More than a game: globalization and the post‐Westernization of world cricket

In this article I argue that, rather than focusing on the global diffusion of cricket and the reasons why it has been adopted in some countries but not others, the relationship between globalization and cricket is better understood in terms of the post‐Westernization of the international game. The post‐Westernization of cricket is associated with the rise to prominence of the One‐Day International (ODI) vis‐à‐vis the more traditional Test match format and this, in turn, is associated with a shift in the balance of administrative power away from Lord's (in London) towards Asian cricket, centred on India, and the relocation of the ICC to Dubai. In this shift, the ODI has been utilized by India as the means to prise power away from the traditional centres.