Young Indians streets ahead of sheltered English rivals : Michael Atherton

[MenInG]

Since its inception, the Indian Premier League has been built around its marquee players, both local and foreign. None is bigger than Virat Kohli, who dominates advertising, airwave chatter and column inches as Sachin Tendulkar once did, while a legion of others, like satellites orbiting the sun, fight for the scraps left behind. In this gung-ho economy, there is plenty to go around.

Today, in Jaipur, Rajasthan Royals play Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and the build-up to the game is based around the star match-ups: Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson of the Royals pitting their skills and wits against Sunil Narine, Chris Lynn and Andre Russell. Television and the written media unashamedly inflate the importance of these players, and supporters choose their allegiances accordingly, sometimes trumping team loyalties.


My eye today is drawn elsewhere, to those who may become superstars but who are not in that stratosphere yet — in particular, two KKR players who took part in the recent Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand: Shubman Gill, India’s vice-captain in that tournament and one of the star batsmen, and Shivam Mavi, a waspish fast bowler who was consistently clocked at more than 140kph (87mph) on Monday against Delhi Daredevils.

They would have been joined at KKR by a third member of that under-19 squad if Kamlesh Nagarkoti, another fast bowler clocked at over 140kph and who was bought for an astonishing £355,000 in the auction, had not missed the tournament due to a foot injury. Once upon a time, “young fast bowlers” was not a sentence you could have written in India, but times have changed. These youngsters are fitter and stronger than before and more advanced in their cricket than their counterparts elsewhere.

These are not the only players from the Under-19 World Cup who are playing in the IPL. Like KKR, the Daredevils have three young Indian players: Prithvi Shaw — the captain of that side, who once scored 546 in an inter-schools tournament game as a 14-year-old and already has five first-class hundreds in only ten matches, including on his debuts in the Ranji and Duleep Trophy — Abhishek Sharma and Manjot Kalra. The last-named scored an unbeaten century in the final against Australia in February to give India a record fourth Under-19 World Cup win.

Elsewhere, there is Anukul Roy, another alumnus of that under-19 tournament, at Mumbai Indians, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, a 17-year-old Afghanistan cricketer at Kings XI Punjab

Mujeeb, who would have been joined in the competition at the Royals by Zahir Khan, his 19-year-old compatriot and fellow spinner, but for a late injury, has played in 15 one-day internationals for his country and has taken the wicket of Kohli in this year’s IPL with a perfectly pitched and disguised googly. As a result of the tournament auction, he is also £440,00 richer.

Shaw averaged over 60 as he captained India Under-19 to a World Cup win over Australia in February’s final in New Zealand

Not all of these players mentioned have had game time in the IPL, though the two at KKR have been playing regularly, but they are getting critical exposure in many varied ways, surrounded as they are by world-class players and involved in a tournament that is widely watched. Add to that the tales of young Indian players playing and training almost full-time from their teenage years, and it must mean that they are advanced in their development compared with their English counterparts.

While scouring the scorecards of the opening round of County Championship matches, I did not see one England player from the recent Under-19 World Cup involved — though Harry Brook was in the 12-man Yorkshire squad to play Essex in the washout at Headingley. Many, of course, will be back at school, college or university, and that is an entirely good thing. You may say that, given the conditions and pitches, it is not a bad idea to miss out at the moment, but in terms of cricket exposure at the top level, they are slower out of the starting blocks.

This was borne out to some degree in the under-19 international matches last summer in England, of which I caught snatches from time to time. The results withstand no argument: India Under-19 enjoyed a clean sweep of victories in the Tests and ODIs, winning five of the seven matches by convincing margins. An observation on limited viewing would be that India’s batsmen looked natural, comfortable and instinctive at the crease, less manufactured than England’s and ahead of the learning curve.

Although Rahul Dravid was not on the England tour, India Under-19 have had the benefit of his wisdom for the past two and a half years and he was at the helm for their World Cup win two months ago. He had the task of ensuring that the players’ focus was on the tournament, rather than the IPL auction. Nagarkoti sat on the loo by all accounts as the bidding war ramped up for his services and his phone turned red hot as a result.

