International Cricket's National Identity Crisis

For part of my uni course, I've had to write a magazine feature on any chosen subject. Unsurprisingly, I went for cricket, and specifically, the growth of 'foreign imports' in international cricket. It's set a couple of weeks ago so some of the dates are a little out, but it's all still fairly relevant. It's aimed mostly at those who are vaguely interested in cricket, but not massive fans, but I thought I'd put it up here anyway just so people can have a look if they're interested. Enjoy! Will

This week has seen the start of the qualifiers for the World T20 cricket tournament – a chance for cricket’s less-established nations to gain entry to the sport’s most lucrative tournament. These smaller nations lack the resources and infrastructures of cricket’s elite, so many are looking for any loophole in the rules in order to give them a competitive edge, including pushing laws on eligibility to their limits. Nations are spending a lot of time scouting and picking the best talent available – including players who aren’t actually from that country itself. Italy have won three of their five games whilst playing a team that consists of four Australians, four South Africans, one New Zealander and only two Italians, which begs the question, what makes international cricket a battle between the best of two nations?

The ICC (international cricket’s governing body) state that if a player is a citizen of a nation, he is allowed to play international cricket for them. While this normally means that only those born and raised in a country can play for them, there are ways of getting around the rules. If a person has just one grandparent from that nation, that is enough to gain citizenship, and a passport is granted if a term of residence is served. The cricketing administrations of these countries are fully aware of the loopholes in the laws, and are using the flexibility of certain people’s nationality to their advantage to improve their teams.

One nation that’s seen both sides of the coin is Ireland. Thanks to investment at grass-roots level, Ireland have been able to produce plenty of world-class talent, which has made them competitive at international level. However, without the lure of test cricket, Ireland have lost some of their brightest talents, with Ed Joyce switching to English colours in 2006, Eoin Morgan in 2009, and Boyd Rankin, Paul Stirling and George Dockrell all reportedly on the brink of changing allegiances. To counter this, Ireland has looked to the best of the English county scene whose chance at international level seemed to have passed them by, with former England Under-19 bowler Tim Murtagh being picked for the first time for this tournament after he successfully applied for an Irish passport. And to confuse things further, Ed Joyce is now back playing for Ireland after being dropped from the English team, with ICC rules permitting players to switch back and forth as and when they choose.

Supporters of Irish cricket would argue that ‘stealing’ players from England is the only way they’re able to compete, as England have been poaching their best and brightest talents for years. And some would argue that Tim Murtagh playing for Ireland is a non-story, as with three Irish grandparents it makes him as eligible as any. Tim himself is excited at the thought of playing for Ireland. “Through my grandparents I do have Irish blood in me. I’m coming up to my 30th birthday so realistically if I was going to play for England then that would have happened by now, so the chance of playing an international tournament is massive for me. Cricket Ireland got in touch and offered me the chance to play, and I jumped at it”.

Irish cricket expert Sinead Farelly, however, isn’t so keen on ‘plastic Paddys’ like Tim representing her nation. “It all boils down to one simple thing, your nationality is part of who you are. In Ireland we are very much into supporting the area you grew up in; the area that you call home. We love seeing players who came through our own training systems performing well on a national or international stage, and while we do delight in the presence of Trent Johnston [former captain, born in Australia] being in our sides; truth is, any time that we play, the Irish fans would always prefer to see an Irish player take to the stage”. 

But how should we define nationality anyway? The case of Geraint Jones is a curious one. Born and raised in Papua New Guinea to two Welsh parents, he moved to Australia when he was 12, and then to England when he was 22. Qualifying for England through his Welsh parents (the England team is officially the English and Welsh Cricket Team), Geraint became England’s most capped Welshman despite never having lived in Wales. After being dropped by England in 2006 and with his international career seemingly over, he was selected by Papua New Guinea for this World T20 qualifying tournament.  So who should Jones play for? PNG, the country of his birth? Australia, the country that he went to school and learnt cricket in? Or England, the country of his parents?

The question of nationality in international cricket is certainly an emotive one, and an issue that’s unlikely to go away. In today’s multicultural and multinational society, it’s very difficult legally to stop players from switching between nations as and when it suits them. But does players representing countries that aren’t their own go against everything international cricket stand for? Sinead certainly thinks so: “Cricket overcomes divides in our country – it’s a celebration of all things Irish be it Catholic or Protestant. When we play we stand together as a nation. I feel that some of that is lost, no matter which country, when imports are used to make up the numbers”. The fickle nature of fans, however, means that for most, blind eyes are turned as long as results are good, and the ruthless nature of the cricket boards, combined with the constant relaxation of citizenship laws worldwide, means that international cricket will continue to be a very international affair for a long time to come.

