From baseball to cricket - South Korea's T20 team is preparing to surprise the cricketing world

It’s not everyday that you read cricket and South Korea in the same sentence. But cricket may soon be getting a new entrant in its small global group.

South Korea is preparing its national T20 team for the Asian Games which it is hosting in September this year. Cricket, in its popular T20 format, will be a part of the Asiads for the 2nd time after it made its debut in 2010.

Unlike other new teams, whose squads consist of second-generation immigrants from the subcontinent, South Korea is assembling a completely local team, with all Koreans forming the XI. And this is where things get really interesting.

Learning cricket from baseball

South Korea is training its baseball players to learn the finer arts of cricket [Image credit: Julien Fountain]

All the cricketers chosen for the cricket team are actually local baseball players who’re making a switch they believe shouldn’t be ‘too difficult’. Yes, it’s that crazy!

With batting and fielding probably being the skills easier to learn in cricket after having played baseball, these players are now focussing on bowling, and even spinning the ball, trying out variations like doosra and googly in the process, all by watching YouTube videos!

“They’re beginners but it’s cheating to call them that,” former fielding coach of Pakistan, Julien Fountain, who was appointed the head coach of South Korea cricket team in April this year, told Al Jazeera.

“Show me a beginner cricketer who can hit the ball 110 metres. I’ve got an opening batsman who hit 90 runs last week. He took the opposition apart. I’m still shocked by is that somehow these guys have learned to bowl spin just by watching YouTube. And they fizz it down at proper international pace.

“I’ve got a guy who can bowl a doosra and that’s incredible. I’ve also got players who bowl world-class off-spin at least one or two balls an over – proper, proper Graeme Swann or Saeed Ajmal stuff. Obviously there are some terrible balls in there as well, but that’s what we need to work on.”

Fountain is a former county cricketer and has also played baseball for the British Olympic team. On a holiday in Sri Lanka, he came across the South Korean team which was touring the country, playing club cricketers to prepare for Asian Games in Incheon later this year. It’s an incredible fact that when it hosts the Asiads, the cricket team would be only a year-old.

When the 44-year-Englishman saw a huge six land over the ropes by a Korean batsman, he was hooked. Fountain has always believed that players having a particular set of skills in baseball and cricket are capable of making the switch (consider this just the opposite of the Million Dollar Arm story). He soon signed a contract to coach the team.

“The ball landed about 20 yards over the rope and I thought that must be the South Korea team batting. The funny thing was that they made a lot of basic mistakes but they still posted 165 in 20 overs. And they even had 59 dot balls. It’s monstrous – they just hit,” Fountain said.

But he knows mere slogging will not land this team anywhere near the experienced teams like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the Asiads. Even a team like West Indies in World T20 had to take the fall for not being able to master the finer art like running between the wickets, continuously rotating the strike.

“We’re working on more cultured shots and running between the wickets but we’ll keep it simple – there’ll be no Don Bradmans here,” the coach accepts.

But what does South Korea think of cricket?

Baseball is one of the most entrenched sports in the country, with many talents seeking refuge in leagues in the United States. They even won an Olympic gold medal in 2008. Cricket, meanwhile, hasn’t really caught the nation by storm. It’s still attracts a sparse crowd at the local matches.

But the situation is changing with the fast paced T20 format grabbing everyone’s attention.

“What I like about cricket is there is more at stake when you bat,” 23-year-old all-rounder Choi Jiwon told Al Jazeera. “You only get one chance, unlike baseball where you may bat four or five times in a game.

“I really enjoy the fact that you have to focus so hard to achieve success.”

It’s still a mixed bag for some, who know the term cricket can draw blank stares from a large population.

“The reaction has been 50/50,” says 28-year-old opening batsman Sung Dae Sik. “Those who know and understand that cricket is a great sport are proud of me. Those who do not, are sceptical.”

Quotes from players newly bitten by the cricket bug:

“You must be able to cope with different types of balls – speed, length, line and trajectory – which makes it very challenging. I like that the whole team must focus because they’re all bowling and fielding and have to change positions constantly to outmanoeuvre the batters. This creates more unity and focus than baseball.” – 23-year-old spinner Park Soochan.

“The fact that all 10 dismissals happen in order means you have to focus hard not to mess up. It does give you confidence, as you have to be good to face the balls bowled at you.” – 28-year-old opener Sung Dae Sik.

“When making the switch from baseball, batting was quite tricky. Bowling was trickier. But fielding was easy.” – 23-year-old all-rounder Choi Jiwon.

“I’m very proud to be part of the first Korea T20 cricket team, especially as we’re the hosts. I feel humble and honoured to be part of such a great occasion.” – 23-year-old bowler Park Taekwan.

History of cricket in South Korea

The game arrived in Korea in the 1980s, with a domestic league competition taking shape in early 1990s. For years, the epicentre of cricket in South Korea remained the Sungyungkwan University near Suwon. Here, the game is officially recognised in their Sports Science Program.

The Korean Cricket Association became an Affiliate Member of ICC in 2001. The team’s only international appearance was in ICC’s East Asia-Pacific 8s tournament in Perth in 2002. It came 4th in a tournament which also consisted of Japan, Indonesia and an Australian Aborigins team.

Korean cricket’s biggest achievement off the field may well have been bagging a sponsorship deal with giants Adidas, which supplies their kits.

Its domestic competition is a T20-format KCA Adidas League, consisting of 12 clubs. The coaching level however is still considered substandard compared to other established nations like India, South Africa and Australia. [Full history of South Korean cricket]