That is a challenge with which young English footballers, but not cricketers, would empathise. Dravid did his best to keep his charges’ feet on the ground. “The auction is not something the boys can control,” he said. “We talked about [it] once and we said, ‘Let’s keep it out of our minds.’ ” Overexposure and too much money too soon can cause their own problems, but there is no doubt that, powered by sheer numbers, ambition and material rewards, India’s young cricketers are going to be a powerhouse of the game for many years.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/...q?shareToken=ed562c7117d74c820d990f0601c864b4

 

[mankuTimma]

India will remain cricket powerhouse for decades to come,eventually Cricket leagues will take over National teams and here also India will be top.

Virat Kohli also started as 18 year old in IPL after winning U19 WC.But it took him few more seasons to establish himself in RCB but now things are changed players like Rishabh pant got established in their first season itself.

 

[pillionrider]

Don't know about the English youngsta beauties, but the Indians are being made out to be greater than they are.

They are pretty good but someone like Kohli really stood out in his U-19 WC.

 

[Slog]

Don't know about the English youngsta beauties, but the Indians are being made out to be greater than they are.

They are pretty good but someone like Kohli really stood out in his U-19 WC.

I agree with this (based on the change in attitude over the past decade)

Before when young Indian players used to make their breakthrough into the national team, they were often clearly nervous and sometimes timid and restricted in their game

The likes of Pandya, Iyer, Bumrah etc come across as very confident and did so from very early in their careers. Playing in front of packed crowds, sharing dressing rooms with world class players and being thrown in tough situations in games of consequence helps A LOT!

 

[Zahid87]

I agree with this (based on the change in attitude over the past decade)

Before when young Indian players used to make their breakthrough into the national team, they were often clearly nervous and sometimes timid and restricted in their game

The likes of Pandya, Iyer, Bumrah etc come across as very confident and did so from very early in their careers. Playing in front of packed crowds, sharing dressing rooms with world class players and being thrown in tough situations in games of consequence helps A LOT!

This all helps of course....but I can't help that the biggest thing is that they have some sort of financial security in their careers now.

Before, your chance with the national team was the be all end all. Your one shot to make it big in cricket, and secure a decent livelihood. This is something especially true to sports, and the sub-continent as well, where there is an opportunity for someone to lift themselves out from poverty.

With these leagues, and the salaries these cricketers now get paid, they have the security of a sound career before they make the step up to international cricket. They can approach the game knowing that their whole career does not fully hinge on this one moment.

 

[mankuTimma]

Don't know about the English youngsta beauties, but the Indians are being made out to be greater than they are.

They are pretty good but someone like Kohli really stood out in his U-19 WC.

I guess Wayne Parnell was MoS in 2008 u19 when Kohli team won the cup.He is struggling for most part of the decade.

 

[pakistani pride]

The bowling is still average and to be a real powerhouse you need proper fast bowlers. The reason WI, AUS and even SA dominated is cause they had world class fast bowlers combined with good batsmen.

Asian teams and in this case India have never won a test series in AUS or SA. Thats a very hard fact. On the other side apart from SA and AUS also ENG and NZ have won tests / series ASIA.

however I must say the young INDIAN batsmen have some WOW stats in FC cricket. I forgot the name but this kid is averaging over 50 with SR close to 100!! Insane stats...

 

[Sidilicious]

This all helps of course....but I can't help that the biggest thing is that they have some sort of financial security in their careers now.

Before, your chance with the national team was the be all end all. Your one shot to make it big in cricket, and secure a decent livelihood. This is something especially true to sports, and the sub-continent as well, where there is an opportunity for someone to lift themselves out from poverty.

With these leagues, and the salaries these cricketers now get paid, they have the security of a sound career before they make the step up to international cricket. They can approach the game knowing that their whole career does not fully hinge on this one moment.

And this is the best thing to come out of the IPL / franchise cricket / pyjama cricket.

