ICL for world peace
From Saurav Snehvrat, United States of America ICL is in its second season
Cricinfo
25-Feb-2013
From Saurav Snehvrat, United States of America
ICL is in its second season! Seems like yesterday, that the unthinkable concept of a world T20 league was conceived. The next couple of years will be an acid test for both the leagues, the ICL and the IPL, in making sure that they keep collecting the golden eggs without killing the goose. A lot has been written and talked about these leagues and a lot still remains under the scanner. One thing that caught my eye was the batting order of the Hyderabad Heroes for the season opener: It went like this 'JP Maher, Abdul Razzak, AT Rayudu, JM Kemp, STR Binny, N Boje, CZ Harris, KS Sahabuddin, et al'. I can't remember the last time I saw a more ethnically diverse group playing for a common cause! In today's crazy and divided world, this comes as a breath of fresh air. The cynic might say, these are cricketing 'mercenaries' playing for money, but the dominant thought in me says this is got to be good for the people involved (at least).
ICL is in its second season! Seems like yesterday, that the unthinkable concept of a world T20 league was conceived. The next couple of years will be an acid test for both the leagues, the ICL and the IPL, in making sure that they keep collecting the golden eggs without killing the goose. A lot has been written and talked about these leagues and a lot still remains under the scanner. One thing that caught my eye was the batting order of the Hyderabad Heroes for the season opener: It went like this 'JP Maher, Abdul Razzak, AT Rayudu, JM Kemp, STR Binny, N Boje, CZ Harris, KS Sahabuddin, et al'. I can't remember the last time I saw a more ethnically diverse group playing for a common cause! In today's crazy and divided world, this comes as a breath of fresh air. The cynic might say, these are cricketing 'mercenaries' playing for money, but the dominant thought in me says this is got to be good for the people involved (at least).
Dissociate the cricketer from the person and we see a pack of completely different people gathering under a common umbrella. Hopefully, they can come together as people and not just as cricketers. No matter what the cricketing future of these leagues, I hope this experiment brings solidarity among the team members involved and an understanding of the multi variant cultures. It reminds me of the ancient Sanskrit saying: 'Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam' (The whole world is my home) and it is resonant that India is the proving grounds where this experiment is on its way.