Cricket on the Go

Even as Australia and India are playing an important series with the first match having commenced in Chennai, it is time for us to think how cricket has reached its prime sporting position in India and how it has retained a significant foothold in the UK and NewZealand and a pervasive presence in Australia and the West Indies.In A Corner of a Foreign Field: The Indian History of a British Sport, Ram Chandra Guha describes the arrival of the MCC team in India on S.S. Mooltan. The ship made a short stop-over in what was then Bombay before leaving for Karachi where the team deboarded. Microphone was placed on the deck for the captain Douglas Jardine to address the public on All India Radio.Besides, the people who went to the matches, there was a considerably larger number following cricket and learning about it on the radio.It is this media which has been ignored by the BCCI when it asked for Broadcasting Rights and ABC Grandstand chose not to broadcast the series live in Australia.The TV rights in Australia are held by a pay channel, which means the casual listener or viewer has been kept out of the equation.

Radio was an important medium for cricket to grow and is still a meaningful medium for it to keep growing.Those of us who have grown up on rich diet of cricket commentary over medium, short and long waves(Radio 4LW, the current home of the Test Match Special on the radio) have moved on to the radio commentary on the net and internet radio via the smartphone.The treasure trove to be found is immense.Last Night there was the T&T vs Windwards thriller from Arnos Vale.Tonight one hopes there will be the ODI from Grenada.Listening to the Carribean t20. Regional 4 day and the International matches, the impression is that cricket has managed to remain important culturally with significant support of the radio coverage.It is time that BCCI and cricket broadcasters allow access to the matches to radio stations covering it live.During the last few months I have been follwing South Africa vs Pakistan on PBC during evening walks while listening to the Carribean t20 and NewZealand- England matches during my morning walk.There is also All India Radio chipping in on 106.4MHZ and one does not even need to pay for the internet.Cricket on the go with the radio cannot be matched by TV and the Desk top audio in the background at the workplace can only popularise the game even further.