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Craig HillWhat price an Aussie Panesar?
September 24th 2006 10:57
Australian cricket, struggling with a dominant if repetitive national test team and a one day format that fails to inspire, is missing a trick by not embracing the many ethnic groups that make up the grass roots playing stock in this country.
Monty Panesar has been embraced with open arms in the English cricket community, his Sikh roots as endearing as his pluckiness in overcoming his lack of athleticism in the field. The fact that large sections of the community can relate to him as a person and as an ambassador for his community adds to his crowd pulling ability.
As Australia has continued to channel talent through its academy it has missed the chance to identify outstanding talent from the diverse ethnic groups and make them role models for others to join in the game. With no disrespect to Shane Watson surely the amount of time invested in his game that has clearly been in need of fine tuning could have equally been spent working on the people pulling factor associated with cricketers from ethnic groups.
No amount of tinkering with bonus points and sponsors six signs can make up for the ability of cricketing characters and their skill sets too bring crowds to games. The modern day Mike Whitney’s and Greg Matthews, both talented cricketers and both blessed with ample ability to bring in crowds based on more than skill with bat or ball, should be bought forward from more diverse backgrounds. Such cricketers who appeal to fans through their character as well as their academy learnt ability to deflect leg side deliveries and media questions in equal measure should be encouraged by the game's administrators and embraced by fans alike.
Save for Messers Kasprowicz and Symonds and a brief foray into supporting indigenous cricket with the ATSIC XI concept in Canberra in 2001 which was subsequently shelved, the ACB has failed to take advantage of the resource at its disposal, namely the diversity of its grass roots playing stocks.
The ACB’s recent attempt to publicise Ben Dorey’s working holiday as a security guard for a Russian family in London as a piece of cricketing diversity was no more a crowd puller than the attempt to woo the music community into the game with Brett Lee’s Six and Out rock band did earlier in the decade.
In this year’s academy intake Ben Hinfenhaus, direct translation from German “helping house”, is the only stand out in this regard. Let’s make the Australian cricket community a genuine helping house for those like Monty Panesar who can provide the diversity and interest sadly lacking in Australian summers for the last decade.
Monty Panesar has been embraced with open arms in the English cricket community, his Sikh roots as endearing as his pluckiness in overcoming his lack of athleticism in the field. The fact that large sections of the community can relate to him as a person and as an ambassador for his community adds to his crowd pulling ability.
As Australia has continued to channel talent through its academy it has missed the chance to identify outstanding talent from the diverse ethnic groups and make them role models for others to join in the game. With no disrespect to Shane Watson surely the amount of time invested in his game that has clearly been in need of fine tuning could have equally been spent working on the people pulling factor associated with cricketers from ethnic groups.
No amount of tinkering with bonus points and sponsors six signs can make up for the ability of cricketing characters and their skill sets too bring crowds to games. The modern day Mike Whitney’s and Greg Matthews, both talented cricketers and both blessed with ample ability to bring in crowds based on more than skill with bat or ball, should be bought forward from more diverse backgrounds. Such cricketers who appeal to fans through their character as well as their academy learnt ability to deflect leg side deliveries and media questions in equal measure should be encouraged by the game's administrators and embraced by fans alike.
Save for Messers Kasprowicz and Symonds and a brief foray into supporting indigenous cricket with the ATSIC XI concept in Canberra in 2001 which was subsequently shelved, the ACB has failed to take advantage of the resource at its disposal, namely the diversity of its grass roots playing stocks.
The ACB’s recent attempt to publicise Ben Dorey’s working holiday as a security guard for a Russian family in London as a piece of cricketing diversity was no more a crowd puller than the attempt to woo the music community into the game with Brett Lee’s Six and Out rock band did earlier in the decade.
In this year’s academy intake Ben Hinfenhaus, direct translation from German “helping house”, is the only stand out in this regard. Let’s make the Australian cricket community a genuine helping house for those like Monty Panesar who can provide the diversity and interest sadly lacking in Australian summers for the last decade.
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Comment by Anonymous
Where's Ricardo?
Comment by DavidH
Defending the indefensible
Comment by Anonymous
However, I'm glad that David has taken over and kept Cricket News alive, it looks as if he's a natural.
Best of luck... I'll be looking forward to commenting/reading in the future.