The likes of Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell may have had the spotlight, but the game’s elite have not been the only players parading on the Indian World Cup stage these past few weeks.
Away from the crowds and the TV cameras another tournament was taking place, where the significance of the runs scored and wickets taken mattered less and where the empowerment of children from impoverished backgrounds was the aim.
The Street Child Cricket World Cup brought together teams of youngsters from around the world, comprised entirely of children who grew up, or have been living, on the streets or in slums.
Taking place in the grounds of the Amir Mahal palace in Chennai, 19 mixed-gender teams representing some of the sport’s powerhouse countries including India, England and South Africa, and unheralded cricketing nations such as Mexico, Hungary and Rwanda, showcased their skills.
At the end of the event it was Uganda who emerged victorious after beating Zimbabwe in the final.
That in itself was an achievement for those involved to celebrate but the wider picture was all about providing a great experience for the teams and in changing perceptions of street children.
“These are kids that are nobodies who are suddenly somebody,” said John Wroe, founder and chief executive of tournament organisers Street Child United, a British-based charity which runs and co-ordinates a number of programmes globally to empower young people living in street situations.
“These are kids that are normally last that are suddenly first. In the process of a Street Child World Cup they just grow and grow and grow.
“We’re saying these people matter, their voices are important. They are people just like us but they haven’t had the opportunities.
“When we first did this we had no idea how far it could reach. Street children had never travelled and never met other street children.
“Wearing a national jersey makes them feel very different, and also changes the way people see them.
“Now when they go home, because they’ve been playing at a World Cup where the World Cup was, their countries are suddenly proud of them and not ashamed of them.”
The tournament was the second Street Child Cricket World Cup after a successful first event in England four years ago. The concept was the logical extension of the Street Child Football World Cup, which was first held in South Africa in 2010 and really gathered momentum after Brazil 2014.
Street Child United works with organisations in each of the participating countries to bring the children to the events.
It is a complicated logistical undertaking, with many of the children having no official documents, but it is something that is approached with enthusiasm and the future ambitions are strong.
The latest cricket event has come quickly on the back of a football contest to coincide with Qatar 2022 and thoughts have already turned to the 2026 edition. Miami could be a potential host to mirror the FIFA tournament being held in the USA, Canada and Mexico. There will then be another Cricket World Cup in Africa the following year.
Each event is held alongside a congress on children’s rights which further progresses the conversation, and hopefully leads to better treatment of those affected.
“They face a huge amount of stigma and you can see that in different countries,” Wroe told the PA news agency.
“We thought if we could change the way that people saw street children, we could begin to change the way that people treated street children.
“It is what it says on the tin, it’s a World Cup for street children. It is something about the magic of sport, sport reaches people.
“These young people are determined, resilient but simply haven’t had the opportunities. When they have them, they seize them. They cherish them and they make the most of them.”
Jos Buttler motivated by poor World Cup to drive England forward
Jos Buttler intends to use England’s World Cup misery to fuel him for the rest of his career but he insisted the humbling campaign “doesn’t define me as a person or my whole career”.
England’s defence of the title they won to much acclaim in 2019 was a debacle, with Buttler not making a single fifty and averaging 15.33 in nine group-stage matches as his form completely deserted him.
Three weeks on from their final game of a grizzly trip to India, Buttler is on the road again and looking to wipe the slate clean as he leads a new-look England side on a white-ball tour of the West Indies, starting with the first of three ODIs on Sunday in Antigua.
Having taken a few painful lessons from the past few weeks, Buttler is adamant he is as committed as ever to get England back to being the standard-bearers in the limited-overs formats going forwards.
“I’ve got to use it as motivation and hunger to push myself and the team forward,” the England white-ball captain said. “Use it as a positive experience to go into the rest of my career.
“I still feel incredibly motivated and excited and it’s nice to be around some of the younger guys who are desperate to do well and, as a more senior player, it gives you a lot of energy.
“We have had one bad tournament. We have been in a great place for a long time and you see the depth of talent of guys coming through and you want to help shape that period of white-ball cricket.
“Any time that you get challenged and get pushed back, it certainly lights a few fires and motivates you. I should be in an even better place moving forward than I have been.”
Buttler and head coach Matthew Mott inevitably drew plenty of criticism for finishing seventh out of 10 teams in the subcontinent but the pair have been backed fully by director of men’s cricket Rob Key.
Having had time to digest what happened, Buttler retains a pragmatic outlook and reminds himself of team-mate Ben Stokes’ now memorable line to Jofra Archer before the pivotal super over in the 2019 World Cup final.
“Having good people around you, people who are close to you, that keeps some perspective on life and on cricket,” the double World Cup winner said. “It’s meant to be hard at times, right?
“We’re playing international cricket events against the best players in the world and they’ve all got the same ambitions as we have so there’s going to be times when it’s not easy.
“It’s this easy to be captain hindsight. Say you got XYZ wrong, when if you don’t play well enough to try and implement your plan, the decisions can maybe become a little bit irrelevant.
“I always think of Ben Stokes’ words to Jofra about the super over: whatever happens here doesn’t define you and I certainly don’t feel like that World Cup is the defining moment for me.
