The Imperial Inversion of Cricket

When he’s not engaged as a BBC broadcaster, Amol Rajan would love to be either watching, or better yet, playing cricket. A deceptively mean leg-spin bowler he grew up in South London soaking up the traditions of the game, its rhythms, complexities and drama.

But he’s concerned that those qualities are under threat from what he calls ‘The Imperial Inversion of Cricket’. Initially the process saw Britain’s former colonies develop and overtake the mother country in terms of ability. First came the Australians, then the West Indies, both of them using the established game to better their former colonial masters.

Now it’s the turn of India, but this time it’s different. This time the sheer scale, passion and desire to make something new of the game is making India not just a dominant playing power but a major force in the direction of the game.

In this programme Amol goes back to his roots at the Old Sinjuns cricket club in south London and talks to club members today about what they think of the changes over-taking the game.

And he travels to India to hear the story of the game there, from the sleepy colonial splendour of the Roshanara Cricket Club in Old Delhi to the hi-tech offices of one of the IPL franchises, the Delhi Daredevils. He also talks to Lalit Modi, the man who helped launch the IPL.

What he finds is a vibrant, coherent response to the needs of a professional sport in the 21st century. Will cricket hold on to its traditions and will Lords remain the Mecca as Simon Hughes the former Middlesex bowler fervently hopes, or will the sheer financial power and numbers India calls upon change the game for ever? And if it does change, might it actually be for the better?

Producer: Tom Alban

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in May 2017.