When we think of cricket in
Europe, off the top of your head you might think of England. England of course
the country who invented cricket and has one of the richest histories in the
sport. Some other countries such as Scotland, Ireland and Netherlands have also
appeared in world cups. However, one might be surprised to know that there are
many other countries who have national teams and are very much active in the
sport.
Today, the European Cricket
Council overseas the administration of the sport in Europe. ECC is responsible
for promotion and development of the sport. Although it has been a slow growth
for cricket in Europe, competition like European Cricket League is certainly
helping the sport grow.
So, what exactly is European
Cricket League? In simple words it is the Champions League of Cricket. Just
like the Champions League, domestic league winners are eligible to participate
in the European Cricket league. Federations of countries Ireland, Scotland, UK,
Denmark, Finland, Sweden, France, Romania, Spain, Russia, Italy, Germany, and
The Netherlands, who are also member of International Cricket Council, have
their own domestic leagues and winner of each domestic league competes in
European Cricket League to be crowned as the Champions of Europe.
The league is played in
group/knockout format. Key fundamentals of the sport remain the same however,
instead of 20 overs an inning is only 10 overs and the size of the ground is also
smaller compared to the traditional cricket ground. This changes in few areas
of the sport makes it a fast paced and entertaining for the fans. Shorter
format also allows the competition to be played out within the span of days.
Moreover, competition being held in summer and in the open grassy lands in
central Europe, creates an inviting atmosphere for the fans giving them an
opportunity to enjoy the sport and may be having a picnic the same time.
2020 was supposed to be the second edition of the competition, because of the Covid-19 pandemic it had to be postponed to 2021. However, this gave an opportunity for the European Cricket Network to use their expertise to create the new European Cricket Series. This new series has been a huge success for the European Cricket Network giving them their best worldwide audience yet.
Although, cricket is still a
lesser popular sport in European countries, European Cricket network with their
ambitious efforts are bringing the sport to more people and encouraging them to
get involved in it. For European Cricket Network and its key people, along with
their experience in some of the biggest sporting ventures, the future does look
very bright.
European Cricket League - https://www.ecn.cricket/european-cricket-league
picture credits - ecn.cricket, emergingcricket.com
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