The ICC Cricket World Cup in India is reaching its climax. Unfortunately the Belgian national team didn’t qualify this time round, but if Hassan Shah, the president of Cricket Flanders, is to be believed the team stands a good chance of qualifying for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, when cricket returns to this event. Belgium finished second, behind England, in the European Champions League. If we win in Los Angeles cricket will truly be coming home as the sport was, of course, invented in West Flanders in Belgium.
It was during the Middle Ages that cricket was first invented in West Flanders. Hassan Shah likes to describe the sport played at this time as “primitive cricket”.
Primitive cricket may not have been played by the same rules as today. Still, it was immensely popular in West Flanders and when Flemish weavers and textile workers emigrated to England, they took their game with them and introduced the English to cricket. The game soon spread across England and during the colonial era was taken up across the world. This explains the sport’s current popularity in Commonwealth countries and former British colonies and dominions, in the UK itself of course, but also in India, Pakistan, Australia, South Africa and the West Indies and countries in the British sphere of influence like Afghanistan.
Today cricket is the world’s second most popular sport attracting a following of 2.5 billion fans. Though it was invented here, it isn’t the most popular of sports in Flanders. Still there is a very active Flemish cricket association, Cricket Flanders. The Belgian cricket competition boasts some 6 divisions each with up to 8 teams.
In the world ranking that involves 87 countries Belgium currently features in 42nd position. The International Cricket Council hasn’t yet finalised the pathway procedure to the 2028 Olympics, but Hassan Shah believes that if all continents are represented Belgium stands a good chance of qualifying. He points to Belgium’s recent performance in the European Champions League and says the squad possesses a lot of potential. Hopefully, Belgium does well and we can say or possibly sing “Cricket is coming home!”