More neutral venue cricket is what cricket needs
England may continue to be Pakistan's new 'home' in world cricket, since it could be a while before international cricket is played in Pakistan
Akhila Ranganna
25-Feb-2013
England may continue to be Pakistan's new 'home' in world cricket, since it could be a while before international cricket is played in Pakistan. Writing on the Dreamcricket website, Suresh Menon says that the thing to note in the just concluded Pakistan-Australia Test series was the presence of non-partisan fans who turned up to watch two teams they had no emotional stake in. It is the non-partisan spectator who does not care which team wins so long as the match is competitive and played in the right spirit, who might be the game’s new fan base.
Cross-national fandom is not unusual. Sachin Tendulkar is popular in Australia, England, the West Indies, anywhere he plays. An India versus Pakistan match in Australia is guaranteed to bring in the crowds, both ardent supporters of the teams as well as the neutrals.
Perhaps it is a giant leap from watching Pakistan play Australia in England to assuming that South Africa playing Sri Lanka in, say, Mysore is what cricket needs. But if that happens, the spectator will not complain.
Akhila Ranganna is assistant editor (Audio) at ESPNcricinfo