TOPIC:

For quite a while now I've been into this. It's one of the best things in sport. People from other countries really want to play "our" game and they love it...no thanks to Cricket Australia who hooked up with the BCCI of India a few years ago for profit...quite ilegally funneling money from ICC events to their own coffers...even aussies can be tempted by greed

My first post is from Rwanda......When I was writing about cricket and fighting the ICC, I got a message from a kid named Eric. He was 15 or so and he told me he would play for Rwanda one day and help that team up the rankings...he was right

And my second one for today is Masaomi Kobayashi from Japan.

I interviewed him when he was fairly young for a UK cricket site.

That was years ago, and he is now captain and the game has grown in Japan.....they have turf pitches at last and over 10,000 players participating...and oddly enough...the slower the game the more they like it....often you can get 10 runs scored off 100 balls at dometic level...good luck Japan and Masaomi

Grassy wrote: Good on you mate.Good to hear.

How's things in Argentine Cricket?

Same small number of clubs and private schools. No real growth sadly. Other nations have overtaken them.

Great article LH.Japan looks very promising with 10.000 registered players.The 20 over game imo will fuel the global growth.

To understand how big cricket has become in Afghanistan in the last 10 years, you only have to look at the popularity of their domestic competition. Of course, for the time being, international sides can't tour there, so all Afghanistan's international matches are played away but at some stage that will change and I imagine it will be a heck of an experience for any touring side. Interestingly, the sheer popularity of the sport there has seen it also spill over to neigbouring countries Iran and Tajikistan.

LH was told the Afgan Cricket story the other day by a Afgan.
During the Soviet V Mujhadeen war 1979-1989.And 89-93 v Afgan communist government. When the Mujhadeen where waiting for weapons or supplys they would cross into the safe haven of Pakistan. That's where they where introduced to Cricket.

gtrxuone wrote: LH was told the Afgan Cricket story the other day by a Afgan.
During the Soviet V Mujhadeen war 1979-1989.And 89-93 v Afgan communist government. When the Mujhadeen where waiting for weapons or supplys they would cross into the safe haven of Pakistan. That's where they where introduced to Cricket.

Yes exactly mate.

Also in some cases people fled Afghanistan into refugee camps on the Pakistan border.

Then when Afghanistan became a bit safer the returning refugees showed the sport to the general population and they loved it. Even the taliban accepted so legend has it.

Much the same as Rwanda when the returning refugees picked up the game in Kenya and more particularly Uganda, which is another country where the sport has really taken off but the Uganda story I'll save for another day.

PNG hgas over 180,000 people involved in their cricket program. At last the game is spreading from Port Moresby and Lae to the highlands and remote villages.

Even today, there is no road that goes from PM to Lae. Bringing the best talents together is a challenge.

Cricket is big in PNG these days...mainstream......they telecast PNG matches and some Australian internationals on TV.

And make no mistake, these boys have a better victory song than any AFL club and they belt it out when they win which is often nowadays

Another really important step in World Cup qualification for PNG today playing against UAE (A country with over 60% of it's population born in the subcontinent) in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Live scorecard www.espncricinfo.com/wcl-championship-20...e/match/1068736.html

Current points table

LH -- it is good effort by Ghana. Out of that lot, I would have thought Zambia would have been a wee bit stronger because of its Indian population. Also, I think Namibia should perform better than they do given that it has quite a large European population -- mostly Afrikaners.

It was amazing that Kenya made the semi-final? of a major international competition a few years ago. I remember Steve Ticolo being a good batsman and couple of useful leg spinners being part of the side.