>
<p>For example, the ICC could invest its revenue surplus to supply a <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia-v-india-2014-15/content/story/810139.html">universal</a> Decision Review System (DRS) for every international fixture, not just ICC-organised fixtures such as the World Cup. This would ensure that every Test and One-Day International is officiated under the same conditions. Currently, an ICC umpire needs to change their approach to decision-making from one game to the next at the same level of competition. </p>
<p>Although officials are achieving better performance than ever before, elite sporting bodies can still invest more into officials’ training and teamwork. Investments in sports science, both physically and cognitively, can help improve the already high standard of officiating.</p>
<p>The rapid introduction of technologies to aid decisions brings new challenges. A cricketer would not use a new bat design at the international level without testing in other competitions. Can the same be said for <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci-icc/content/story/569991.html">DRS</a>? Research can solve uncertainty in how officials can best use decision-aid technology – not just on the accuracy of the technology, but also its translation into officiating. </p>
<p>Ultimately, elite international officials should have the same level of support, training and facilities that society affords to other world-leading professionals. </p>
<p>When the dust settles there will be winners and losers. Through our summer of sport, it is worth remembering how well sports officials are actually performing, along with the constraints that they are operating under. Rather than focusing on the one decision out of 100 that they get wrong, let’s celebrate their performance.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/36251/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Timothy Neville receives funding from the University of the Sunshine Coast and the Defence Science and Technology Organisation. He has experience umpiring Australian Rules Football in Adelaide, Sydney and Canberra.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Paul Salmon receives funding from the Australian Research Council.</span></em></p>Sports-mad Australians are in the middle of a busy summer of world-class sport. We’re currently gripped by football frenzy as the best players in Asia ply their craft in the Asian Cup. The world’s richest…Timothy Neville, PhD Candidate, University of the Sunshine CoastPaul Salmon, Professor, Human Factors, University of the Sunshine CoastLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.