In June 2023, the report of the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket found that structural and institutional racism, sexism and class-based discrimination continue to be widespread within English and Welsh cricket. The ICEC called on the England & Wales Cricket Board to enact a series of recommendations to bring about change.

Eight months on from the release of the ICEC’s report, this conference will examine the state of English and Welsh cricket in a post-ICEC world. How has the ECB responded? What still needs to change? And how can cricket writers, researchers and supporters come together to make that change possible?

The conference is being organised by the Cricket Research Network, which is chaired by Dr Raf Nicholson. The conference will serve as the launch of the network, and all conference attendees will be encouraged to sign up to network membership. More information about the network will be provided during the conference. As part of the conference there will also be an opportunity to look round the museum, which in 2018 became the first fully-accredited cricket museum in the UK.

For anyone seeking overnight accommodation in Cardiff, we recommend Sport Wales Bed & Breakfast, which is very convenient for Sophia Gardens and costs £46 a head. Please call 0300 3003123 to book.

Cricket Research Network statement of aims

We are a group of researchers and writers, working on and within cricket. We agree with the ICEC’s conclusion that cricket should be a game for everyone, that belongs to everyone – but isn’t at the moment. We believe that change within cricket is necessary – and that change should be informed by critical, empirical research.

Our aims are:

• • • To create conversations and connections between academics, writers, journalists, policy-makers and all those working within cricket;
    • To create a “hub” for research into and writing on cricket, making it easily accessible for anyone interested in engaging with existing work;
    • To provide a space for researchers and writers to showcase their work; • To break down myths and misconceptions about cricket;
    • To promote awareness of how to bring about change within cricket, based on empirical, evidence-based research;
    • To bridge the current divide between and bring together academic researchers, cricket writers, volunteers, and all those working in cricket.

Seminar Agenda

9.30am – REGISTRATION

10.00am – Welcome from Andrew Hignell (Glamorgan) and Mark Frost (Cricket Wales)

10.10am – Introduction to the network

10.30am – Research Presentations

Panel 1 – Race & Racism

Madhav Ahuja – Navigating the Legal Landscape: Unpacking Institutional Racism in cricket

Tom Brown – The experiences of British South Asian male players in performance cricket

Ross Ensor – Outside the Boundary: Levels of Representation & Racialised experiences of ethnically diverse coaches within cricket

Panel 2 – Recreational & Club Cricket: Identity and Belonging

Steve Greenfield (Westminster) – Afghan Asylum Seekers – Welcome in Recreational Cricket: A Club Perspective

Robbie Millar and Jo Clarke – CSR in professional cricket: How CCCs can push the boundaries of social outcomes

Daniel Orwin – How do club cricketers in Greater Manchester navigate the class connotations of the traditional cricket kit in relation to identity and place?

Panel 3 – Governance

Steve Menary – Grassroots cricket: primed for the global betting market?

Shubham Jain – An Independent Regulatory Body for English Cricket post-ICEC: What, Why and How?

12.30pm – LUNCH

1.15pm – Research Presentations

Panel 4 – Women’s Cricket

Fiona Reid – The History of Women’s and Girls’ Cricket in Scotland

Hannah Thompson-Radford – Exploring elite female cricketers experiences of mediated (in)visibility

Daniel Ogden – Mental Health Experiences and Considerations in UK Women’s Professional Cricket

Raf Nicholson & Keith Parry – Levelling the playing field: The impact of The Hundred on the landscape of English cricket

Panel 5 – Global Experiences of Cricket

Rich Parry – ‘Sanctified by time’: The mysterious treatment of South Africa’s early Tests and the compelling case for recognising black cricket as first class

Abinava Srivastava – Fast bowling and sporting masculinity in contemporary India

Ben Hildred – Reflections on cricket and reconciliation in Sri Lanka

3.00pm – TEA / COFFEE BREAK

3.20pm – Roundtable Q&A: ‘Cricket in a post-ICEC World: Where do we go from here?’ 

CONFIRMED SPEAKERS:

Michael Collins (ICEC)

Mark Frost (Cricket Wales)

Raf Nicholson (Journalist & Researcher)

4.30pm – END