RISING TIDE OF EUROPEAN CRICKET

“Cricket’s popularity is soaring fuelled by a diverse ex-patriate community” is a quote from the Facebook page of the Luxembourg Cricket Federation in July 2024.

The evidence is clear across all strands of cricket in the small central European country.  The domestic leagues (T20 mens) are noticeably more competitive with an increase in playing numbers. All fixtures now have official umpires.  Luxembourg’s representative (Optimists CC) in the Belgium League (50 overs) excelled.  

The women are constantly breaking new ground and for the first time appear in the ICC T20 World Rankings (No. 59).  Youth cricket (boys and girls) is flourishing with international underage fixtures against neighbouring countries Belgium, Germany and Switzerland.  Indoor cricket continues to expand with 18 teams and three leagues played across three venues.

One of the biggest factors in the increase in popularity of the game is that the on-line retail giant Amazon has its European administrative headquarters in Luxembourg and is a major employer in the country.  Many, many hundreds of south Asian background work for the company and naturally gravitate towards the local cricket community.

Luxembourg is almost a microcosm of cricket on the European mainland where the game is thriving.  Mobile south Asians have swelled the ranks of cricket clubs across the continent to the extent that thirty European countries competed during the summer for a place in the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.  The qualification process continues.

“Do you think, in the future, one of the minnows of European cricket will compete at the highest level?” I ask Atif Kamal, former Malahide CC and Cork County CC seamer, who now lives and works in Luxembourg.  

Atif was capped 15 times (T20) for Luxembourg and plays for one of the main teams Optimists CC.

“I think it will happen particularly at T20 level.  Belgium are bursting with talent but Italy and Spain are probably the countries most likely to make the breakthrough.  As well as players there are more good coaches involved with European teams” says Atif.  In fact Kevin O’Brien, former Ireland great, is a member of the coaching staff of the successful Italian national team.

Atif also turns out for Luxembourg touring team Griffins CC.  This year the group travelled to L’Alfaz cricket ground near Benidorm in Spain to play a couple of games against local team Sporting Alfaz CC.  Atif had a good day with the bat scoring 150 not out and in the process losing three balls in the nearby duck pond!