Anthony Piovesan
SPAIN is not typically a hotbed for cricket, but the country’s national team has this month come out and swung the sport in the right direction.
Malaga is hosting this year’s European Cricket Championship (The EUROS) and Spain qualified for the finals, which will see them faceoff against the reigning champions, England.
It is excellent coverage for a sport that has always been overshadowed by football, tennis, padel, and basketball.
This year’s championship started on September 12 at the Cartama Oval in Fahala, on the outskirts of Malaga, and runs until October 14.
Twenty-one countries faced-off against one another during the first three weeks in the knockout group stages, with the top two teams of each group after eight matches progressing to the final week.
Spain finished second in its group of five teams, with its net run rate narrowly pushing them above Austria to go through to the final stage of the championship.
They finished with five wins and three losses – a total of 10 points and a run rate of +1.282.
Teams slog it out in just a single innings, playing the T10 cricket format which is a maximum of ten overs for both teams.
Thousands of people are expected to flock to the Cartama Oval between October 10-14 to watch the finals, adding to cricket’s growing popularity in Spain.
It may not take over football as the number one sport, but Spain’s consistently fine weather and its world famous beers means there could be even more cricket coming to Spain and being played on ovals across the country.
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