Btw, I didn't know you where a cricket fan too, AURELIUS. A very pleasant surprise.
GiantKiller being English it is part of the DNA.
Though I have to say my interest in it has declined over the years. Cricket could be a global sport but it is still very much fixed in terms of the former colonies. The MCC for some hundred years and now the BCCI seem to have no real interest in developing it as a world sport.
Which is a shame as cricket was played in the 1850's in America, Holland, Germany and post war Argentina were very good at it as well. America unfortunately went down the baseball route dragging the likes of Cuba with it which was under their influence after the Spanish-American war into baseball and anti- English sentiment in Germany stifled it there and it never really took off in Holland.
I really feel for the associates and in particular Ireland. They have some excellent young players but how an earth are they going to move forward if they keep losing their talented kids like Dockrell and Stirling ? Instead of being rewarded for their sucesss they are being penalized.
In other countries like Kenya the abysmal organization has ruined the game with corruption and the less I say about Zimbabwe and it's evil despot the better. Nepal could do with a helping hand as well. They do pretty well in the u20 tournament yet seem to go no further.
I wonder if the BCCI could include them into the Ranji trophy perhaps. Can you imagine pace bowling at altitude in Kathmandu or hitting a hook shot ? Burma also has had to suffer despotism and so cricket has yet to develop there.
China has failed as with other team sports like rugby and football to make an impact despite introducing the sport into several areas. Papua New Guinea with Australian help look promising at this stage. In Japan baseball again under American influence post war is the king and it seems just the women there play the game.
There is a lot for administrators to do in order to propel the sport forward and make it truly competitive. At the moment it can be regarded like baseball as a minority sport in terms of country participation at the top level.