Australian Broadcasting Corporation sports presenter Paul Kennedy, a former footy and current journalist, was asked on the Grade Cricket video blog whether he was concerned about “the impact of the Indian vision for cricket in Australia”. . Instead, he suggested that “traditional cricketers from India and South Asia could be the answer to the future of Australian cricket”.
Kennedy explained that traditional South Asian cricketers are critical to increasing participation in Australian cricket, citing some surprising figures. “If you look at all sports, and I do too, the level of participation is important. If you want to continue to be a sport, especially a big sport like cricket, you need people to play the game. Looking at migration to Australia, India is currently It’s a big part of Tralia’s life. And what do they do? Statistics show that at U12 level, the proportion of children of South Asian descent is 40%. I went to Truganina in the west of Melbourne. Eight years ago, there were 160 teams in the region; today there are 420. And some sports have enough diversity to ensure a future of full participation in the growth of the game. So this is like a gift to cricket,” he told Grade Cricketers.
Earlier last month, Kennedy wrote for abc.net.au, highlighting that the current participation boom was unlike other trends in Australian sport. “Five years ago, 10 per cent of registered cricketers at all levels in Australia were of South Asian descent,” said Cricket Australia’s chief of cricket James Allsop, who said the figure was 20 per cent. He says it is rising even further. ”
The article also mentions other increases in numbers. “Cricket Blast, an introductory backyard cricket-style program for children under the age of 10, has seen enrollment of children with parents from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. 26 percent increase in boys and 29 percent increase in boys over the past year. A representative program run by local, state and national organizations found that 17 percent of athletes were of South Asian descent. In the under-12 age group, that number is a staggering 40 percent for boys and 25 percent for girls. ”
But Kennedy’s findings revealed a sobering statistic. Kennedy said the revolution has not yet reached professional status, with state-contracted athletes from South Asian families making up less than 5 percent of the elite 166 men and 122 women at the highest level. said. , only Usman Khawaja and Alana King had domestic contracts.
Cricket Australia’s Multicultural Plan aims to double the number of South Asian players at state level by 2027. As reported by ABC.net.au, Mr Alsop said: But we still have a lot of work to do, and we’re not shy about it. We want to ensure that all our clubs cater to people from all cultural backgrounds and this has been a big focus over the past five years. ”
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