The Bowled Over Cricket Blog

China’s estimated 85,000 cricket fans play on football (soccer) pitches or basketball courts and use plastic poles for stumps. The national side has made headlines around the globe for its abysmal performances, including the women’s side being bowled out for a humiliating 14 runs against the UAE last year. There is only one grass pitch serving the entire country, almost no domestic media coverage and most young people in China are deterred from playing non-Olympic sports, or are encouraged to focus primarily on their studies. But despite all the drawbacks, there is hope for cricket in China. Growing the game in the world’s second biggest economy has long been a priority for the ICC, and it is perhaps surprising that cricket has struggled so much to take off in China given its borders with the cricket-obsessed Subcontinent. Many of cricket’s headline sponsors around the globe, such as Oppo, Paytm, Alibaba and Vivo are Chinese companies, showing China’s interest in the financial po

From rainforests to rooftops, beaches to temples, little can stand in the way of fans' feverish passion for cricket - and a round the world the game is played and watched from some of the most stunning places on the planet.  The breathtaking Marina Bay Sands Hotel dominates the scenery at the Padang Park Cricket Ground in Singapore A sandy beach and driftwood stumps provides the pitch & wicket for an impromptu game... A different viewpoint - Roof climbers soak in the action as the sun sets over the Adelaide Oval As the tide recedes, a family enjoy a game of beach cricket at Mousehole Harbour in Cornwall, England With the Taj Mahal at deep midwicket, a group of young men play a cricket match in Agra, India The Indian Ocean and a lush rainforest provide the perfect backdrop for a game of cricket    High up in the Indian mountains, a batsman attempts a risky single As the sun heads down over the horizon, a group of boys cool off in the ocean after a long day's cricket A stack

Few players have dominated modern cricket in the same way the so-called ‘Fab Four’ of Joe Root, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson and Virat Kholi have. All four have enthralled millions around the globe with their insane talent and marvelous  batting - but which four female cricketers have shaken the modern cricketing world in the same way? 4) Meg Lanning One of the cleanest ball-strikers in world cricket, Meg Lanning has stunned the cricketing world time after time with a number of breath-taking batting displays. Nicknamed ‘Serious Sally’, her sharp cricketing brain and brilliant batting earnt her the Australian captaincy in 2014, when she was just 21 years old.  Since then Lanning has led the Southern Stars to the top of the world – Australia are currently first in both the Test and T20 world rankings. Few players are as decorated as the ‘Megastar’; Lanning is a 5 times world champion and has 3 Ashes titles under her belt, as well as the accolades of being the first Australian to

The world’s biggest annual cricket tournament is back. And although the raucous crowds have been replaced with empty seats, the IPL (Indian Premier League) promises to be just as explosive as ever. The tournament offers a chance to watch some of the biggest names in world cricket go head to head - as well as the hottest young talent the sport has to offer. Credit: Ajay Parthasarathy via Unsplash 5) Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rajasthan Royals Despite being just 18 years old, Jaiswal has already been making headlines after he became the youngest double-centurion in List A cricket last year. After scoring over 400 runs in only 6 matches at this year's U-19 W orld Cup, he was named man of the tournament.  The IPL is a golden opportunity for the young left-hander to hone his skills alongside some of the world’s best. 4) Tom Banton, Kolkata Knight Riders After a number of breath-taking batting displays in some of the world’s biggest cricket leagues and comparisons being drawn to the likes o

To say that women’s cricket is on an upwards spiral is an understatement. Earlier this year, close to 90,000 people crammed into the MCG to watch the Women’s World T20 Final on international Women’s Day, smashing all previous attendance records. Over 9 million watched the game on TV in India alone and around 1.2 million Aussies also tuned in. But due to COVID-19, many are fearful that this momentum could be lost. The pandemic has dealt cricket a heavy blow, with matches having to be rescheduled or cancelled altogether and budgets being scaled back. And whilst we’ve seen men’s cricket return in force, with England contesting a white ball series against Ireland and test series against Pakistan and the West Indies, we are yet to see any of the major women’s cricketing nations go head to head. With both South Africa and India pulling out of tours to the UK, we could see no international women’s cricket this English summer. Furthermore, the 2021 Women’s World Cup has been pushed b

If cricket has a nemesis, it would be rain.  Even the slightest whiff of precipitation can be enough to send players and officials scuttling back into the pavilion and the covers coming on. It’s almost laughable that the world’s second most popular sport can’t cope with H2O, whilst other sports merrily continue when the weather takes a turn for the worst.   Although rain only affects cricket in some countries (cough, cough, the UK), it can cause matches to be drawn or cancelled altogether - meaning fans are deprived of the game they love and, more importantly, teams can be denied crucial victories. It’s not like we can politely ask the rain to stop and the weather gods will happily oblige. So what should cricket do? Should we just keep losing huge chucks of matches because of the weather? Perhaps place roofs on stadiums? Have reserve days? Settle it on the Play Station? Flip a coin? All perfectly viable solutions (well, most of them at least) - but couldn’t we just play in th

Over the years, the world has witnessed numerous father-son duos in cricket, where both end up forging a career playing the "gentleman’s game".  But the cricketing relationship between Don Bradman and his father, George, was a rather special one. While George Bradman was no mug on the cricket pitch, a skilled bowler in his youth, he didn’t possess the talent to take him beyond club cricket.  A carpenter by trade, George’s skills with wood came in handy for the young Don; when his son was presented with his first bat, it was far too heavy for him so George re-fashioned it to make it a more appropriate size. In February 1921, George helped to fuel his son’s passion for cricket by taking him to an Ashes test at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), the closest cricket stadium to their home in Bowral.   George was no stranger to the ground.  In 1896 he was part of a carpentry team that built the formwork for a cycling track that circled the SCG, a ground that would end up becoming