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.

摘要

本文通过盎格鲁圈的棱镜探讨板球与英国脱欧之间的关系。它认为盎格鲁圈和板球的概念之间有许多相似之处，例如在地缘政治形成、种族和文化方面很明显。然而，在每种情况下，分析都表明板球和盎格鲁圈之间的契合度并不完美。这篇文章进一步说明，虽然英国退欧后世界未来巩固英语圈的主要基石也塑造了板球，但它们代表了一种新自由主义后殖民统治的形式。因此，虽然板球是这种文化形态的体育典范，但文章表明，脱欧派构建未来盎格鲁圈的愿望既是幻想又是反动的。