World Cup: A limited field

Cricket's parochialism stands in stark contrasts to the global reach and fandom of football, highlighting the need for a reimagined future for the sport

By next week, interest around the Asian Games, where India has turned in a decent performance, will be overtaken by a tournament in which expectations from Team India are hitting fever pitch. But for all the excitement and anticipation that’s being stirred up in the media, here’s a reality check. As a global sporting event, World Cup Cricket is a parochial enterprise with limited reach.

Nothing reflected this better than the near-empty stadium at Ahmedabad for the inaugural match between defending champions England and New Zealand. Even assuming Brits or Kiwis would make the trip to India to follow their team,