Domestic cricketers now have a financial future and can become professional cricketers, dedicating their cricket playing age to cricket and the off season to improving their cricketing skills, rather than stacking shelves between club matches in England.

 

[AMSS]

For those wondering, the specific trigger for this article was Shivam Mavi's spell against the Daredevils. Nasser was in the dugout commentating and he droned on for a fair bit about India, pace bowling, U19 cricketers, lack of drop-off in bowling quality, etc.

 

[mankuTimma]

The bowling is still average and to be a real powerhouse you need proper fast bowlers. The reason WI, AUS and even SA dominated is cause they had world class fast bowlers combined with good batsmen.

Asian teams and in this case India have never won a test series in AUS or SA. Thats a very hard fact. On the other side apart from SA and AUS also ENG and NZ have won tests / series ASIA.

however I must say the young INDIAN batsmen have some WOW stats in FC cricket. I forgot the name but this kid is averaging over 50 with SR close to 100!! Insane stats...

Aus/SA can no longer produce good/great cricketers regularly but India can.

 

[cricketindiafan]

I agree with this (based on the change in attitude over the past decade)

Before when young Indian players used to make their breakthrough into the national team, they were often clearly nervous and sometimes timid and restricted in their game

The likes of Pandya, Iyer, Bumrah etc come across as very confident and did so from very early in their careers. Playing in front of packed crowds, sharing dressing rooms with world class players and being thrown in tough situations in games of consequence helps A LOT!

More to do with the dressing room environment ( in domestics and national side) where hierarchy ruled and juniors were always made insecure and uncomfortable. This is where Ganguly's role as a leader helped change things. The class of 2000-01 Sehwag, Zaheer, Bhajji, Yuvraj, Kaif were not at all meek and no less confident that the current young generation.

 

[pakistani pride]

Aus/SA can no longer produce good/great cricketers regularly but India can.

Uhmm well they do. Special mention to PACE bowling. Rabadda, and the new kid which made his debut vs India. AUS has Starc, Hazlewood, Cummins, Pattinson etc.

In batting AUS has some serious power hitters.

 

[BreadPakoda]

The selectors are doing a shoddy job. We still haven't been able to get a good 3rd and back up pace bowlers (Bumrah and Shami being the only 2 world class bowlers) and our middle order is still a mess.

 

[mankuTimma]

Uhmm well they do. Special mention to PACE bowling. Rabadda, and the new kid which made his debut vs India. AUS has Starc, Hazlewood, Cummins, Pattinson etc.

In batting AUS has some serious power hitters.

SA used to win test matches/series when toured India before but in thier last tour to India they were beaten pretty badly while we saved face in SA when we toured there recently (eventhough we lost series)..we are also pretty much competitive in OZ despite not winning series but same thing cannot be told about OZ team in India.

It’s not OZ or SA fault for not able to produce cricketers if highest caliber like they did in past it’s simply that India caught up with them and we have huge population with Cricket as primary sports.

 

[squarecut]

I feel sorry for Nagarkoti. He is the quickest among the U-19 bowlers but he is sadly sidelined due to injury.

Nevertheless, one must "thank" Vinay Kumar for his pie chucking which paved the way for Mavi to get a place in KKR playing XI.

 

[Buffet]

SA used to win test matches/series when toured India before but in thier last tour to India they were beaten pretty badly while we saved face in SA when we toured there recently (eventhough we lost series)..we are also pretty much competitive in OZ despite not winning series but same thing cannot be told about OZ team in India.

It’s not OZ or SA fault for not able to produce cricketers if highest caliber like they did in past it’s simply that India caught up with them and we have huge population with Cricket as primary sports.

Aus lost by 1-2 in India. India lost 0-2 in Aus. How come 0-2 becomes more competitive than 1-2?

 

[WengerOut]

Aus lost by 1-2 in India. India lost 0-2 in Aus. How come 0-2 becomes more competitive than 1-2?

There is a case of Adelaide test where India boldly went for victory when they could have played for draw.

 

[mankuTimma]

Aus lost by 1-2 in India. India lost 0-2 in Aus. How come 0-2 becomes more competitive than 1-2?

