According to sports news website sportingintelligence.com, cricket competition powerhouse the Indian Premier League (IPL), is one of the most lucrative televised sports series in the world today.

With a season lasting only six weeks, players typically earn an annual average salary of £2.5 million (about $5 million).

This is second only to the National Basketball Association in the United States, where a player can pick up US$4.8 million (about $5.3 million) annually.

One of the largest tournaments in the world, the Cricket World Cup is the third most-watched sporting event after the FIFA World Cup and the Summer Olympics.

Televised in more than 200 countries, the 2011 tournament had one billion people glued to their seats for the semi-finals in March between host country India and Pakistan.

But despite becoming a global phenomenon, the game doesn’t seem to have maintained  a huge following here in recent years— or has it?

"That might have been the case in 2003, when there were only 14 teams in the local league,” says Prakash Vijaykumar from the Singapore Cricket Association (SCA).

“But now, we have 105 teams. With 15 players per team, there are at least 1,500 people here playing the sport!”

The Indian citizen attributes this to the foreign talent who flocked to Singapore during the economic boom between 2004 and 2007.

“Many were from countries with a strong cricket culture like England and Australia as well as India and Pakistan,” explains Prakash, 37, who is SCA’s chief executive officer. “That’s why around 60 per cent of the league players here are expatriates.”

Glory days

He admits that such statistics have contributed to stereotyped thinking that cricket is a game only enjoyed by foreigners.

But cricket in Singapore has a longer and richer history than one might think. Local retiree Peter Khor, for instance, remembers a time when interest in the game was fuelled purely by Singaporeans.

“When I played for my school, Raffles Institution, from 1958 to 1960, all the school teams had Chinese, Malay, Indian and Eurasian players who were Singaporean,” the 67-year-old recalls.

“I love cricket because it is considered the gentlemen’s sport; there’s no behaving like a hoodlum on the pitch, and you don’t play to hurt or maim anyone.”

Peter adds that because a match can go on for three to five days, the physical and mental demands are high, making the game an unique challenge.

The British introduced cricket to Singapore during their rule which began in 1819.

“Like polo, it was originally played by the elite such as top administrators and civil servants,” says Mohanavelu Neethiananthan, SCA’s vice-president. “But because it began being played in all the schools here – even neighbourhood ones – cricket eventually reached out to all races and social groups.”

What brought the local cricket community together were the annual matches that pitted Singapore against Malaysia, another former British colony.

“I used to watch them religiously from the late 1950s to the late 1960s,” says Peter. “Singapore and Malaysia would take turns hosting the event.

Every other year, it’d be held at the Padang, and the grounds would be filled with spectators. It was a festive atmosphere, with stalls selling food and drinks. People would even stand on the steps of the Old Supreme Court Building to get a better look.”

Interest in the game waned with the exit of British administrators in the late 1960s, though Mohanavelu attributes the major reason for its decline to a decision made by the Ministry of Education (MOE).

“In the 1970s, their Co-Curricular Activities Branch [then known as the Extra-Curricular Activities Branch] wanted to push other popular sports such as football,” claims the 59-year-old.

“Because of this, they stopped recognising cricket as a school sport. However, certain schools with a strong cricket tradition chose not to disband their teams.”

Though the SCA continued to organise cricket tournaments for the schools that still had teams, it wasn’t till the mid-1990s that the game made a relative comeback.

“The SCA, with the help of [former United World College Cricket Club President] John Goodban, managed to convince the MOE officials of the importance of the sport, and had them recognise it as a Co-Curricular Activity again,” says Mohanavelu, a Singaporean.

“We arranged for our coaches to give talks at the schools, explaining and demonstrating the game to the teachers and students.”

Starting young

Secondary schools aren’t the only avenues for budding cricketers to get their proper introduction to the game.

At the Singapore Recreation Club (SRC), a cricket academy was set up in 2009 for children aged eight to 14 years old.

“Cricket isn’t an old man’s game as it’s very physically demanding,” says Paul Joseph, SRC’s Cricket Convener.

“The cricket ball is bowled at an average speed of 130 kilometres per hour, and hundreds of runs are made on average, so it helps to have youth on your side.

“That’s why we’re always looking for fresh blood, and believe that the best time to get people interested in the game is when they’re young.”

Open to members of the public, SRC’s academy is not unique in running such programmes.

“Other clubs with cricket teams such as the Singapore Cricket Club, Ceylon Sports Club and the Singapore Indian Association hire independent coaches to teach children,” explains Paul, 45.

“We all want to find the best players and groom them to represent us in the local league.”

Currently, 14 secondary schools play cricket although there were about 30 five years ago.

“The reasons for the dwindling numbers are always the same,”says Mohanavelu. “Students and parents feel the game is too long-drawn, especially in the scorching heat.”

An alternative

Tackling these issues is Shehzad Haque, 36, the director of Seasoned Pro’s Indoor Cricket League. Launched in October 2009, Seasoned Pro’s games are held at sheltered, open-air pitches such as Sports Planet and The Cage.

Protected from the elements, the game is pitched as the “cool cousin of outdoor cricket”, says Shehzad, a Singaporean.

“What we’ve done is made the game more accessible,” he says. “A match now lasts around only an hour, you can play come rain or shine, and we use a softer ball, so injuries are less of a concern.”

More than just a business, this new venture also aims to capitalise on the recent resurgence of the sport among adults to get kids interested in it as well.

“We’re working with the SCA on bringing both the Chinese Men’s and Women’s national teams to Singapore in the near future,” says Shehzad.

“Ultimately, what the local cricket community really wants is a stronger cricket culture among Singaporeans.”

SINGAPORE CRICKET ASSOCIATION
31 Stadium Crescent

SINGAPORE CRICKET CLUB
A Connaught Drive

SINGAPORE RECREATION CLUB
B Connaught Drive

SINGAPORE INDIAN ASSOCIATION
69 Balestier Road

CEYLON SPORTS CLUB
101 Balestier Road

INDOOR CRICKET LEAGUE
The Cage (weekday games) 38 Jalan Benaan Kapal

Sports Planet (weekend games) 1020 East Coast Parkway

* This article was written by Gene Hor and first published in Singapore Magazine (Jul-Sep 2011 issue).