Why cricket is still a subcontinental game in Asia

The 2023 Asia Cup, which starts on Wednesday, is going to feature six South Asian teams and as many as five of them are part of the Indian subcontinent. There is no representation from the remaining four regions of the continent - Central Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia and Western Asia. 

Often dubbed as the second-most popular sport in the world after football, cricket is no less than a religion in the Indian subcontinent. According to a survey by the ICC in 2018, the first of its kind, 90% of cricket fans are from the subcontinent. 

When Nepal take on Babar Azam's Pakistan in the Asia Cup opener on Wednesday, it's going to be the first time they will be facing a top-8 team in their ODI history. Nepal are one of the 20 Associate Members of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and one of only three non-Test-playing Asian teams to have ODI status.

But apart from the three ODI-playing Associate teams - Nepal, UAE, Oman - only Hong Kong, Singapore, and Bahrain have got chances to play Test-playing countries in international cricket, which means the rest of them are nowhere near top-flight cricket, despite being members of the ACC.

Although being just an administrative territory of China, Hong Kong has a richer cricketing history, while China, in spite of having a potentially lucrative market, has so far shown very little interest in the game.

Probably the biggest reason behind this is that Hong Kong was part of the British Empire. In fact, the game, originating in England, came to India with the East India Company. On the other hand, China was never officially a British colony and that's why people there took more interest in American sports like basketball, largely under the influence of the American YMCA.

Countries like China, Japan focus more on multi-sport events like the Olympics. As cricket has never featured in the Olympic Games since 1900, these countries didn't feel the need to grow a cricketing culture. 

But the possibility of cricket being played in the Olympics has resurfaced and if it happens, we could see a breakthrough of cricket in China, feels former Bangladesh captain Aminul Islam, now an ICC master educator. 

Aminul, who is widely regarded as the pioneer of cricket in the world's second-most populous country, believes China has the potential of becoming a cricketing hub. 

"China is a country where we sowed the seeds of cricket 16 years ago," he told The Business Standard. "The sporting culture and economy are very strong there, and it's a very populous country. The land there is very fertile for cricket and we are waiting for some rain in the form of the Olympics. If cricket makes its way into the Olympics, the face of the game will change forever."

Japan, though part of Asia, is not an ACC member, Aminul pointed out. The developmental works in Japan are looked after by the ICC East Asia-Pacific. Japan men's cricket team recently came second in the East Asia-Pacific Qualifiers but the general lack of interest is evident. 

"You're not taken seriously in Japan unless you're an Olympic sport. For non-playing countries, cricket is seen as a minor sport," Japan Cricket Association head of operations Alan Curr told Forbes in June. 

The complexity of the rules of the game is a big reason why it's difficult to introduce cricket to a non-playing country.

"One of the insights that came through from non-cricket fans, when asked what will make them follow cricket, they just said make it simpler," Aarti Dabas, the ICC's head of media rights, said when they conducted the survey in 2018.

The influence of the subcontinent in cricket in Asia is undeniable, and it's not a bad thing, as long as the sport is benefitted. 

"Cricket is progressing in Asia under the influence of the subcontinent countries - India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and now Afghanistan. Right now there are 20 Associate nations in Asia. It's a matter of joy that we now have three [Associate] ODI sides - Nepal, UAE and Oman. If we exclude Full Members, eight Asian teams are in the top 30 in T20I rankings," Aminul stated.

94 non-Test playing Members will collectively take 11.19% of the ICC's revenues in the ongoing cycle, much to the resentment of many Associate bodies. But Aminul, who has been working as an ICC official since his retirement, said the cricket's highest governing body is quite "generous" when it comes to funding the underprivileged cricketing nations. 

"There are two types of grants [for teams] - Competition grant and Scorecard grant. The members have to earn their money through their performances. I think the ICC is quite generous when it comes to funding. Facilities or the lack of them is a big issue and without them a cricketing nation cannot grow. The ICC is giving enough technical support."

"It's up to the particular nation's governing body to ensure match facilities. So, more than the revenues, the popularity of the game and the relationship of cricketing bodies with the government are important factors here," he added.

Aminul mentioned that the cricketing infrastructure in non-ODI Asian nations is getting better every day and more countries are showing interest. 

"Some tier-2 teams are coming through and we are providing newer teams like Kazakhstan and Tajikistan the support they need. These teams are now playing bilateral series as well. Myanmar played Singapore last week. We have taught people all over Asia how to coach, how to prepare grounds and pitches," he said.

The 2023 Asian Games will take place in Hangzhou, China in September. Japan, Qatar and Saudi Arabia - three ACC members - will host the next three Asian Games and since cricket is one of the disciplines in this competition, the participating countries will surely give it importance. 

Aminul hailed former cricket administrators Jagmohan Dalmiya and Ashraful Haque for their attempt to expand cricket in Asia and said their dream would come true very soon.

"Our preliminary job is done. Now it all depends on the respective countries. Cricket in the Middle East is making headlines like never before. If cricket goes to the Olympics, China and Japan will come through. The Asian Games will play a big part as well. Cricket will not be confined only to ICC events. It will feature in multi-sport tournaments."

"Cricket is going to be a big sport. Now it's the second-most popular game. If China plays it [seriously], its popularity will reach very close to football. I think in 10 years, it will reach a new high in Asia," he concluded.