Sports

Ryan Campbell : “Cricket is getting restricted only to those few top countries”

Time icon November 23, 2021 | Last Updated: May 17, 2024 at 5:38 AM

Ryan Campbell, former Australian cricketer and current Dutch coach, has criticized the ICC’s decision to scrap the World Cup Super League and believes cricket may be getting smaller and less inclusive as a result.

Netherland Cricket Team are in South Africa for a three-match ODI series which is part of the Super League, which is set to be scrapped after just one edition. The 13-team league will decide the countries for the coming World Cup, which will be made up of hosts India and the nine best-placed finishers. But for 2027, the top 10 teams in the ICC rankings at a scheduled cut-off date won’t have to play qualifiers. Four more will be added to the main draw after a global qualifier. This policy, Campbell says, will further lower the chances of smaller teams getting to play against top-ranked nations.

Every Associate country is worried about their future in the game – Campbell

“The Super League was always meant to give that 13th team, an Associate, an opportunity to play the best teams in the world. It was the first time in the history of Dutch cricket that cricket was shown live on Dutch television. The scrapping of the Super League was disappointing for all Associate countries but that’s the decision that’s been made,” Campbell said. “Every Associate country is wondering what next? How do we play? Where do we get our fixtures? Is the World Cricket League Two going to stay in place? How do you get into a ranking league and compete for a spot in the 2027 World Cup? There’s lots of answers we need to find and I think that is only going to be in time.”

Campbell has requested the full members to understand the Associate game and their situations. They should make efforts to globalize the sport and be dedicated to grow cricket beyond the 10-20 countries that play it.

“I was lucky enough to be involved in the greatest team for Australian cricket and while I was there, I had no thought of what goes on in Associate cricket. I had no idea. I was drafted to go to Hong Kong and that was my first hard look at Associate cricket and the rigours you’ve got to go through, mostly unpaid. It really gets under my skin that the top cricket teams in the world – and I am trying not to be political here – but the facts are that we should be leaving this game in a better state for future generations.

“We can come out and say we want to be the most participated sport in the world and go on and ‘blah blah blah’ but if you’re not giving opportunities to the best Associate teams or teams lower down the scale to improve and go up against the big ten, it’s very frustrating. If you follow the game, teams ranked 11, 12, 13 are very close to teams 14, 15 and 16.

Our goal is to inspire the next generation to take up Cricket – Campbell

“Our short term goal is to finish 10th in the Super League. That’s always been our goal. That sounds a bit brash but this group of players will always set out to not just survive but show what we are all about,” he said. “We’ve got a lot of good professionals playing in the county system but also back home.

It’s really important for us that we go out there and to inspire the next generation of Dutch cricketers but also to show the world that we can compete against the best teams in the world.”