There’s a cult that’s taken hold in cricket. It has the potential to ruin it for everyone if left unchallenged.
Think Branch Davidians. Think breast feeding Nazis. Think Trekkies. Think Al Gore and An Inconvenient Truth.
Yes. The biggest issue facing cricket today are ‘Associate Cricket Hipsters.’
Now, before all the raging leftie cricket fans climb out of their collective funky Facebook Groups and come at me with chants of “Dennis is a cricket bigot”, let’s look at some facts.
Firstly, take some time to smell the roses and differentiate between ‘associate cricket’ and ‘associate cricket hipsters.’
Associate cricket nations are those ones we rarely hear about. They include Ireland, Afghanistan and Suriname. They randomly appear at World Cups of the T20 and ODI variety. They bring with them new exotic names and players. There is no doubt that they add to the spectacle. Everyone loves a underdog.
Now, I have nothing against these lesser sporting nations. In fact, one could surmise I am a casual supporter of their cause.
Your honour, may I present to you the following articles I have written in recent times to support my case:
An Idiots Guide to a Smaller World Cup
No one is listening to the ICC
This last one was labelled the most important article written so far in the World Cup by a respected Cricinfo and Wisden India journalist.
On top of that, my website is currently hosting five other articles written during the World Cup by others about the associate cause.
I have produced two podcasts on the proposed Canadian Premier T20 League and then there was this piece on French cricket. The comments section alludes to the cult that I am growing increasingly concerned about.
As an aside, should the word ‘associate’ be capitalised? Are they a proper noun yet?
Anyhow, my point is that I am not anti associate. In fact, if anything, Dennis Does Cricket has added to the collective noise more than most. In retrospect, I almost fell for the alluring trappings of wanting to be one of the cool kids.
Recently, given the ICC’s stated objective to reduce the World Cup in 2019 down to only 10 teams, the associate cause has gained some new members. I call these people the ‘associate cricket hipsters’.
Unless your name is Russell Degnan, Andrew Nixon, Tim Whigmore, Peter Della Penna or Jamie Harrison, then you are highly susceptible to jumping on a bandwagon you know little about. These guys listed above are like Jesus’ 12 disciples. They were preaching about the associates even before recorded history.
Peter Miller also gets a leave pass due to his contributions to this excellent book. However, let’s be honest. He hasn’t spent his life in the trenches like the other blokes. He sits alone as a legitimate neuvo hipster.
But, I am far from a cricket hipster and so are you.
Clearly there is a cause that needed to be taken up. Cricket will be better with a more inclusive system for lesser cricket nations. But, it has been done to death now.
I’m happy to take my share of the blame for the wave of articles that bear my moniker. However, like you, if I stare into the mirror of truth, I’m not losing too much sleep over associate cricket.
I got excited about it for a day or two. But if Australia don’t play Ireland in the next 5 years, it won’t change my cricketing experience one iota.
I care about The Ashes. I care about Pakistan v India. I now like the Big Bash. I enjoy the World Cup Finals. The Champions Trophy is the best tournament on the ICC calendar.
Afghanistan versus Israel, although interesting for geopolitical reasons, is not really something I’m going to watch on Pay TV.
So please, wannabe hipsters, tone down your associate rhetoric. We get it.
Another article about why the ICC is shortsighted? I’ve already read it.
Associate podcasts? I’m over them.
Name dropping Hamid Hassan, Shapoor and some guy called Karate? You knew nothing of them 6 weeks ago. Stop pretending that you did.
Khurrum Khan facts? There aren’t any. Stop making them up.
You don’t even know what Brendan Taylor looks like. He’s not even an associate.
Leave the hipster space to those that will live and breathe the cause long after the UAE have headed home after the World Cup. They have been, and will continue to do a great job.
Instead, turn your energies back to AB de Villiers, Glenn Maxwell, Trent Boult, Kumar Sangakkara and whoever the English reckon is their next white knight.
Currently, I think it’s James Taylor. Or is it Moeen? One can never be sure.
Associate cricket hipster you are not.
Start acting appropriately.Follow @denniscricket_
I’ve been saying all along that the World Cup starts today Dennis. The last few weeks have been a nice sideshow (with the added bonus of England’s elimination), buts let get fair dinkum, this is where it really begins.
There has been some good cricket allround to date. However I reckon today’s Sth Africa v Sri Lanka match could be the game of the tournament.
Yep, reckon it will be a cracker
Oops, got that one a bit wrong! Maybe tomorrow’s the day?
http://www.amusingplanet.com/2013/09/the-maasai-cricket-warriors.html What about these guys HUH? i’m shooting for less then an associates hipster
And what about those of us that happen to be *from* an associate nation? I’m not a hipster! Okay, maybe I am a little bit, but I’m also Dutch!
