Tape ball game would be safe, insists Asian council

British Asian communities are particularly suffering from the current lack of grass-roots cricket, Gulfraz Riaz, the chairman of the National Asian Cricket Council, has claimed.

“The NACC would like the Government to give the green light to all forms of recreational cricket as soon as possible,” said Riaz. “I am sure the recreational cricketer will adhere to guidelines with regards to the use of sweat and saliva.”

While Riaz supports all club cricket returning, he said that he was particularly surprised that tape ball cricket – which uses a tennis ball covered in tape – remains barred among groups of more than six. “If the argument is that there’s more danger of spreading or catching coronavirus through sweat and saliva, then obviously with tape ball, there’s no usage of sweat or saliva,” said Riaz. “That’s no different to tennis players sharing balls. What’s the difference?”

He added that the lack of grassroots cricket this season has had “a huge impact” among many British Asian communities.

“It can have a huge detrimental effect to the game in a community that’s hugely passionate about the game,” said Riaz. “A lot of people go and watch their village cricket, club cricket, community cricket – so it’s an interaction of people.”

British Asians account for an estimated one third of grass-roots cricketers in England and Wales. Riaz said that he was concerned that parks cricket, which is often played among British Asian communities at local authority grounds, was in danger of not being played at all this season. Many of those who play parks cricket, said Riaz, were not members of formal clubs so did not have access to good nets.

“The deeper we go into the season, the more local authorities might say, sorry, we’re going to need three or four weeks to get the square and outfield ready, and then that may jeopardise the whole season for the South Asian parks cricketing community,” he added. “So, there are huge ramifications in terms of not getting any cricket at all.”

As well as supporting the return of club cricket, Riaz called on clubs to do more to engage the Asian community – notably, by trying harder to ensure that their facilities were used by British Asians.

“Where the traditional outfits have got nets, facilities and training outfields, the South Asian cricketing community often don’t have that at all,” he said.

“They’re in the parks, there are no facilities to train on, there’s no invitation from English clubs to look out for the cricketing family. There’s a lot that can be done and a lot that probably isn’t being done. Where is the cricketing family in supporting part of the family that makes up 35 per cent of the landscape?”

Using the crisis to develop ways of sharing facilities between traditional clubs and park or tape ball teams might encourage more British Asians to join formal club set-ups. “You may be able to even pick up some players from the parks cricketing community that may want to go and join the hosting or the parent English club,” said Riaz.

“Members of the cricketing family coming together creates greater understanding and it goes a long way to promote integration.”