In 1983, Kapil’s Devil’s secured a landmark first World Cup title by defeating the two-time champion West Indies. This victory not only marked India’s triumph on the cricket field but also had a lasting impact on the game in the Indian subcontinent. Over the next fifteen years, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, inspired by a similar indomitable spirit, went on to claim World Cup titles. Meanwhile, India established itself as a prominent global player in the sport.
That has been the case with every edition.
The 2011 World Cup highlighted how young talents from smaller towns could become heroes, shaping the future of Indian cricket. Over the decade that followed, the game’s quality improved considerably, and the market for cricket expanded.
And 2023 wouldn’t be any different.
Though it ended in heartbreak for India as it lost in the final to a mighty Australian side, the tournament saw the rise of Afghanistan and the Netherlands. By outclassing three former champions — England, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan — Afghanistan won four of its league matches before squandering a chance of reaching the semifinals. But its dominance, willpower, and aggressive style of play were indications enough that they were ready for the big stage.
In its third ODI World Cup, Afghanistan, despite a history of poor records, exceeded expectations. The Afghans were on a roll, scripting the most significant story of the tournament. “Earlier, our wins would often be termed upsets, but we have shown the world that we can win regularly against big teams. We know that if we can improve our game, it will inspire the next generation, and that’s our aim,” Ikram Alikhil, one of the key members of the Afghan team, says “Hum kar payenge (We can do it).”
And, in a war-ravaged nation where cricket is a great healer, such positive results allow the younger generation to chase their dreams. “Next time, whenever we beat a big team, everybody will know that the batch of 2023 showed the way. They instilled the belief, and that’s the legacy the team wanted to leave behind,” says Raees Ahmadzai, the assistant coach. The International Cricket Council (ICC) is also committed to nurturing cricket at the grassroots. Through a special partnership with DP World, they introduced the ‘Beyond Boundaries Initiative.’ The ICC partner pledged over 2,500 cricket kits for grassroots cricket clubs. The concept was to provide kits to young players for every 100 runs scored by a team. Already, over 800 kits have been delivered, with 250 distributed in Chennai.
A few weeks ago, a container with cricketing gear was delivered to the Chennai Boys Higher Secondary School by former India international Ravi Shastri, and it wasn’t just a one-off event. The container will be stationed at the Gen-Next Cricket Institute, Loyola College Ground, with the kits distributed to players of the Gen-Next Cricket Academy, Supers Kings Academy, and other government schools in Chennai.
“It’s an initiative we are really proud of. We spoke at length about how we could drive positive benefit, especially at the grassroots level,” Nick Pinder, the vice president of sponsorship and partnerships at the ICC, tells Sportstar.
India’s captain Rohit Sharma during the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup final. | Photo Credit: AFP
“It was part of the legacy of this event. It was about giving children and youngsters the kits that they need to develop their game. Ten kits were to be delivered for every 100 runs scored during the group league stage, and that increased to 50 kits for every 100 runs in the semifinal,” Pinder says. Though the idea is to distribute the kits to all the full-member and associate nations, the logistics are still being worked out. “Apart from the Beyond Boundaries programme, the ICC also has its own grassroots initiative known as Criiio. This too involves the distribution of cricket equipment to member nations which can be challenging to coordinate. We are working with the team at DP World and leveraging their smart logistics expertise to enable the distribution of Criiio equipment the world over,” Pinder says.
The initiative has drawn a huge response in cricket circles and on social media, and it can be a significant boost for associate nations like the Netherlands. This tournament was memorable for the Dutch, as they grabbed attention by defeating South Africa in a group league match.
“A lot of people are proud of us within the cricketing community in the Netherlands. It is a very small community. I’d say in total there won’t be any more than 5,000 odd people that play cricket in the Netherlands. So, we’re not talking about thousands or hundreds of thousands of people,” batter Teja Nidamanuru says.
“The response has been very positive, and I’ve seen it being covered on the main national news, which is called NOS. There was an article there. It was on live television. The awareness of the game is also growing in the Netherlands, which is a really huge positive for us because quite often when you say you play cricket, not many people know what that is.”
And that’s what the World Cup is all about. Win or lose, it sets an example for the future.
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