Cricket has never been a mainstream sport in Israel. There are no big stadiums here. Neither star players nor cricket has got the same popularity as seen in traditional cricket countries. Despite this, immigrants from India, Sri Lanka, South Africa and Australia have kept the game alive here. Especially the Indian community has made an important contribution in taking cricket forward. Yuval Viner, business and strategic manager of the Israel Cricket Association, said that most players work during the day and play cricket in their free time. For this reason this game could not reach the professional level for a long time.

Lack of resources is the biggest challenge

The biggest problem facing Israel is cricket infrastructure. There is a lack of good pitches and big grounds in the country. Players travel long distances to play matches with limited resources. Whereas many coaches also perform the responsibility of groundsman. According to Yuval, at present there are about 12 cricket clubs in the country. Women’s cricket is also being promoted. Apart from this, a league of 18 teams has also been prepared with the help of construction companies. Now the association is busy searching for sponsors and investors.

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Expecting cooperation from BCCI

The Israel Cricket Association hopes that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will support its cricket development in the future. Yuval Winner says that India is the biggest center of world cricket and BCCI has already helped countries like Nepal and Afghanistan. He believes that if BCCI supports the good relations between India and Israel, then Israel can also move forward rapidly in the ranks of emerging cricket countries.

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