Not talking of last series alone.

 

[jagatk]

Aus lost by 1-2 in India. India lost 0-2 in Aus. How come 0-2 becomes more competitive than 1-2?

I think he means in overall context rather than just last series. Since their win in 04-05 aussies have been anything but competitive in India except maybe for the last series. India on the other hand have matched up well except for the 4-0 series.

 

[Robert]

It was different back in the English day when there was furious competition for places in the Counties, as a way out of the very dangerous work down the mines or in the mills.

Additionally most of the comprehensive schools sold their playing fields in the seventies and eighties so the tough inner city kids don’t get to play cricket.

 

[pillionrider]

I guess Wayne Parnell was MoS in 2008 u19 when Kohli team won the cup.He is struggling for most part of the decade.

Generally speaking these MoS etc at the junior level don't really count for much. But in this specific case, Parnell did look like someone who could have a very good international career.

 

[mankuTimma]

Generally speaking these MoS etc at the junior level don't really count for much. But in this specific case, Parnell did look like someone who could have a very good international career.

He was outstanding in that tourney.

 

[mankuTimma]

It was different back in the English day when there was furious competition for places in the Counties, as a way out of the very dangerous work down the mines or in the mills.

Additionally most of the comprehensive schools sold their playing fields in the seventies and eighties so the tough inner city kids don’t get to play cricket.

Cricket is not primary sports in your country so it’s difficult to attract talented sportspersons who excels in multiple sports.May be if T20 league kicked on it will become very attractive for young people.

 

[srh]

Don't know about the English youngsta beauties, but the Indians are being made out to be greater than they are.

They are pretty good but someone like Kohli really stood out in his U-19 WC.

good point. there is no single very good Indian player who we can say is a product of IPL

 

[JattMaula]

good point. there is no single very good Indian player who we can say is a product of IPL

I'm quite happy about that.

 

[rhony]

good point. there is no single very good Indian player who we can say is a product of IPL

Bumrah says hi

 

[HuzaifaE]

Aus/SA can no longer produce good/great cricketers regularly but India can.

Must have missed this unwritten law of the new land

 

[OoparCut]

good point. there is no single very good Indian player who we can say is a product of IPL

Because BCCI doesn't make selections based on IPL. IPL stars have to still prove themselves in domestic cricket to earn national selection.

And that's a brilliant policy.

 

[Mercurial]

Because BCCI doesn't make selections based on IPL. IPL stars have to still prove themselves in domestic cricket to earn national selection.

And that's a brilliant policy.

Well said. This should be applied in Pakistan cricket as well.

 

[Gubol123]

Well said. This should be applied in Pakistan cricket as well.

that should be applied to all cricket in every country. what is the point of having FC setup if the players get picked to play for their national side based on T20 performance .. performance in IPL should be one of the criteria for selection and not the only or major criteria. Indians should be happy that none of their top players are products of IPL. Every successful team gets their top players from their FC setup.. even in IPL almost all big T20 successful players have good FC stats. ABDV, Virat, warner, Kane, Gayle, Mccullun, Watson, etc all had very good FC stats before they became T20 stars.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Bumrah says hi

10 seasons of IPL and only Bumrah is saying hi?

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

good point. there is no single very good Indian player who we can say is a product of IPL

Have been saying this for the past few years but everytime only 2-3 names are thrown around as the products of IPL.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

Because BCCI doesn't make selections based on IPL. IPL stars have to still prove themselves in domestic cricket to earn national selection.

And that's a brilliant policy.

But [MENTION=134505]rhony[/MENTION] thinks domestic cricket is useless and selectors should only look at IPL performances. If players are getting into the indian team by performing in domestic cricket then why is IPL taking credit for everything good that has happened to indian cricket? Do you IPL fans have any answer for that?

 

[mankuTimma]

I guess there is only one player who got into team purely based on T20 - David Warner.

