The ECB has been challenged to do more to ensure its junior participation schemes are made relevant to the South Asian cricketing community, following a new study that has revealed a potentially devastating reduction in council-run cricket pitches in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak.
Writing in the National Asian Cricket Council newsletter, chairman Gulfraz Riaz cited the findings of a recent report by the Grounds Management Association, which estimates that cricket – with its specialised requirements for pitch maintenance – could be the hardest-hit sport in the UK post-Covid, with more than half of its playing capacity lost in the coming decade, compared to a fifth for rugby and football.
And this, in turn, could put huge pressure on the Asian cricketing community, which is estimated to represent between 30 and 35% of all active cricketers in the UK, but – unlike the club structure…