South African cricket legend Jonty Rhodes believes the secret to growing the sport lies in Europe, and has helped launch a new T20 league on the continent. The 56-year-old is backing the new European T20 Premier League, which will initially feature teams from the Netherlands, Scotland and Ireland, including his own Rotterdam Dockers.
European cricket already thriving
Rhodes admitted he was surprised by how many European countries already have some form of cricket culture. Speaking to the Daily Star on behalf of cricket charity Bat For a Chance, he said: “There are 33 countries in Europe, including England, who are associated and affiliated to the ICC.
“So it's not a case of introducing cricket for the first time to all of these countries. Sure, it's on a smaller scale compared to sports like football, but in lots of places cricket is alive and well.”
Expansion and new talent
While the franchises will initially come from just three nations, Rhodes is confident more countries will follow. He explained: “It's about accessing new countries and new players.
“We had players from Nepal, from the US, from Italy, and a big focus there will be: how can we bring new players and new countries into the setup as well?”
Rhodes, who previously spent two-and-a-half years in Sweden and coached its national team, has already seen the impact of cricket in his newly adopted home of Rotterdam. He said: “I went down to a game on Sunday between two of the clubs in Rotterdam. They were having their derby cricket game, and out of the 22 players there, 15 of them were born and bred in the Netherlands. This has got legs. There's an amazing pool of players.”
Mixing local talent with big names
Rhodes believes the key to success lies in mixing unknown local talents with some of the game's biggest names, including fellow South Africans Faf du Plessis and Anrich Nortje, who have joined him at the Rotterdam Dockers.
He explained: "Playing in this new league, local players get the opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the big names in cricket. There are going to be some unknown names, and there's going to be a few surprises where the local, supposedly not-so-big stars, are going to ruffle a few feathers."
