The hollow sound of hard leather hitting willow is not one you often hear in China and stumps, wickets and bails are hardly part of the local sporting vernacular. Yet China has still managed to become the most unlikely exporter of cricketing expertise.
The US$21 million state-of-the-art Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in Antigua that will play host to the Cricket World Cup next year will be designed by Chinese architects and built by 300 Chinese workers. And the sweetest part of the deal for the Caribbean island is that it comes totally free of charge - a gift from its friends in Beijing.
The move is part of China's frantic 'stadium diplomacy' that it has used for decades to curry favour with developing nations. During the Cold War years China built scores of stadiums across Africa, as well as parliaments, ministries and railways, in its search for political allies.
In recent years, since China has established itself as a sporting superpower and has shown the world it can build spectacular stadiums, the initiative has been given fresh impetus.
Just this week Beijing offered to build a 50,000-seater stadium in the Guinean capital Conakry free of charge. With the US$50 million gift on the way, the West African nation hopes to realise its dream of hosting the 2012 African Nations Cup, just as Mali did in 2002 with six Chinese-built stadiums.
Several of the African venues have fallen into disrepair. The day China handed over a massive 80,000-seater stadium to what was then known as Zaire 13 years ago the crowd vandalised and looted the venue, taking off with many of the fittings. Adding insult to injury, the stadium was meant to be a present to then President Mobutu Sese Seko on the occasion of his 63rd birthday, but the late dictator didn't bother turning up for the inauguration ceremony.
