Cricket, Brexit and the Anglosphere

Abstract

This article explores the relationship between cricket and Brexit through the prism of Anglosphere. It argues that there are many parallels between the idea of the Anglosphere and cricket, evident e.g. in geopolitical formation, race and culture. However, in each case the analysis shows that the fit between cricket and the Anglosphere is imperfect. The article further illustrates that while the major building blocks for the future consolidation of the Anglosphere in a post-Brexit world have also shaped cricket, they represent a form of neoliberal postcolonial domination. Consequently, while cricket is the sporting exemplar of this cultural formation, the article shows that the aspirations of Brexiteers to construct a future Anglosphere are both fanciful and reactionary. While Brexit will have a distinctly more limited impact on cricket than other sports, the geopolitics of postcolonial cricket make a return to a pseudo-imperial organization of the game improbable.

Keywords:

• Anglosphere
• Brexit
• cricket
• culture
• geopolitics
• imperialism
• race
• postcolonialism

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.