Cricket in China
Hi friends in this article let us discuss about the topic which is encouraging for sports but also which will make a great impact in cricket.Ya friends this might be interesting as this article is about China's entry into cricket.At present China is given Affiliate member status by the International Cricket council
Its really a great news to hear that China has finally began to play cricket.But as usual they have their own style and they call this game in various names such as
1) "Shen shi yun dong"
2) "The noble game",
and this is a significant step forward for cricket as China is the largest populated country and cricket becoming famous there will result in the globalization of the cricket game to next level.The former ICC president Eshan Mani stated that
"Cricket cannot call itself a global game when one-fifth of the world's population is not aware of it."
Its good to know that they are aware of the game now.In 2006,the ICC Global Development Manager Matthew Kennedy stated thatÂ
"Developing cricket in China is a twenty-year project,"
and this is true as the Chinese usually have a long term plan so that they can perfrom efficiently as they did in Olympics, as they beat the USA and Russia to clinch the first place in the Medal tally.
As already mentioned the Chinese Cricket Association's long term plans and goals over the next 14 years includes the following
#) 2009: They should have 720 teams across the country in a well-organised structure
#) 2015: By this time they should have 20,000 players and 2,000 coaches
#) 2019: Should qualify for the World Cup
#) 2020: To gain Test status
The introduction of cricket into China is a threefold testing-ground,i.e
i) For the Asian Cricket Council Development Program
ii) The Chinese state sporting machine and
iii) The appeal of the game of cricket itself.
At present the coach of China is Rashid Khan,who was set in 2006 with the approval by the Pakistan Cricket Board .In 2008,Rashid said
"Development is new, coaching systems are new and China is new to cricket so it is not easy. It is like me learning Chinese by reading a dictionary and watching Chinese movies. To those who want quick results I say it is not possible, to those who want good results I say it is possible. But only if good things are done every step of the way."
But steps were taken already by the Asian Cricket Council in 2005, when formally introduced cricket to mainland China, and because of this much progress was made after that.As an impact to these efforts coaches, umpires and most importantly, player numbers in schools, have been increased.
Their first goal is to create a team, both Men's and Women's team,2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou.Since they host the game , they dont need to qualify and their entry is guaranteed.But they have to face a tough battle as they will face four Asian Test-playing countries,India,Pakistan,Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, along with three other pan-Asian qualifiers in a Twenty20 format. As this includes the Chinese participation, fans will be there and this is also another chance for making aware of the game there.
The Asian Cricket Council Development Officer for China, Aminul Islam says that
"China thinks cricket is the fastest way for them to earn money from sport and this motivates them very much."
There is a trend for non professional games in China not being developed as children between the ages of 13 and 18 are compelled by their parents and schools to put their studies ahead of all other interests.Dr. Liu Jingmin of Tsinghua University, Beijing said "No teenager in China plays sport for fun," says
But this can be overcome if the schooling institution support the sports,and the sport is income oriented, China's youth will shine in this game.
Preparation for 2010 Asian Games is going at a rapid rate, and there is detail plan which has been outlined by the Chines Cricket Association with the help of Asian Cricket Council(ACC).
The ACC Country Development Officer Aminul Islam,along with the national coach for China Rashid Khan with the other local coaches completed a wide-ranging search for talent in 2008 and they selected twenty-five schools in Beijing, Tianjin, Shenyang and Shanghai took part in this program.
Around 500 players were initially chosen after a comprehensive skills training and game simulations and from these 289 are going forward into specialized training programs with a few to creating a core squad for the Asian Games.
In this program a detailed information base of the players and their standards in different fields like batting, bowling and fielding was created and it will be maintained for future planning, development and training purposes and this database will be used to select the best players for the national men's and women's squads.I
n March 2009, Rashid Khan and Aminul Islam were joined by a coach for the women's team,and she is noneother than a former India international, Mamatha Maben.
The International Cricket Council and the Asian Cricket Council consider this effort as a 'Special Project' and they have also allocated funds specifically to develop cricket in China. The reason why the believe this as a big project is that global revenues for cricket will increase by 30 - 40% when China is established as cricketing nation, either as a venue, a participant or a breeding ground for future cricketers in the decades ahead.
Their first ever recorded match was on 13th January 2009 v Iran at Gymkhana, Chiang Mai, Thailand
The motto of the Chinese Cricket Associationis "ming tien hui gen hao", which means "a better tomorrow" and they have the desire to achieve their goal.
Like it on Facebook, Tweet it or share this article on other bookmarking websites.