New Delhi: During the 2016 T20 World Cup, the then Netherlands captain Peter Borren, in one of the press conferences, was almost in tears and made an emotional plea to the International Cricket Council (ICC) to spend more on the Associates. “There is a kind of unease towards cricket associated with it. Growing the game further, we always hear that it is not commercially viable,” he had said.
“Look at Indian television, the highlights of our victory over England are everywhere. Clearly, fans enjoy watching new teams succeed. So give us a chance. We will compete and we will be seen,” he had said, referring to the highlights of Netherlands beating England in the 2009 T20 Cricket World Cup.
Back to the present, the noise is getting louder again, with the Associates pushing the Full Members to the limit, and it all started again with the Netherlands.
Pakistan had fallen from 98/2 to 114/7 while chasing 148 against Netherlands. Max O’Dowd took a catch in the penultimate over and Faheem Ashraf became the hero with three sixes and two fours.
India had a disastrous start against the United States and were reeling at 63/4 in the 10th over. Shubham Ranjane ducked but couldn’t hold on to a catch from Suryakumar Yadav. Surya scored 84 goals in 49 balls that defined the match.
Having earlier reduced England to 57/3, Nepal finally restricted them to 184/7. During the chase, they were 175/5, needing 10 runs off seven balls. Lokesh Bam was well prepared with 35 off 15 balls. Over the next four deliveries, Bam scored just three runs as England managed to advance after a tight final over from Sam Curran.
Scotland, replacing Bangladesh, had England on the ropes as Tom Banton and Will Jacks occupied the crease in their quest for 153. Things had slowed to almost running a ball in the previous three overs, and England now needed eight off the last six balls. Jacks then hit a six and a four to get over the finish line.
A couple of days later, England were 105/5 in the 13th over against Italy before finally posting a solid 202. During the chase, Italy climbed to 173/7 after 34 runs in two overs. Grant Stewart was set for 44 off 20 balls. The rookies needed 30 of the last 12 deliveries. Sam Curran then ousted Stewart, crushing his hopes.
It may not be as dramatic, but Afghanistan overcame the United Arab Emirates in the final, while the Netherlands put pressure on India despite looking down and out at one point.
Before the India-Netherlands match, an announcer arrogantly repeated the pre-tournament claim that a total of 300 runs would be surpassed. Instead, the Men in Blue posted 193/6, restricted by Logan van Beek’s three-wicket haul.
The eight associated teams have made their mark in this T20 World Cup and have not been as pushovers as many expected them to be. The gap, as is repeated every two years, is narrowing between Associate and Full Member nations.
The reason the results are not favorable for associates can simply be attributed to the lack of high-level opportunities and the inability to absorb pressure at key moments.
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“Until you play matches, you won’t be in those situations. No matter how much you practice at the net, how do you get out of difficult situations like 80/5? Or how do you win a match if you need 30 runs in the last two overs? You won’t feel it until you experience it on the ground,” UAE coach Lalchand Rajput said.
“The more games you play against good teams, the more situations you face. You may only win one game in five, but it builds confidence that the next time you find yourself in the same situation, you can win,” he added.
Namibia coach Craig Williams also did not mince his words and called for more matches for the associates, if the ICC wants to globalize the sport.
“I think it’s not rocket science. If you play more cricket, you will improve. And especially if you play more competitive cricket. So I think all the partner nations are asking for the same thing. It’s been a few years since I played too,” he had said before his last match against Pakistan in Colombo.
Players, coaches and even administrators have urged the ICC to introduce more matches in the upcoming Future Tours Programme.
“There should be more matches, and definitely the ICC is working on it. That’s why this T20 World Cup has 20 teams. Hopefully, it will continue to grow and more Associates will follow us. If we qualify for the World Cup, we should get more opportunities to showcase ourselves,” Rajput said.
Canada captain Saad Bin Zafar agreed. “If there is one thing I would like to change, it is that partner countries have more opportunities to compete against the best nations because that is the learning field. That is where you learn,” he said after their loss to Afghanistan.
Dutch all-rounder Bas de Leede used the World Cup stage to remind everyone that his team has no cricket scheduled until June, and that their next assignment will be a World Cup qualifier.
“We have shown the level that association cricket is at at the moment. We can only ask for more opportunities against big teams because ultimately that is how we are going to improve as a collective,” De Leede said.
The challenge of finding space on the schedule and the financial obstacles involved are not lost on those who advocate for more games.
“The calendar does not allow more matches with full members because the associate countries mostly play against each other. It is also about television, media and sponsorship rights as they all focus on the top 10 teams. They also have challenges. But this World Cup has shown that the associate countries are good enough to receive more funding and play more matches,” Rajput said.
De Leede also offered a solution.
“I understand the financial reasoning, but perhaps a tri-national series involving two full members could be an option. I recently saw a post about a European T20 series involving England, Scotland, Ireland, the Netherlands and Italy,” he said.
“We saw how close Italy pushed England. There are many options. Normally, during the World Cup, it attracts attention and then fades away,” he added.
The story, however, does not look promising.
After reaching the Super Eight stage and becoming one of the stories of the 2024 T20 World Cup, the United States did not play a single Full Member until this edition arrived.
The Netherlands, who reached the Super 12 of the 2022 T20 World Cup and stunned South Africa, did not play a single T20I between that day in Adelaide and a match against Nepal 479 days later in February 2024. Their only match against a full member in that period was against Ireland in the build-up to the 2024 edition.
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T20 leagues closing the gap
One of the main reasons for the improvement in performance, despite the lack of opportunities at the highest level, can be attributed to the growth of T20 leagues. More leagues mean more demand for players and more platforms for associated cricketers to showcase their skills. American wicketkeeper-batsman Andries Gous underlined this with an unbeaten 120 for Desert Vipers against MI Emirates in the recently concluded ILT20.
Curran, who helped keep two associates in line, acknowledged that more parties play a role. “The partner nations are playing more frequently and are improving a lot. They are exposed to better cricket and better pitches,” he said.
UAE captain Muhammad Waseem, who plays for MI Emirates in the ILT20, shared a dressing room with the likes of Rashid Khan, Chris Woakes, Kieron Pollard, Shakib Al Hasan, Jonny Bairstow and Nicholas Pooran ahead of the T20 World Cup.
“We have learned to improve by playing alongside the best players in the leagues. Likewise, if we play against test-playing nations, we will continue to improve. Then in big tournaments, we will have even more competitive matches,” he told TimesofIndia.com.
The presence of experienced bosses on the bench has also helped.
Stuart Law is the head coach of Nepal. Ian Harvey is the bowling consultant. Gary Kirsten is a consultant from Namibia. Rajput brings his wealth of experience from the Indian dressing room to the UAE. Duleep Mendis leads Oman, while Pubudu Dassanayake leads the United States.
Having done everything possible on the field, Associates can only hope to receive more opportunities before the next edition arrives. Otherwise the same conversations and pleas will be repeated in Australia and New Zealand.