Asians are Britain’s biggest cricket fans. Why do so few go pro?

THE BOYS are a little rusty, their limbs stiff from the fallow winter period. Still, the sun is shining on the lush green of Thatcham Town Cricket Club, white picket fences marking its edges, baby-blue picnic tables scattered outside the clubhouse, the newish red ball flying through the air (and into the hands of a waiting fielder, alas). It is a picture-book scene of olde England.

But a glance at the scorecard reveals something more modern about the match. Five of the 22 players have some connection to the Indian subcontinent. Despite making up just over 5% of the population, South Asians account for 30% of recreational cricket players in England and Wales, and just under 30% of club players. According to Sport England, which funds and promotes sports, 2.6% of British Asians claim to have played cricket at least twice in the past month, compared with 0.5% of white Britons. Steve Abraham, the captain of the visiting Boyne Hill team, who has played with his club for 44 years, reports a gradual increase in Asians on his side—“especially amongst the colts”, or the kids’ teams.