INDOOR CRICKET WORLD CUP

England have sent four teams to the 10th edition of the Indoor Cricket World Cup in the UAE

England have sent four teams to the 10th edition of the Indoor Cricket World Cup in the UAE, including a women’s team hailed as the strongest-ever England women’s side by the Group Managing Director of Action Indoor Sports UK Duncan Norris.

The seven-day tournament will begin on Saturday at the Insportz Club in Dubai, with champions to be crowned in the Open Men, Open Women, U21 Men and U21 Women competitions. Australia are the current holders in all four categories. 

In fact, both the men’s and women’s open tournaments have been dominated by the Australians, who have won every World Cup since the men’s tournament began in 1995, followed by the women’s edition in 1998. New Zealand and South Africa typically distinguish themselves in the tournament as well. Sri Lanka’s appearance in the men’s final in 2004—the year they hosted the World Cup—is the only instance of a team other than Australia, New Zealand or South Africa reaching a final.

Those three sides will be participating yet again this year, and will be joined by England, Sri Lanka, India, Singapore, Malaysia and the UAE.

Norris, who is also vice-president of the World Indoor Cricket Federation (WICF), said he was excited for the tournament to be hosted in the UAE for the first time, mainly because of its central location.

“If I’m taking four England squads to Australia and they’re self-funding, it means my start point is, find yourself three and half grand and three weeks off and you can play for England,” Norris said. “Naturally I wouldn’t be able to get the best side. Having it in Dubai probably makes it fairer for all sides. New Zealand, South Africa, Australia and England all have a distance to travel, but it’s not the other side of the world.”

However, Norris expressed his disappointment with the timing of the event for the England teams, pointing out that the outdoor season is still ongoing and so the indoor teams have not had enough time to practice together.

“The tournament is normally at the end of October, now it’s mid-September,” Norris explained. “I don’t agree with that. I haven’t had the U21 boys all together in one place more than once.”

Norris said that the U21 men’s lack of “cohesion and understanding of each other’s game” may hurt them in the tournament, and said that the U21 girls may have similar problems due to inexperience.

But he described the Open Men as “the tightest England unit that we’ve ever had in my time,” adding that he expects them to beat everyone outside of the top three countries.

His highest praise was reserved for the Open Women, however.

“We’ve got far and above the strongest women’s side we’ve ever had, without a shadow of a doubt. They could make the final.”

England’s women play twice on the opening day of the tournament on Saturday against the UAE and New Zealand.

Words by Don McDermott