You are just supporting your own country. That’s far from ‘wannabe hipster’ as it gets
But I also I feel Afghanistan is too mainstream… 😛
OK, I know I’m a bit late to this, but I recently came across the article on your facebook and have since realised this is a better avenue for commenting.
My biggest problem is that you praise Associate cricket writers like Andrew Nixon, Tim Wigmore, Russel Degnan, etc for doing a good job, then insist that everybody else should just
“turn your energies back to AB de Villiers, Glenn Maxwell, Trent Boult, Kumar Sangakkara and whoever the English reckon is their next white knight.”
Seriously? This is exactly what Nixon, Wigmore, et al. have repeatedly said NOT to do – completely ignore the Associates (protip: it’s capitalised because it’s their formal membership status within the ICC) outside of world cups. This attitude is precisely why they get such short shrift from the ICC, and precisely why it’s so hard for them to develop as cricketing nations.
You agree that the ICC is shortsighted, that cricket should be developed beyond the current 10 test-playing countries, but you somehow think that people should immediately drop any interest they have developed in those non-test teams and ignore them for the next 4 years (or more depending on the 2019 CWC format)?
“Name dropping Hamid Hassan, Shapoor and some guy called Karate? You knew nothing of them 6 weeks ago.”
Sorry, how many Afghanistan matches do I need to attend before I’m allowed to think Hassan and Shapoor are exciting fast bowlers? How many games at Malahide should I go to before I praise Andy Balbirnie’s strokeplay? How long do I have spend in Dubai before I can appreciate Shaiman Anwar’s power hitting or Manjula Guruge’s disciplined bowling?
You call it jumping on the bandwagon, but why do you think it’s a bad thing that people are interested in the very teams you think we should help develop? I truly do not comprehend this. Do you think it’s bad for cricket that the “bandwagon” popularity of Hamid Hasan has got the Otago Volts interested in signing him for their next domestic T20 season?
Also it’s pretty vacuous to dismiss someone’s interest in the topic simply because they haven’t been following it for years. By the same logic, nobody who doesn’t currently like cricket should ever start watching or playing, because they would just be getting on the bandwagon. Even Jesus’ disciples (as you called them) had their interest in Associates started at some point – in fact, Jamie Harrison was very late to the party and only became interested in cricket well into his adult life. Why does it bother you if lots of others join in that interest now? I thought that was one of the benefits of having Associates in the world cup in the first place – giving greater exposure than normal and helping spark interest in their teams.
You say you’re not interested in seeing Afghanistan vs. Israel. Fair enough, I’m not particularly either. But Ireland-Afghanistan is one of the best rivalries in world cricket at the moment. I’d also LOVE to tune into PNG vs. Nepal in front of a packed house in Kathmandu (this is a real possibility – their WCL games attract sellout crowds). But I can’t. Not because I don’t have pay TV (as if I’d watch anything on pay TV anyway), but because the ICC has decided that no-one cares about Associates, and no such coverage exists (though the recent TV rights deal between the CAN and their national broadcaster might help in this regard). People “jumping on a bandwagon” could change that, and if they are interested, why should they be discouraged?
As Dave Richardson says, it’s all about competitive cricket, and some of the most competitive, exciting and entertaining cricket in the world happens at Associate level. You might not care a jot for it, and that’s OK – plenty of people aren’t that interested in the Ashes or India-Pakistan either. But we should be celebrating diversity in cricket, not ridiculing people who get excited by seeing someone other than the same 10 teams over and over, or those who might be just a little tired of seeing India play Sri Lanka/Australia in meaningless bilateral ODI series again and again and again and again and again and again and again and again.
With the right encouragement and support, teams like Afghanistan (or even Israel) can and will develop into teams good enough for you to deem them worthy of watching on TV. Can you imagine the atmosphere as the opening bowler charges in for the first ball of an Ireland-England test match at Lord’s? I don’t understand why you think it’s laughable for a cricket fan to be excited by the idea.
You’re interested in the Ashes, World Cups, Champion’s Trophy, etc. Cool, I am too (except the Big Bash)! But playing England ~50 times in 2 years has made it just a little dull for me as an Australian, and sometimes I feel like something a bit different (i.e. a cricket match that doesn’t involve one of the Big 3, or even a test nation at all). The Intercontinental Cup and World Cricket League fit the bill nicely. I honestly cannot fathom why you think cricket fans should give up complementary interests in non-test teams simply because….er….some other cricket fans (who happen to be journalists) also like and write about them?