Singapore is keen to become an important cricket destination again

Outgoing International Cricket Council chief Greg Barclay was in the prosperous city-state of Singapore earlier this year.

It is unclear whether he was there for personal or professional reasons, but Barclay did meet with several key cricket and sports executives in Singapore.

The discussions focused on how Singapore, where cricket has been played through its British footprint since the 1830s, can become more of a hub for the sport given its strategic location and financial power.

Singapore once attracted major tournaments, when ODI tri-series were in vogue and were often played in non-traditional cricketing countries.

A trio of tournaments were organized around the turn of the century, the most famous of which was in 1996 when Sri Lankan legend Sanath Jayasuriya smashed the then fastest ODI century against India in 1996, causing chaos on the highway next to the Singapore Cricket Club.

Located in the colonial heart of the city, the beautiful SCC is now better known as one of Singapore's leading social clubs.

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The 55,000-seat National Stadium, the flagship of the Singapore Sports Hub in Kallang on the island's south coast, opened a decade ago, raising hopes of a return of major cricket events.

Singapore's lush skyline can be seen from some parts of the stands and the stadium hosts multiple international-standard sports, including drop-in field cricket.

It has hosted major sporting events, including regular football matches with some of the biggest clubs in the world, but disappointingly has never played cricket there.

In the early years there were rumors of the money-hungry Indian Premier League being lured there, with Singapore having a strong South Asian culture, while a T20 match between Australia and Sri Lanka was once mooted. For a long period as a cricket nomad, Pakistan also considered using Singapore as a base due to security concerns at home.

But those plans failed to materialize and Singapore disappeared from the map as a cricket destination.

“We want big cricket to be played there (national stadium). We have good relations with Sport Singapore (government body) and are using their connections to try to get cricket to the main stadium,” said Mahmood Gaznavi, former head of the Singapore Cricket Association . told me during an interview in Singapore.

These efforts to promote Singapore have led to discussions with representatives from several T20 and T10 franchise leagues. But the Big Bash League is not among them, despite an Australian media report earlier this year that Singapore could emerge as a possible location for expansion.

“We have not heard from Cricket Australia at an official level, just through the grapevine,” said Gaznavi, who unsuccessfully contested the recent election of Associate Member Director to take his seat on the all-powerful ICC board.

“We have the facilities to be able to organize these overseas franchise competitions.”

Beyond these grandiose visions, Singapore is aiming to rise after slipping in the T20 rankings from a high of 19 when Australian batsman Tim David first started turning heads.

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Singapore has not had a permanent cricket base since 2016, but recently unveiled a new facility at the West Coast Ground with a cricket pitch, nets, gym and sheltered training area.

“We have a lease there until 2029 and can accommodate small-scale cricket,” Gaznavi said. “Land is scarce in Singapore, which is a challenge.”

Singapore is also planning to venture onto the T20 franchise circuit, with a proposed competition in the works.

“We're getting the ball rolling,” Gaznavi said. “There are restrictions for Associated Countries on the number of Full Member players who can play and we know that money would likely be lost in the early stages.

“We are wary of that and are realistic that it is not going to be the best competition in the world. But hopefully it will help raise the profile of cricket in Singapore and start to build momentum for the sport here.”