"Here we have a scenario whereby the ECB's great glossily packaged commercial project, sold as a force for sunlight, modernity, and openness, could end up actively reinforcing the exclusion of cricketers based on race. At which point the whole thing simply collapses. Every part of the Hundred's staging, the beamingly self-righteous tone, the schmaltzy marketing, the prim ECB talk about enshrining equality in its statutes. All of it goes up in smoke if in reality the message is: you're not coming in if you're Pakistani."
"The mere fact that this is any kind of issue is already devastating. The ECB's great glossily packaged commercial project, sold as a force for sunlight, modernity, and openness, could end up actively reinforcing the exclusion of cricketers based on race."
English cricket confronts a critical crisis regarding potential discrimination against Pakistan players in the Hundred competition. The BBC reported that Indian-owned franchises may have reservations about hiring Pakistani cricketers, though the ECB denies any shadow ban exists. This situation threatens to expose a fundamental contradiction: the Hundred was marketed as a modern, inclusive competition promoting equality, yet could actively reinforce exclusion based on nationality and race. The mere existence of this issue damages the competition's credibility and contradicts its public commitments to equality. The consequences extend beyond hypothetical concerns—the reputational damage and potential legal implications already undermine the entire commercial project.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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