Decades after Buddhism was brought to the Middle Kingdom, 2point6billion.com is helping another Indian religion come to China – Cricket! On Saturday, the Bashers Cricket Club, a Shanghai-bred, 2point6billion.com sponsored cricket side joined together for a day of family fun and cricket at the Dulwich Field in Pudong. The club, a collection of expatriate men from England, South Africa, America, New Zealand, India and Australia are members of the Shanghai Cricket Club with teams in both a 35-over league and a Twenty20 one. Saturday was a chance for the Bashers to get together and thank their sponsors, fans, and supporters for another successful season, and take part in a friendly, yet spirited inter-squad match.
Although it didn’t originate in China, Cricket is gaining popularity in the country. The nation became an International Cricket Council affiliate member in 2004, and hopes to have 720 teams by 2009 and 20,000 player and 2,000 coaches by 2015 according to the Chinese Cricket Association.
Here in Shanghai, the Shanghai Cricket Club, a mainly expat-based club that has two leagues and 10 teams, supports cricket development through programs at Tongji and Fudan Universities. The club also has beginner programs and coaching for students keen to learn the sport.
The SCC originated in 1858, when the first recorded cricket match was played between a team of officers from H.M.S. Highflyer and a Shanghai eleven on April 22, 1858. At the time, the cricket ground was located right in the middle of what is today People’s Park. In 1858, the ground was surrounded by “willow trees and flowers,” and adjacent to the racecourse.
Today, in addition to supporting two leagues and promoting indigenous cricket in China, the SCC also hosts an annual international cricket sixes tournament. Now in its 10th year, the Coca Cola Shanghai International Sixes 2008, to be held from September 19-21, draws teams from throughout Asia for three days of sixes cricket. The social cricket event of the year for China will also feature the likes of Ian Botham, Ian Healy, Alan Lamb and Merv Hughes.
For more information about cricket in Shanghai, please contact skipper@basherscc.org.
Another game played on cricket ovals is Australian Rules Football. Of interest is that both India and China are currently participating in the 3rd International Cup of Australian Football in Melbourne, Australia.
So far they are getting thrashed by countries that have been playing Australian Football (aka Aussie Rules) for 5 to 10 years – like USA, Canada, Ireland, Great Britain, South Africa, Nauru, Samoa, Papua New Guinea and Denmark.
Though other nations like Sweden, Finland and an Israel/Palestine “Peace Team” that are new to the sport are also struggling in the tournament. But then again South Africa came last out of 10 countries participating in the 1st International Cup of Australian Football in 2002, and is a potential finalist the way it is playing in this year’s 16 nation competition.
Australian Football and Cricket have long partnered eachother – for 150 years in fact – in Australia, sharing the same oval, often with the same club fielding a winter Australian Football team and summer cricket team. Cricket could find Aussie Rules to be a good partner in expanding the game into China.