COUNTER VIEW: China wants to play cricket World Cup by 2015

If China believes it can stride the cricketing stage by pumping in money and baseball coaches, it is mistaken. The effort reflects the arrogance of an authoritarian power, which believes that nothing is beyond its grasp. China's hubris could come unstuck in cricket, except perhaps in the Twenty20 version, which does not count for much in terms of cricketing skill.China might be better than India and Pakistan in hockey, but beating India in the longer version of the game would take some doing. Cricket demands a baggage of physical, mental, temperamental and leadership skills which are unique. These attributes will not come easily to a society governed by brute force and little else.
China should not be allowed into the world cricketing fraternity for its human rights record alone. There have been howls of protest over Beijing hosting the 2008 Olympics. The Olympic Charter says that "Olympism seeks to create a way of life based on the joy found in effort, the educational value of good example and respect for universal fundamental ethical principles". China does not seem to believe in such a 'way of life'. If its credentials to hold the Olympics have been questioned by human rights groups all over the world, there is no reason why its entry into cricket should not be put under the scanner. More than winning or losing, games are about the spirit in which they are played. A country associated with major ethical crimes should face censure in 'non-political' areas. That is why South Africa was out of the cricketing fraternity in the apartheid years.
Amnesty International points out that there have been human rights violations linked to China's preparations for the Olympic Games. Individuals who wrote to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) calling for improvements in China's human rights have been imprisoned. Thousands of Beijing residents were forcibly and illegally evicted from their homes to prepare for the games. IOC said that by allowing Beijing to host the games it expected China to improve its human rights record. Nothing of the sort has happened. Why give China another chance?