As, Cricket Age is celebrating its 3rd anniversary today (December 2) and I am also celebrating my 36th birthday, it’s worth to rewind and give an inside to the world of its birth!
It all started in August 2016, when I was in Sri Lanka to meet my cricket friends, colleagues and well wishers, as well as to watch the ongoing Australia test series. As a die hard fan of Sri Lanka Cricket since childhood, I always shared a good rapport with majority of Island’s players that time as well, even before the inception of Cricket Age. So, while watching third test at SSC, on third day I think when Dhananjaya De Silva scored his maiden century against Australia, many of my cricketer friends and well wishers suggested me to launch a Cricket Magazine. My second film Moksha had already been released at that time and was a hit, so I was in good phase of my career as a Bollywood Producer-director-writer. But, even then, the idea to launch a Cricket Magazine immediately struck me. By August 21, as soon as I returned from Sri Lanka, I applied at Indian government for the license/title of the magazine. It took time, three months, and I got the license from Indian government only in the last week of November. But, as I had already formed the team and finalized everything, on my birthday (December 2) we launched Cricket Age – a monthly print magazine and portal!
Three years later, today, I can proudly say that we have established something unique. Only in three years, we have created a global brand. More importantly, we don’t belongs to that typical boot licking media groups in Sport. Instead, we made our own version of courageous, fearless and hard hitting reporting!
In Sri Lanka, as it was obious, we have done many wonders in last three years. Obiously, the credit goes to all those, who trusted on me and backed me unconditionally. As a result, we have exposed more than 1000 big inside stories of Sri Lanka Cricket. So much so that, even Sri Lanka Prime Minister office had to release a media statement about Cricket Age and even parliamentary COPE committee discussed about us! However, more than anything else, in Sri Lanka, I have blessed with some of the most trustworthy mentors and well wishers, who guides me unconditionally!
At ICC, Cricket Age has become the most fearsome and trustworthy media group, when it comes to expose the truth. Today, I can proudly say that ICC people respect and recognize Cricket Age in the same league of some of the most prominent media houses around the globe. Whatever information we wants from the ICC, we gets it at first priority. We have achieved this in just three years!
In India, we launched Cricket Age at a time when BCCI was under the watch of Supreme Court appointed CoA. There was no elected body at BCCI for last two-three years, means no corruption, controversies and scandals. Even then, we managed to break many of the big news like legendary Anil Kumble sacking, Lodha reforms, CoA inner fight for dominance, DDCA Corruption etc.
In West Indies, we have established a good network and results are coming up very fast now. In Australia, we have strengthen our base by leaps and bounds in last eight months.
Credit for this miraculous journey goes to all the supporters, Sponsors (can’t mention their names), advertisers (BCCI, SLC, WICB, CA, BJP, CONGRESS, JP GROUP) and secret donars (again, can’t mention their names), as they made our growth smoother.
It took decades for today’s prominent media groups to establish themselves even at country level. It took us only three years to establish ourselves at global level!
Again, credit for this achievement goes to my dedicated team and well wishers also. To those, who knows that Cricket Age has the courage to publish against anyone!
And Cricket Age will always stick to its principle: to never compromise with its reputation and will continue to expose wrongdoings. That’s the only thing, I, as a founder, can promise on its 3rd anniversary and my 36th birthday!
Thanks
Pushpendra Albe
Founder
