Cricket fever grips Germany

Move over the elite cricketing nations. Cricket is now spreading its tentacles across the world. From a mere three members (England, Australia, South Africa) in 1909 to ten in early 2000’s (West Indies, India, Pakistan, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh) and to sixteen (Kenya, Afghanistan, Ireland, Scotland, UAE and Netherlands) at present, cricket has come a long way.

Now the sport has its sight on a new continent, Europe. And in Germany, cricket has caught the young lads by storm. A football mad country, Germany has taken a new liking to cricket, thanks to the refugees and expats that have swarmed the country. No wonder it can give football a run for its money in the future.

Early days

Though it has to go a long way to be widely popular, Germany holds a good promise for cricket. Players enrolling in the game has risen significantly since its inception in the country. Cricket moved an inch up the ladder in prominence when Germany hosted the world’s oldest cricket club, the Marylebone Cricket Club in Frankfurt.

The participation of MCC set a platform for the German players to groom themselves for the Europe Division One tournament in Netherlands next month against minnows Belgium, France, Norway and Sweden. A win in the Division two tournament in Sweden last year has swelled Germany’s hopes of another promotion in Holland for the World League Division Five in South Africa.

Germany’s new-found love for cricket and its immense possibilities have surprised former Yorkshire batsman, now manager, Jim Love. “To be honest I wasn’t even sure Germany hosted much cricket, but the standard looks quite good and we’re hearing good things about the future members,” he told AFP.

Afghan invasion boon in disguise

Cricket invaded Germany in 2015 when hordes of Afghan refugees settled in the country for better prospects and a good life. This influx of immigrants triggered the mushrooming of new cricket clubs across the nation. In fact, the German Cricket Federation (DCB) supported 450 projects in 2016 which had eventually led the foundation for the game.

Associate nations are also touring the uncharted pitches of Germany to get a taste of cricket there and it has been quite a thrilling experience for them. Neil O’Brien, the Ireland wicketkeeper who played for the MCC in the match against Germany, scored a gusty 76 which helped them beat the host nation.

“I’m from a smaller cricketing nation with Ireland and have been involved since it was a minor sport back then, so I know what the Germans are facing. It’s going to be a long road. The numbers are growing which is a key thing and the standards are improving. It would be great in five to ten years, to see them doing what Ireland and Afghanistan are doing now,” the wicket-keeper quoted.

Mr Brian Mantle, the CEO of German Cricket Federation (DCB) has high hopes about the future of the sport.

“We have a big, big future. It’s too early to think about world cups and test cricket, but we are definitely growing. The Afghans tend to be a lot faster, more dynamic, but they need to learn a little more discipline and the tactics of cricket. In four or five years we will have a very good national team which will hopefully be a mixture of home- grown talent and those who have come here,” Mantle said.

Cricket TV launched

With cricket picking up the wind slowly and steadily, TV moguls have decided to play their part too to help the sport reach the untapped regions of the country. Weston introduced German Cricket TV which puts up short videos on various social media platforms. Till date, it has garnered over 750,000 followers on Facebook which speaks volumes about the future of cricket in Germany.