Nepal and UAE's inclusion in the World T20 has caused a situation that for the first time ever, there will be more Asian associates in the world cup than european associates. That begs the question- is this the final end of european domination of cricket? Currently, it looks like the main Associate power has shifted to Asia, whereas until now it was in Europe. Another question asked is: Unless PNG sneak through, there will be no Associates from any other parts of the world other than Europe and Asia, which begs the question- is cricket dying out there?
My personal opinion is a resounding NO to both questions. Although Asia have a very strong presence in this World Cup, they still have a long way until we can say that they (barring Afghanistan) are better than the leading European Associates. In addition, this qualifier was held in the UAE, a stronghold for Asian teams, and I can guarantee they will perform a lot worse outside of Asia. As for the second question, cricket in Africa is definitely not dying out, the power centers are just shifting. Whereas currently Kenya and Namibia are the dominant teams in Africa, the tide is slowly shifting. Already Uganda look like they will pass Kenya soon, and they just have to improve their batting, something that will happen when the likes of young Faruk Ochimi mature. In addition, Nigeria are undergoing a meteoric rise, and their players, led by young Saheed Akolade who is one of the fastest Associate bowlers around (he bowls 145-150 kph) are experienced, determined and raring to go! On top of that, Tanzania, Ghana and even Rwanda will soon undergo amazing rises also, and will assert their places on the world stage in clinical fashion. As for the Americas region, that is a lot more ambiguous, but it is possible to see growth in a lot of places, such as cricket being the fastest-growing sport in Canada. I could write a lot more on the subject, and I didn't even mention the EAP region, but this is growing too long, so I will end here. Once again, good luck to Nepal, and I hope they go far and create a path for countries like Nigeria and PNG who will follow in their footsteps.
Eitan Shai
My personal opinion is a resounding NO to both questions. Although Asia have a very strong presence in this World Cup, they still have a long way until we can say that they (barring Afghanistan) are better than the leading European Associates. In addition, this qualifier was held in the UAE, a stronghold for Asian teams, and I can guarantee they will perform a lot worse outside of Asia. As for the second question, cricket in Africa is definitely not dying out, the power centers are just shifting. Whereas currently Kenya and Namibia are the dominant teams in Africa, the tide is slowly shifting. Already Uganda look like they will pass Kenya soon, and they just have to improve their batting, something that will happen when the likes of young Faruk Ochimi mature. In addition, Nigeria are undergoing a meteoric rise, and their players, led by young Saheed Akolade who is one of the fastest Associate bowlers around (he bowls 145-150 kph) are experienced, determined and raring to go! On top of that, Tanzania, Ghana and even Rwanda will soon undergo amazing rises also, and will assert their places on the world stage in clinical fashion. As for the Americas region, that is a lot more ambiguous, but it is possible to see growth in a lot of places, such as cricket being the fastest-growing sport in Canada. I could write a lot more on the subject, and I didn't even mention the EAP region, but this is growing too long, so I will end here. Once again, good luck to Nepal, and I hope they go far and create a path for countries like Nigeria and PNG who will follow in their footsteps.
Eitan Shai