“It’s a huge disappointment but it doesn’t define me as a person or my whole career. So, just use it as something to make sure I look forward now and enjoy the challenges ahead.
“Life moves on, the world moves on pretty fast. There’s always something to look forward to. It’s never as bad as you think it is and it’s never as good as you think it is.”
Buttler did not reveal his XI for what is being dubbed by some as a reset as they build towards the 2025 Champions Trophy and 2027 World Cup but Will Jacks and Phil Salt are set to open the batting.
Neither player received a central contract a few weeks ago but they have an opportunity to push their case for more regular involvement alongside the likes of Rehan Ahmed, John Turner and Matthew Potts.
Harry Brook, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Gus Atkinson and Brydon Carse have followed Buttler to the Caribbean from the World Cup, while a 15-strong squad is bolstered by Test regulars Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope.
“It’s certainly a bit of a new beginning,” Buttler added. “There’s some really exciting talent in this team. There’s a nice blend, I think.”
“There’s some great energy around the guys and the Caribbean is a nice place to start this journey.”
Ben Stokes has surgery in attempt to resolve long-standing knee injury
Ben Stokes has undergone surgery on his troublesome left knee and will begin a rehabilitation programme with the aim of being fit for England’s next Test assignment in just under two months’ time.
A chronic injury gradually worsened to the point of Stokes not bowling in the final three Ashes Tests, while he was selected as a specialist batter for England’s doomed World Cup title defence in India.
Stokes revealed earlier this month he intended to have an operation at the end of the World Cup in a bid to “get back to doing what I’ve been known for” and operate as a fully-fledged all-rounder.
View this post on InstagramHe posted an image on Instagram of himself on crutches on Wednesday outside London’s Cromwell Hospital, alongside a short caption which said: “In and out. Under the (knife emoji) done. Rehab starts now.”
No timescale has been given for his recovery but Stokes is attempting to be back in time to captain England in a five-match Test series in India, which gets under way in Hyderabad on January 25.
Stokes confirmed last week he will not feature in next year’s Indian Premier League in an effort to manage his workload and fitness. He was released by Chennai Super Kings a couple of days later.
ECB boss admits challenges remain for cricket after positive impact report
Making cricket the most inclusive sport in the country and breaking down barriers to access will continue to present tough challenges for the England and Wales Cricket Board, according to chief executive Richard Gould.
The ECB’s Impact of Cricket Report, published on Tuesday, was produced alongside the The Sports Consultancy (TSC), who assessed the governing body’s projects, programmes and data from recent years as well as the impacts they deliver.
As well as demonstrating how cricket keeps people fit and healthy alongside supporting their mental wellbeing, being involved in the sport was shown to build children’s confidence and have positive impacts on both communities and social cohesion.
The report, which focuses primarily on the 2022 and 2023 seasons, showed 80 per cent of respondents agreed playing cricket keeps them active in a way they would not be if they did not get involved.
Other statistics showed 83 per cent of parents said their child’s confidence had been boosted by taking part in the ECB’s ‘All Stars and Dynamos’ programmes.
When looking at social cohesion, the report found 92 per cent said playing cricket makes them feel part of the community, while 83 per cent agreed playing the sport meant they appreciate people from different backgrounds.
The ECB hopes by growing the game, more people will benefit from the positive impacts and more opportunities will be created for people to get involved in the sport.
Data from the report showed just over one million children played cricket through ECB programmes, partner programmes or organised play last year.
During 2023, 717 new women’s and girls’ teams were established, which is a 20 per cent growth, while 526 recreational clubs have been funded to make their facilities more accessible and welcoming, with a focus on breaking down barriers to people getting involved in the sport.
Access to cricket in urban areas is also improving, with funds targeted into the most deprived regions, which have helped more than 30,000 players engaged through hubs which bring together cricket and other local services.
ECB chief executive Gould accepts breaking down socio-economic barriers to playing the sport remains “one of our big challenges”.
Gould said: “Compared to football, which is arguably the biggest competitor, our challenges are more so. Without the assistance of Chance to Shine and the Lord’s Taverners, cricket is not played in schools.
“We have seen the slow demise of that over decades and therefore we are reliant as a sport on our clubs and also our partners to try and get access into schools.
“Football has the benefit of an entire network across all schools that we don’t have, so that is something we have to be cognisant of and make sure that we can get that type of investment in.”
The ECB has recognised the importance of adapting the sport to urban environments, ensuring access for as many people as possible, which saw the Core City Hubs programme established in 2018.
Through the Chance to Shine Street programme, almost 9,000 children and young people are playing free, weekly, year-round cricket, with 81 per cent of participants being from an ethnically diverse community.
Gould feels the landscape of the sport, which has seen a rise in indoor cricket, is changing for the better.
“The definition of a club needs challenging and we are going to challenge that now,” he said.
“You don’t have to have a piece of grass and a pavilion, you can just have a collection of friends that meet in one of these sports halls once a week and you play cricket.
“It is a very different landscape and I think it is a very exciting landscape because it just makes it much easier to play cricket.”
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
