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Journalism of Courage
When Ronnie Irani demolished India in a dead-rubber tie with an all-round performance that would have done Kapil Dev proud, the irony was obvious: the Empire had struck back. Yet Irani is only the latest of Asian-origin cricketers to play for England; his captain and Mark Ramprakash are two regulars in the Three Lions sweaters.
Indeed, if the venerable Ranji — from whom all Asian cricketers in England trace their lineage — was to stroll around the English county grounds today, he’d be pleasantly surprised at the number of South Asians donning the whites. Ranji, his nephew Duleepsinhji and the senior Nawab of Pataudi all played in the pre-War days when blue blood was a prerequisite.
It no longer is, of course, in Cool Britannia. The cap can be yours regardless of the fact that your migrant father is a bank clerk or a store-keeper in England. And so Hussain, Ramprakash and Irani play alongside Min Patel, Owais Shah and Usman Afzal, even as Aftab Habib, Anurag Singh and Vikram Solanki wait on the fringes.
The line doesn’t end there: young uncapped talent includes the Ali cousins, Kabir and Kadeer, Monty Panesar, Amjad Khan, Samit Patel, Depesh Patel, Alamgir Sheriyar, Nadeem Khan, Billal Shafayat, Kyle Hogg (grandson of Sonny Ramadhin), who are threatening to break open the door to the English team.
Indeed, when the Indian Colts tour England later this month, they will face four of their cousins (from both sides of the border). And both Kabir and Monty have been given tickets to the English National Academy in Adelaide.
Indeed, if ever Indian selectors feel the dearth of young talent here, they could do what Bruno Metsu did as Senegal’s football coach before the last world cup: trawl through a pile of birth certificates and lure the brightest back to the motherland.
It’s no secret that the game, in England, depends largely on South Asians. They’re the ones to turn out in droves when their home country plays, putting the Tebbit Test to test and converting sleepy neighbourhoods into raucous carnivals as did the West Indies fans in the 1970s.
But South Asians are making their presence felt on the field, out in the middle. One reason is that true-blue Englishmen are staying away from the game in greater numbers, lured instead by more financially lucrative sports. Another, of course, is the success of teams from the sub-continent; India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have each won the world cup while England haven’t. And Tendulkar, Akram and Murali are more viable poster boys and role models — after all, which English teenager would be inspired by Freddie Flintoff?
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Vikram Solanki The English see much of the Oriental in Solanki when he bats in the middle-order. Supple wrists and an ability to place the ball make him a touch-artist but Solanki is yet to create waves at the international level. Still, they say, there probably isn’t a more talented Anglo-Asian than this Rajput lad, who migrated with his family to England when he was just eight. |
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Anurag Singh He’s of the same stock as Mike Brearley and Michael Atherton: the brainy type who led their university team. And all three were England captains, though Anurag led the Under-19 team. He announced himself as a prodigy against, ironically, the touring Indians, with two centuries. He has, of course, been tipped as a future England captain but Anurag has taken a while to come through: his first county century came only last year and his lack of run-making hasn’t gone down too well with the selectors. Now playing for Worcestershire, where he joins several other Anglo-Asians, the next season or two will be make or break for this practising 27-year-old lawyer. |
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Aftab Habib There are several similarities between Aftab, who plays for Essex, and Afzal: neither has been able to get on the right side of the cricket establishment in England. Like Afzal, Aftab has played in two Tests for England but couldn’t really fire — in fact, his batting average wouldn’t do even a tailender proud. Despite his loose technique, which causes problems early on in his innings, the ability is there, as Aftab’s county record would justify. |
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Usman Afzaal There’s a growing feeling that Afzaal is too much under the spell of various demons inside him. A hugely talented left-handed batsman and a quick-silver close-in fielder, Afzaal should have sealed his place in the England side last year when, in his debut series against Australia, he came up with a courageous half-century in The Oval Test. Yet he’s been ignored for all of this season by the selectors. One reason has to be his cocky attitude, a negative as far as his coaches at Nottinhgamshire (Clive Rice) and England (Duncan Fletcher) are concerned. Afzaal didn’t get to play a Test in New Zealand earlier this year as the team management felt he was overweight and not paying attention to his general fitness. Story continues below this ad However, with Afzaal’s can’t-say-die-spirit you can be sure of one thing: he’ll fight back. He’s already started, using one lifeline while playing for an MCC XI by taking a century off the Sri Lankans in a side game. |
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Depesh Patel Though he’s yet to complete a first-class season, Depesh has caught the eye of English selectors. Tall (6ft 4) and hefty (13st), he bowls fast, his pace and the steep bounce he generates off the pitch the talk of the minor counties. The race among the main counties to sign him was won by Worcestershire, for whom he’s currently playing his first season during a break from school. Though born and bred in England, Depesh — a member of the large Gujarati community — keeps close contact with India (Tendulkar, not surprisingly, is his favourite batsman). But his childhood hero is Allan Donald. Will Depesh be the Brown Lightning? |
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Kabir Ali Till now Kabir’s career graph had been running along lines similar to the that of his cousin Kadeer. Both had played for the England Under-19s and for Worcestershire in county cricket but Kabir has just broken an extra barrier; he has been named as a probable for English Cricket Board’s National Cricket Academy in Adelaide, which means this lanky fast bowler of Pakistani origin could be earning his English cap soon. The past two seasons have been frustrating but, having recovered from a stress fracture in his back, Kabir is in the midst of a fine season in county cricket. He currently heads the wicket-takers’ list and promises more action. At 21 he is more than the brash kinds; he also knows where exactly to pitch the ball. |
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Monty Panesar Mudhusuden Singh Panesar (to give him his full name) draws obvious and quick comparisons with Bishan Singh Bedi. Monty plays for Northamptonshire and bowls slow left-arm spin with his patka on; Bedi did the same in the 1960s and 70s, much before Monty was born. Panesar has come through the grades, having played with distinction for the England Under-19s. He took his first international step this year when he turned out for the British Universities in a side game against Sri Lanka and, impressing the selectors there, made the cut through to the National Academy in Adelaide. |
