Over the last few decades, more countries have started investing heavily in sports. Cricket is one of the beneficiaries, as more people have now started picking up the sport. Television has also helped popularize the sport across the globe with a 2018 International Cricket Council (ICC) Survey reporting over 1 billion cricket fans.
However, while England is the birthplace of cricket, the sport has not gained roots in the rest of Europe. Over 90% of cricket fans across the globe are in the Indian subcontinent. Most European countries don’t have structures for the growth of the sport. It is against this backdrop that any event that promotes cricket at any level receives a lot of attention.
The European Cricket Series (ECL)
The European Cricket Series (ECL) is the latest such effort, and it has elicited a lot of attention across Europe. With countries such as German, Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland enjoying a gradual cricket revival, any action within their borders is a positive milestone.
The Dream11 European Cricket Series 2020 takes place at the Marsta Cricket Club in Gothenburg, Sweden. The tournament features seven teams in a T10 match in which each innings lasts 10 overs. The cricket teams taking part are Kista CC, Alby Zalmi CC, Sigtuna CC, Stockholm CC, Indiska CC Stockholm and Pakistanska Foreningen.
There are 25 high-octane T10 matches played over five days in Gothenburg. The action is live on multiple platforms including Fan Code, European Cricket Network, and Free Sports TV in the UK. Fans in India looking to place bets on cricket matches like European Cricket Series can log on to parimatch.
This array of teams brings amazing talent in one place and allows cricket players to refine their skills. One of the best things about the 10 over format is that it’s possible to finish one match in a day.
Breakout Teams and Players
There will be some breakout stars to look out for during the tournament including Waheedullah Musleh (Kristianstad CC), Fahd Omair Zafar (Watan Zalmi CC), Sajid Khan (Kristianstad CC), Sabaun Shirzad (Watan Zalmi CC), Puneet Ballakuraya (Linkoping CC) and Taimur Khan (Watan Zalmi CC).
Some of the top teams that have a chance to win the tournament include Linkoping CC, Krinstad CC, WatanZalmi CC and Seaside CC. However, everything is up for grabs as the players haven’t tested each other’s strengths. This will happen during the group matches, semi-final and finally the final.
Interesting Cricket Action
For a cricket fan in Europe and the rest of the world, it’s always good to look out for such tournaments. These small tournaments mould the greatest stars who you might then watch at the ICC World Cup or in T20 Formats.
With Sweden taking such a big step to promote cricket within its borders, European cricket fans hope this is a sign of great things to come. England’s win at the 2019 ICC World Cup might have heralded a rebirth of cricket in the country and the rest of Europe.
Countries such as Ireland, Netherlands, Scotland, Denmark, Germany, Austria, Spain, Sweden, Bulgaria, and Hungary already make an appearance in the ICC ODI and ICC T20I Championship Rankings. Such rankings can improve further with tournaments such as the Dream 11 European Cricket Series.
Wrapping Up
For cricket in Europe, it is a case of any publicity being good publicity. The Dream 11 ECS tournament is indicative of a region that wants to promote its cricket talent. With time, more European countries will host such series which will, in turn, develop their local talent.
We don’t know but you can check series live data on https://cricduck.com/fixtures/