Opinion | A glimpse within the ICC cocoon
Hong Kong's Twenty20 victory over Bangladesh brought fleeting fame, but it could have had more lasting benefits if not for official myopia
It has been 10 days since Hong Kong charmed the world of cricket by claiming the big scalp of test-playing nation Bangladesh at the ongoing ICC World Twenty20 in Chittagong. The glow still lingers.
For 24 hours, we grabbed headlines all over the world in cricket-playing countries. The players were chased by the BBC (Hindi service), and Indian and Bangladeshi newspapers wanting to know how a bunch of nobodies had been able to turn the tables on fancied opponents. China's CCTV included the fairy-tale result in their news bulletin. Social media was buzzing. Former Australian captain Steve Waugh sent a message of congratulations to Hong Kong head coach Charlie Burke.
It was wonderful. The players were walking on air. Munir Dar, 40, proudly showed his smartphone app, which revealed his name had appeared in 732 stories in newspapers, web publications and other media around the world after his gutsy innings lifted the team to victory.
Banned from bowling by the International Cricket Council for chucking, Munir was picked simply as a batsman and he came good at the very end, leading Hong Kong home to a remarkable two-wicket victory over Bangladesh, the first time Hong Kong had beaten an ICC full member at a world tournament.
It was a historic moment, made even more poignant by the fact that despite the upset, we were headed home. Yes, for 10 days, I too had been part of the squad, made welcome by Burke and his team. And I was sorry to be leaving on such a high, no thanks to the short-sighted view of the world governing body, which has made the game a closed shop.
It was a huge victory, not only for Hong Kong, but for the world of associate cricket
Unlike the other two great team sports the British Empire spread in the days when it ruled, cricket has never been given a decent chance to spread its roots. While the world governing bodies of soccer and rugby union have been more progressive, the ICC has been content to live in a cocoon, insulated in their make-believe world behaving as if everything is hunky-dory.