 

[MenInG]

Forgot to add this pic in post #1

 

[JattMaula]

But [MENTION=134505]rhony[/MENTION] thinks domestic cricket is useless and selectors should only look at IPL performances. If players are getting into the indian team by performing in domestic cricket then why is IPL taking credit for everything good that has happened to indian cricket? Do you IPL fans have any answer for that?

As an IPL fan I hope my answer counts.

First of all IPL is not taking credit for player development. Some people may give it undue importance due to it being most competitive limited over domestic tournament in India.

Secondly IPL is an Indian domestic competition too so you can't separate it from other domestic comps. Performance in IPL counts as much as other domestic LO when deciding player caliber.

 

[OoparCut]

But [MENTION=134505]rhony[/MENTION] thinks domestic cricket is useless and selectors should only look at IPL performances. If players are getting into the indian team by performing in domestic cricket then why is IPL taking credit for everything good that has happened to indian cricket? Do you IPL fans have any answer for that?

IPL is a brilliant platform that provides visibility to a lot of young performers who then go on to get better opportunities at the domestic level. Plus it spreads economic opportunity to the top 100 Indian cricketers instead of just the top 15. Not to mention the massive earnings from IPL enables the BCCI to pay very good salaries now to domestic players. This in turn encourages more athletic talent to pursue cricket as a viable profession.

In the 80s and 90s, you had to be in the best 5 batsmen or bowlers in the country to make a decent living playing cricket. Now you can be in the top 50 and make a very good living.

But forget the money - just the chance for players outside the national team to perform against top competition under lights, is huge. There's a reason why a KL Rahul, or Jasprit Bumrah or a Kuldeep or Chahal has had such a spectacular start to their careers. They already have invaluable experience at the IPL level that helps them perform better for their national team.


Hate the IPL all you want. But even the haters know it, its the best cricket tournament on the planet.

 

[rhony]

But [MENTION=134505]rhony[/MENTION] thinks domestic cricket is useless and selectors should only look at IPL performances. If players are getting into the indian team by performing in domestic cricket then why is IPL taking credit for everything good that has happened to indian cricket? Do you IPL fans have any answer for that?

Naa. I mentioned that domestic cricket is a pipeline for IPL and IPL is a testing ground for international LOIs. If you do well in domestics and fail in IPL, then your chances of making into India LOI teams are slim.

 

[rhony]

10 seasons of IPL and only Bumrah is saying hi?

Bumrah, Pandya. Washington so far just because of IPL. The others made comeback to Indian teams because of IPL like Rohit, Raina, Jadeja etc. Anyway, we discussed all of this a bunch of times. Lillee vs Miandad is on youtube

 

[troodon]

IPL acts as a good filter to weed out weak players who cannot handle intense pressure of playing in front of thousands of cheering crowds.

Most Indian players who thrive in the IPL set up are mentally pretty strong. So if any of them got good technique to go along with the ability to handle pressure, they will be super ready for International cricket.

IPL is clearly not about finding players for India. Most players come from domestics. IPL is about making money by fielding the best possible local/international players and let them battle out in the middle.

 

[the Great Khan]

Financial security is all important for Sub continental players. Pakistan should be looking at the Indian model closely. We can replicate it as we have a lot of similarities with regards to player problems in the past.

Coming onto English players. The English cricket system like many of the systems within the country are built on an ingrained racial and class bias. Hence why if you look at the graph above the average age in lanacashire is 29 which a is a disgrace considering the number of asian leagues up north.

Cricket in England is a niche game played by public school educated youngsters who can afford to go to local academies and get some decent coaching. Their parents are geenrally either doctors judges or businesmen. Ill give you one story from a few years ago. i used to play in a local twenty20 league for work. One of my teamates was a former u19 county player. He was Muslim of Indian origin. He had played against Tim Bresnan, and others. Stuart broad used to carry their bags. He knew Luke wright and some others. So I asked him, why did you give up? He said I couldnt afford to practice for 4-8 hours. Luke wright played with him in the county u19's and he was better than Luke but , wrights dad had money and he could afford to provide his son with excellent coaching. My colleague just gave up and also faced some racial bias too.