Middlesex Season Preview

For all us Middlesex fans, it's that time of year again where we just dare to dream. Could this be the year? Could this be the year where the inconsistencies are ironed out, and the promise and potential are realised on the pitch? Could this be the year where the luck turns, or where someone makes thousands of runs or takes hundreds of wickets?

This is almost what makes being a Middlesex fan as disappointing as it inevitably is. There is always so much promise and potential, but this is rarely realised. Other than the 2008 T20 win, Middlesex have consistently underperformed for the past however long, and should have been doing much better. The team is always strong on paper, but fail to meet expectations on the pitch.

This year, like all of the other years, is no different. Looking at Middlesex's squad, there are some very talented players. There are the international stars in Strauss, Morgan, Finn and Stirling, as well as those who have proven their abilities as top county players in Murtagh, Rogers, Dexter and Malan. On top of that are the emerging young talents such as Roland-Jones, Housego and Simpson, which all should bode well. However, as we know, this is rarely the case.

While Finn may play more this year than last, the likely promotion of Morgan to the test side means he will join Strauss in only featuring fleetingly for Middlesex. And inconsistencies and injuries mean that the team is often being dragged along by a couple of individuals rather than performing as more than the sum of its parts.

So that's the doom and gloom out of the way. And now to the most dangerous part of being a Middlesex supporter - the hope. This team could be brilliant. Malan and Dexter had superb seasons last year and will be mainstays of the batting order with Newman, who finished very strongly. Add to the mix Chris Rogers, who averages over 51 in FC cricket, and Jamie Dalrymple when available, this batting line up will be incredibly strong even without Strauss and Morgan. Further down the list will be John Simpson, who keeps growing as a cricketer both with bat and behind the stumps; Gareth Berg, who is able to play as either a batsman or a bowler, and his all-round abilities adds a lot to the team, and Dan Housego, who is just waiting for that breakthrough season which could well be this one.

The bowling is equally as strong. While O'Brien and Collins have had to depart thanks to the ECB's regulations, the additions of Ireland and Collymore more than makes up for the losses. Tim Murtagh has taken millions of wickets over the past few years, and while he was quiet last time, his pre-season form suggests a wicket heavy summer. And as Steve Finn is no longer in the test team, he'll be available far more often this year, and the prospect of facing him will have many Division Two batsmen shaking in fear. Spin is probably the side's weakest point, but Ollie Rayner is around for a few months from Sussex, and Tom Smith performed capably when required last term.

A Middlesex fan can never get too far ahead of himself, as history suggests that another inevitable season of disappointment will follow. But with a quiet but effective captain in Dexter, plus a side who do look very strong, there's a feeling that maybe, just maybe, this could be THE year.

A Bandwagon That Worked!

Way back when, after England legend Jamie Dalrymple was ousted amidst plenty of controversy from Glamorgan, I started a bandwagon. Having always been a Dazzler fan from his success at Middlesex and his all-round brilliance in ODIs for England, I started to tweet the #dalrympleformiddlesex hashtag.

I know it didn't have much of a chance. Middlesex were hardly flush with cash, and had announced they were happy with who was already there. Plus, Dalrymple left under a bit of a cloud a few years back, so getting him in would be a long shot. But still, I hashtagged anyway, hoping the powers that be would see the bandwagon, and sign him up.

The months went on, and Dalrymple remained unsigned by any county. My faith remained, and the bandwagon continued. The Kenyan born off-spinning batting hero remained in limbo, and the #dalrympleformiddlesex bandwagon grew.

Until finally, on the eve of Middlesex's season starting, it was announced that Dalrymple had re-signed for Middlesex. While head honcho Gus Fraser said things about "fine cricketer", "natural leader" and "match winning middle-order batsman", sources close to Gus claimed that the real reason was the public pressure created by the #dalrympleformiddlesex bandwagon. I'm taking the credit.

On a more serious note, how strong will Middlesex's batting line up be this season? If all are fit and available, Middlesex will have a batting order of Strauss, Rogers, Malan, Dexter, Morgan, Dalrymple and Simpson. Throw into the mix the likes of Murtagh, Roland-Jones and Finn, it looks as though Middlesex have the makings of an incredibly strong county side. While this team will never play together as an eleven due to international and other committments, on paper Middlesex should be pulling up a few trees. However, as it always is with the Middle, the key is finding a level of consistency, and performing to the level expected week-in, week-out.

