Growing the game, or...

Chasing the money?

    So, farewell Long Island, Nassau County and your extraordinary stadium which did not exist on Google maps until the second of your eight matches, and now does no longer. A 34,000-seater, alive on Google for less than a month, surely a record?

Was it a success? There are many aspects to the answer, only a few of which I’m remotely qualified to comment on, never mind answer.  But here goes:

    Cricket logistics: Astonishing success. In pursuit of the impossible, the people who accepted the ICC’s ‘hospital pass’ of laying an outfield and delivering never-before-used ‘drop-in’ pitches for World Cup internationals were insane. Damian Hough, chief curator of pitches in Adelaide, was the man who raised his hand, took the cheque – and the flak. Hopefully it was a large one. He deserves it.

The right people at the ICC, presumably, all knew that ‘new’ pitches take a year to ‘bed-in’ and settle. And that relaid outfields take at least six months for its roots to grow deep enough to allow the grass to be cut sort enough to reward batters. Given the outrageous risks they took on both counts, they were spectacularly lucky that conditions, while not ideal, were never not dangerous and the low-scoring matches were, in fact, absorbingly entertaining.

Practical logistics: The policing was horrible. Five different departments of Law Enforcement were involved and, evidently, there had been little communication between them and there was a fierce protection of their ‘patch’ and their reputation. The sixth department, the entirely emasculated ICC Volunteers, were rendered least helpful of all by the over-bearing, over-powering, intimidating, threatening State and Federal Police, SWAT teams and FBI agents. Occasionally, there were friendly people on hand to offer advice, but there far more who looked happy to shoot you in case you didn’t understand the advice, or questioned it.

Commercial:  It cost approximately $34 million to build the Nassau County Stadium and, reportedly, $24.5 million was recouped on the India -Pakistan match alone. The ticket prices were astronomical, from $350 to the most basic, midwicket view to $10,000 for exclusive VIP treatment. Over 2500 tickets were sold at $5000 each to the ‘Premier Clubs’ at either end of the stadium. The “all you can eat-and-drink” hospitality included slider cheese-burgers and cold, dry samosas. Clients were unimpressed.

    But that wasn’t ever the point. The point, for fans of both countries, was not just to be at the event, but to be seen there. Many could afford the extortionate prices, but many could not: I spoke to over a dozen in the Premier Club directly below the Media Centre and this quote remains with me: “It’s like a drug, you just have to have that ticket, no matter what it costs,” was the general theme of their comments. Would they do it again if, say, India and Pakistan played a series here? “I’d like to say ‘no’ but…”

    Long-term view:”

    It seems more likely that American Football will take root in England than Cricket finding more than a small, niche base in the United States. It’s impossible not to wonder whether the ICC’s noble-sounding desire to “grow the game” isn’t as much about “growing into the money in the USA.” There are small, committed cricket communities in San Fransisco and Dallas, clubs with actual turf pitches, but it’s a tiny percentage.

Much is made of the Asian and Caribbean heritage of the population, 4.5 million Asian and about the same in recent generations from the Caribbean. From a national population of 345 million. It’s not huge, is it? 

    Personally, it was an epic journey and experience. The ‘take-away’ is that cricket lovers need not be ‘confined’ to life-experiences in Mumbai, Galle, Melbourne, Karachi and Cape Town etc, or the rest of the ‘cricket playing world.’ As we used to know it.

    The ICC taking the T20WC to as many different parts of the world as possible is wonderful. It serves three purposes: Diversifying and spreading the game, celebrating the format and, most importantly, definitively categorising the event as the least of the Global Events. It’s the least they can do to maintain the status of the 50-over World Cup, the real thing.

Many, many thanks, once again, to those who paid-subscribed for me to see events for myself in New York. Or, Long Island. It was inspirational personally, and important professionally.