This is common place. Moeen is an anamoly. He should be the norm. Until and until they dont address this issue we will not get those street fighters the England squad need. English cricket is still predominatley a rich white mans game. And if you dont have sky sports you cant even afford to watch it..

My son is 11 and this year I will try and take him to see some county t20 if I can..just to get him coaching is expensive..we dont have sky sports so its youtube and vids of waqar younis that keep him pumped up..the way the system treats children who study in normal comprehensive schools is a disgrace..

 

[Adijazz1706]

Naa. I mentioned that domestic cricket is a pipeline for IPL and IPL is a testing ground for international LOIs. If you do well in domestics and fail in IPL, then your chances of making into India LOI teams are slim.

What if does well in IPl and fails.domestically, does he have a better chance than viceversa?

 

[rhony]

What if does well in IPl and fails.domestically, does he have a better chance than viceversa?

It depends on the requirement of the Indian team. If it's a regular batsman, he will have to perform in both. India team required an LOI pacer and an allrounder. They fast tracked Bumrah and Pandya based on IPL.

 

[OoparCut]

Financial security is all important for Sub continental players. Pakistan should be looking at the Indian model closely. We can replicate it as we have a lot of similarities with regards to player problems in the past.

Coming onto English players. The English cricket system like many of the systems within the country are built on an ingrained racial and class bias. Hence why if you look at the graph above the average age in lanacashire is 29 which a is a disgrace considering the number of asian leagues up north.

Cricket in England is a niche game played by public school educated youngsters who can afford to go to local academies and get some decent coaching. Their parents are geenrally either doctors judges or businesmen. Ill give you one story from a few years ago. i used to play in a local twenty20 league for work. One of my teamates was a former u19 county player. He was Muslim of Indian origin. He had played against Tim Bresnan, and others. Stuart broad used to carry their bags. He knew Luke wright and some others. So I asked him, why did you give up? He said I couldnt afford to practice for 4-8 hours. Luke wright played with him in the county u19's and he was better than Luke but , wrights dad had money and he could afford to provide his son with excellent coaching. My colleague just gave up and also faced some racial bias too.

This is common place. Moeen is an anamoly. He should be the norm. Until and until they dont address this issue we will not get those street fighters the England squad need. English cricket is still predominatley a rich white mans game. And if you dont have sky sports you cant even afford to watch it..

My son is 11 and this year I will try and take him to see some county t20 if I can..just to get him coaching is expensive..we dont have sky sports so its youtube and vids of waqar younis that keep him pumped up..the way the system treats children who study in normal comprehensive schools is a disgrace..

We may have our arguments in discussing all kinds of topics, but I really empathize with you on the subject of providing proper access for the development of your son. One would think that in places like the UK and US, this would not be as much of a problem as it is back in the homeland.

I was under the impression that access to coaching, indoor practice facilities etc is readily available for kids who are interested in cricket in the UK? It really sucks if thats not the case.

Here in the US, I'm starting to see a slow and steady increase in terms of cricket facilities in areas where immigrant populations are concentrated. There are 3 indoor nets within 25 miles of my house.

 

[OoparCut]

What if does well in IPl and fails.domestically, does he have a better chance than viceversa?

Only if the player has a specific skillset that fills a hole in the national team. Hardik Pandya is an example of that - but even Pandya only made it to the national team after he was the MVP for the domestic T20 Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament. Another example is Parwinder Negi - Indian team picked him totally out of the blue because they wanted a young left-arm spinner who could be a lower order hitter, and he hadn't done much at the domestic level, apart from being a regular in the IPL. This was when Jadeja was injured IIRC.

 

[OoparCut]

It depends on the requirement of the Indian team. If it's a regular batsman, he will have to perform in both. India team required an LOI pacer and an allrounder. They fast tracked Bumrah and Pandya based on IPL.

Both Bumrah and Pandya proved themselves in domestic though. Pandya especially, was totally dominant in the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament - he averaged 50+ at an SR above 150, and that is what led him to being picked.

And Bumrah, although he picked up experience and bowling brains in the IPL, has really good FC numbers to back him as well.

