Cricket stuff that doesn't deserve its own thread

[Pratters]

Ajit Agarkar.

 

[Black_Warrior]

That's my childhood.

 

[marc71178]

Ajit Agarkar.

So out of place in that company!

 

[Daemon]

Haha, look more like a bunch of tired dads than athletes

Pretty keen for this really, hope they play with full freedom and the younger players don't bully the old ones too much. Still hate finch for ruining the Lord's game

 

[cnerd123]

I remember Ajmal wrecking some lineups during a charity series . It got so bad the captain stopped bowling him out of mercy. Cant remember which games those were tho.:.

 

[Pratters]

MCC 200 year match or some thing

 

[aussie]

The making of Moeen | The Cricket Monthly | ESPN Cricinfo

Lovely read. Only thing I would say is that Mooen's rise to the ENG team might encourage more Asians in ENG who generally support PAK/IND to want to play for ENG, but I can't see it resonating too much with the black UK population.

 

[Daemon]

What makes you think people of Asian descent like Ali who've been born and brought up in England don't want to play for them already?

 

[honestbharani]

Baseless stereotyping/posting and aussie? No Way!!!

 

[GIMH]

Nah in his defence, I think what he's getting at is that a high proportion of British Asians do tend to support India or Pakistan in cricket. It's not baseless stereotyping. I'm not sure if it's a majority or not, but it's sizeable - and tbf it's up to the individual who they support but if they were born and raised here then eligibility wise presumably England would be the only logical route to go down should they have the talent.

 

[Daemon]

Yeah, it's why I mentioned that they would still want to play for England because that's who they're eligible for, doesn't really matter which team they support. If they are serious players they'll set their eyes on the Test team they can actually play for.

 

[GIMH]

I get you

 

[honestbharani]

Nah in his defence, I think what he's getting at is that a high proportion of British Asians do tend to support India or Pakistan in cricket. It's not baseless stereotyping. I'm not sure if it's a majority or not, but it's sizeable - and tbf it's up to the individual who they support but if they were born and raised here then eligibility wise presumably England would be the only logical route to go down should they have the talent.

I am sure that is true but if the person has a British passport, his best chance of international cricket is to play for England right? I mean who else can they play for? That is what I meant. I am sure you will know better about the whole "do they support England or the country of their origin in cricket". It is obviously an individual decision but I am sure the ones who are seriously trying to make the top level in cricket will be trying to play for and support England in cricket.

 

[Black_Warrior]

The making of Moeen | The Cricket Monthly | ESPN Cricinfo

Lovely read. Only thing I would say is that Mooen's rise to the ENG team might encourage more Asians in ENG who generally support PAK/IND to want to play for ENG, but I can't see it resonating too much with the black UK population.

I think it's also a generational issue. A lot of the diaspora community who you see supporting India/Pak/BD are not born there but went there either as students or later.
Second or third generation immigrants like Moeen Ali have very little connection with India/Pakistan other than their names/skin colour and perhaps language.
They are as British as anyone else. I doubt they have that childhood connection with Indian/Pakistan cricket heroes other than just a distant admiration of great cricketers. I am not sure if Moeen as ever even been to Pakistan.

 

[mr_mister]

do cricketers appeal properly anymore? instead of howzat i just always hear ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

 

[aussie]

Nah in his defence, I think what he's getting at is that a high proportion of British Asians do tend to support India or Pakistan in cricket. It's not baseless stereotyping. I'm not sure if it's a majority or not, but it's sizeable - and tbf it's up to the individual who they support but if they were born and raised here then eligibility wise presumably England would be the only logical route to go down should they have the talent.

Well at least you get it.

And I can say quite confidently also having grown up in the North and many of my cricket friends who live near Old Trafford & Leeds - are of IND/PAK origin & I have yet to meet one who supports ENG in my life. In fact all the Asians like Moeen, Bopara, Kabir, Solanki, Shah, Panesar, S, R & M Patel, Habib, Chopra, Mahmood, A Shazad (whoever else I have forgotten ATM) who have either played for ENG or been prominent in county cricket with obvious ENG ambitions are certainly in the minority of Asians expats who support/want to play for ENG.

This was the source of some of the unfortunate crowd abuse Moeen got when he first played for ENG.

 

[aussie]

I think it's also a generational issue. A lot of the diaspora community who you see supporting India/Pak/BD are not born there but went there either as students or later.
Second or third generation immigrants like Moeen Ali have very little connection with India/Pakistan other than their names/skin colour and perhaps language.
They are as British as anyone else. I doubt they have that childhood connection with Indian/Pakistan cricket heroes other than just a distant admiration of great cricketers. I am not sure if Moeen as ever even been to Pakistan.

Yea I don't think much of my Asian cricket fanatic friends ever went back to IND/PAK - but they simply resonate to them more than ENG. I never forgot going to the 99 W-Cup match at Old Trafford with India & PAK & wondering where the hell did all these IND/PAK fans come from

You check pretty much every OT & Leeds (Birmingham a bit too) when IND/PAK come for a test in last 15-20 years compared to when ENG are hosting anyone else & you will be lucky to see a Asian in the crowd.

It was very similar to my parents/grandparents generation who came from the Caribbean in 50s and did the same thing from the 50s-80s when West Indies were dominant - majority fans supported WI & with the odd black player choosing to represent England.

Modern third gen black people in UK of either caribbean or african heritage really have no interest in cricket & i'm not really sure if there is anything ECB can do to tap into that world.

 

[aussie]

Yeah, it's why I mentioned that they would still want to play for England because that's who they're eligible for, doesn't really matter which team they support. If they are serious players they'll set their eyes on the Test team they can actually play for.

You missed my point, but that raises a total different question as to whether any of the Asian cricketers born in UK actually wanted to/felt they were good enough play for IND/PAK depending on which was their heritage or simply took the easier option to going through the motions trying to play for ENG.

In football for example John Barnes & Raheem Sterling and Daniel Strurridge being very Jamaican/West Indian in their lifestyle outside of football, they just chose to play for ENG because its obviously more lucrative from a football career standpoint. However they are many of low level black players who never got close to playing for ENG, who chose to play for countries of their caribbean heritage.

So really no Brit Asian has been so superbly talented yet, that IND/PAK might have courted him & put him in tug-of-war situation to decide which country he might want to play for.

 

[marc71178]

How would they court someone who has no eligibility to play for them?

Why is race or skin colour even relevant?

 

[aussie]

How would they court someone who has no eligibility to play for them?

Why is race or skin colour even relevant?

If they player is born in Pakistan like Owais Shah was, his potential eligibility would be easier in that case. Possibly also if the player has some parent or grandparent link to IND/PAK - like we see British born black footballers using as a means to go & play for Caribbean or African teams of their heritage.

However their could be caveats to ICC rulings or IND/PAK immigration/citizenship rules that might make this not so straightforward, I don't know.

The better questions is what issue towards race or colour do you interpret I'm attempting to make relevant?