But anyway, here's a nice flash image of Dalrymple's finest hour, THAT catch in the 2007 ODI series against Australia...

2011 County Players To Watch - T20

Who's going to dominate the T20? These guys...


Chris Woakes - Warwickshire: After one of my longest running (in the 10 months of me having the site) bandwagons, Chris Woakes was selected for England during the Australia ODI series. Woakes is blessed with an ability to control the ball and keep it tight, while also being a real wicket taking option, making him the perfect T20 bowler. He's also pretty flipping good in Four Day and Forty Overs, and he's just hit a century for the Lions. So all in all, Chris Woakes should be England captain.


Tim Murtagh - Middlesex: Was I ever going to go through a county players to watch list without getting Murtagh in somewhere. Was a bit indifferent last year, but is a really great T20 bowler (on top of everything else), so watch out for a resurgent Murts as the Pink Army advance towards the T20 title... (you heard it here first!)


Alfonso Thomas - Somerset: Simply the best death bowler in T20s ever. You can't argue with the figures (although Dirk Nannes might), and Thomas is set to have another great season all round, but T20 is his forte. Expect wickets.

It was written in the stars...

Friday evening at Wantage Road, Northampton. Middlesex have put themselves in an incredibly commanding position, and appear to be coasting to victory, even prompting this Cricinfo article: "Scott Newman sets up Middlesex victory push". Shaun Udal set Northants an incredibly unlikely 395 to win on a final day where Steven Finn, Tim Murtagh and Danny Evans (fresh off a first innnings five-fer) were to bowl Middlesex to victory in a procession.

Saturday evening at Wantage Road, Northampton. Northants have won, thanks to an unbeaten 183 from openers Steven Peters. Nobody saw this coming; as Northants grasped victory from the jaws of defeat, and Middlesex staring at a third consecutive LV=CC defeat.

But someone did see it coming. Step forward Cricinfo's resident nostradamus CricketingStargazer, who on that earlier article congratulating Middlesex for their obviously-going-to-happen victory, said that: "This match is more finely balanced than it looks. Despite what the reports says, Middlesex showed little initial urgency. As a result, they have probably set 20-30 less than they might have liked. Batting looked increasingly easy through the day and, with the quick start, a final day chase is not impossible. The trick is going to be to keep Northants interested because determined batsmen are not going to be easy to dismiss tomorrow if Northants put up the shutters. The danger though is that Northants need under 4 an over and have the batting to get it if someone gets in.".

You know what. He was right.

And yes, as a deeply distressed Middlesex fan, I have chosen to ignore the questionable declaration from Udal and useless bowling from the much vaunted four of Murtagh, Finn, Berg and Evans. I've instead chosen to write about an extraordinary piece of punditry from CricketStargazer. Northant's victory truly was written in the stars.

If you love it...

As I walked through the pavilion at Lord's yesterday (I know, place dropper) for the first day of the County Championship game between Middlesex and Glamorgan, the first thing I saw was an advertising hoarding for the sponsors of the Championship saying "If you love it, LV it". While the purpose of the advert was to attract people to their insurance company, it made me think of my personal thoughts regarding the four day game. I have long been a champion of the First Class game, but yesterday was the first time I have ever been to a LVCC game. Previously I would just look on Cricinfo or the BBC Sport website to find out the scores, and occasionally watch the day's highlights via the Middlesex website. But even though I was a Middlesex member, I had never got around to actually going and watching a game.

However, partly because it was the first game at Lord's of the season, and partly because I had agreed to meet Suave as part of his season in the stands off I went to the home of cricket, not really knowing what to expect. For the day itself, I thoroughly enjoyed Suave's company, the cricket itself, and my highlight; going up to the Media Centre at the end.

Seeing the LV advert at the start of the day stayed with me as I reflected on the day. And I came up with this; I do love the County Championship. I do love going and sitting in the pavilion at Lord's. I do love watching good cricket. The opening bowling partnership of Murtagh and Steven Finn wouldn't look too out of place representing England, and there were further internationals in Iain O'Brien and Shaun Udal who later bowled. And standing in the slips was the England captain. I will definitely go back for more LVCC games in the summer (when times allows), as well as the FPt20s and CB40 games. I will also endeavour to write more about the county game rather than "Oh, Middlesex lost" or "Steven Finn took 9/37". So if you're not a fan of the county game, unlucky. A new blog is coming up. Sorry.