 

[Adijazz1706]

Both Bumrah and Pandya proved themselves in domestic though. Pandya especially, was totally dominant in the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament - he averaged 50+ at an SR above 150, and that is what led him to being picked.

And Bumrah, although he picked up experience and bowling brains in the IPL, has really good FC numbers to back him as well.

So domestic failures who do well in IPL will not get in?

 

[Sidilicious]

So domestic failures who do well in IPL will not get in?

As a rule, no. There will always be exceptions.

But a cricketer will need to perform consistently in domestic cricket to get a chance with Team India.

Mind you, IPL is also domestic cricket.

 

[OoparCut]

So domestic failures who do well in IPL will not get in?

Take the case of Krunal Pandya. He has been lighting up the IPL for a couple of seasons now. But until he proves it at the FC level, he's not getting a debut. He's almost a perfect fit for the middle order. Left-handed batsman, handy bowing option, quality fielder.

 

[fawad_wellwisher]

Financial security is all important for Sub continental players. Pakistan should be looking at the Indian model closely. We can replicate it as we have a lot of similarities with regards to player problems in the past.

Coming onto English players. The English cricket system like many of the systems within the country are built on an ingrained racial and class bias. Hence why if you look at the graph above the average age in lanacashire is 29 which a is a disgrace considering the number of asian leagues up north.

Cricket in England is a niche game played by public school educated youngsters who can afford to go to local academies and get some decent coaching. Their parents are geenrally either doctors judges or businesmen. Ill give you one story from a few years ago. i used to play in a local twenty20 league for work. One of my teamates was a former u19 county player. He was Muslim of Indian origin. He had played against Tim Bresnan, and others. Stuart broad used to carry their bags. He knew Luke wright and some others. So I asked him, why did you give up? He said I couldnt afford to practice for 4-8 hours. Luke wright played with him in the county u19's and he was better than Luke but , wrights dad had money and he could afford to provide his son with excellent coaching. My colleague just gave up and also faced some racial bias too.

This is common place. Moeen is an anamoly. He should be the norm. Until and until they dont address this issue we will not get those street fighters the England squad need. English cricket is still predominatley a rich white mans game. And if you dont have sky sports you cant even afford to watch it..

My son is 11 and this year I will try and take him to see some county t20 if I can..just to get him coaching is expensive..we dont have sky sports so its youtube and vids of waqar younis that keep him pumped up..the way the system treats children who study in normal comprehensive schools is a disgrace..

I don't think it is much to do with racial bias but having the financial resources to support the development of your cricketing abilities.

A son of an Indian doctor should not have any issues making it to the top if he is talented enough. And we are seeing players belonging to visible minorities playing count cricket more and more. I would fault our community for not being serious enough to pursue high paying careers that allows them to provide a better future for their families.

 

[the Great Khan]

We may have our arguments in discussing all kinds of topics, but I really empathize with you on the subject of providing proper access for the development of your son. One would think that in places like the UK and US, this would not be as much of a problem as it is back in the homeland.

I was under the impression that access to coaching, indoor practice facilities etc is readily available for kids who are interested in cricket in the UK? It really sucks if thats not the case.

Here in the US, I'm starting to see a slow and steady increase in terms of cricket facilities in areas where immigrant populations are concentrated. There are 3 indoor nets within 25 miles of my house.

yes there are facilities but you have to pay..some clubs are good and they do encourage youngsters, for example the local asian and carribean ones but they cant hire the best coaches becasue they cant afford it. I'll give you an example, the under 12's Leicestershire juniors is made up of predominatly public school bys who's dads are doctors or a re rich and can afford to send their kids to coaching etc..

Im fortunate where I can afford to send my son to coaching at an indoor academy but kids like where Moeen ali is from have zero chance..if your not middle class forget about it..think how soccer is in the US..

 

[the Great Khan]

I don't think it is much to do with racial bias but having the financial resources to support the development of your cricketing abilities.

A son of an Indian doctor should not have any issues making it to the top if he is talented enough. And we are seeing players belonging to visible minorities playing count cricket more and more. I would fault our community for not being serious enough to pursue high paying careers that allows them to provide a better future for their families.

Unfortunately racial bias still exists in the form of unconscious bias..e.g. asian players are seen as lazy or a bit dodgy...You can see it throughout the system..things are moving forward with mostly asian youngsters playing now but there is miles to go..the snobbish attitude of some of the white parents and even asian parents is annoying..

 

[OoparCut]

yes there are facilities but you have to pay..some clubs are good and they do encourage youngsters, for example the local asian and carribean ones but they cant hire the best coaches becasue they cant afford it. I'll give you an example, the under 12's Leicestershire juniors is made up of predominatly public school bys who's dads are doctors or a re rich and can afford to send their kids to coaching etc..

Im fortunate where I can afford to send my son to coaching at an indoor academy but kids like where Moeen ali is from have zero chance..if your not middle class forget about it..think how soccer is in the US..

Agreed. The parents' ability to spend money and time enabling a child's training, practice, league participation etc is a HUGE factor in deciding how much the kid can really develop his sporting skills in those crucial years. Unless the kid is blessed with natural talent that allows him/her to bridge that gap, it becomes tough.

Forget about costs, parents who are not middle-class are going to find it difficult to arrange to take their children to after-school and weekend games and training - there's simply less free time if you are spending maximum time trying to provide for your children.

Good luck with your son man, hope he is able to pursue the sport to the maximum extent that he wants.

 

[the Great Khan]

Agreed. The parents' ability to spend money and time enabling a child's training, practice, league participation etc is a HUGE factor in deciding how much the kid can really develop his sporting skills in those crucial years. Unless the kid is blessed with natural talent that allows him/her to bridge that gap, it becomes tough.

Forget about costs, parents who are not middle-class are going to find it difficult to arrange to take their children to after-school and weekend games and training - there's simply less free time if you are spending maximum time trying to provide for your children.

Good luck with your son man, hope he is able to pursue the sport to the maximum extent that he wants.

Thanks. I'm hoping he gets to a level where he can continue playing as a pastime or at uni/club level..You need to get kids away from the devices so hopefully this will help him..He has just got selected for his school team but the level of the kids is not that great..every little helps..

And your right about the costs..there will come a time where I wont be able to continue to afford his training but lets see,,

 

[OoparCut]

Thanks. I'm hoping he gets to a level where he can continue playing as a pastime or at uni/club level..You need to get kids away from the devices so hopefully this will help him..He has just got selected for his school team but the level of the kids is not that great..every little helps..

And your right about the costs..there will come a time where I wont be able to continue to afford his training but lets see,,

In my humble opinion, the key is to support him through the first few years of competitive age-group levels. If he's interested and motivated enough, and good enough to play at that level, you get him going for a couple of years. After that, its up to how much luck, talent and performances are there for him.

Now that I'm a parent, it changes the way I think about sports - I never thought I'd give up playing cricket so soon. But once my daughter was born, without hesitation I have given up my summer weekends for her instead of playing league cricket.

 

[the Great Khan]

In my humble opinion, the key is to support him through the first few years of competitive age-group levels. If he's interested and motivated enough, and good enough to play at that level, you get him going for a couple of years. After that, its up to how much luck, talent and performances are there for him.

Now that I'm a parent, it changes the way I think about sports - I never thought I'd give up playing cricket so soon. But once my daughter was born, without hesitation I have given up my summer weekends for her instead of playing league cricket.

same here..soon as he was born cricket was done..except t20 on a weekday but even that has now dried up..I'm hoping to indulge in some indoor stuff this winter if I can get fit enough but thats about it. I'm hoping he can get into the main summer academy tournament this year and play for the under 12's. Once you get that match bug its hard to let go..I'll keep you guys posted if he does well..

 

[the Great Khan]

by the way every year we get some Indian kids from India come over and play and vice versa..They were top level bachay..polite, very good cricketers..plus one of the coaches is a former IPL domestic player..dont ask me his name because it escapes me..lol..