Israel cricket team not bowled out by hostility in Finland

For Israel’s national cricket side, with its South African team manager and two South African players, competing in Finland from 14 to 21 August meant dealing with far more than competition on the pitch. 

There were anti-Israel protesters at every match and tight security was constant around the team, who were holed up in a hotel when not playing. Some opposing players were hostile towards them and they had a security scare. 

Yet South African team manager Joanne Tankle says none of this diminished what it means to represent Israel or the determination to grow Israeli cricket. 

“When I put on that kit on the first day, I actually cried with pride,” Tankle says. “With all the hardships we went through there and the people not being nice to us, I would do it over and over and over again without even blinking an eye.” 

Israel finished sixth overall at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Europe Sub-Regional Qualifier C in Finland, doing so without some players it had hoped to field. “Two of our key players were injured and couldn’t come, and some of our other top players couldn’t get time off from the IDF [Israel Defense Forces]” Tankle says. “All things considered, we really did well. Israel made their mark.” 

Before Israel’s opening match, Galina Frenkel, Israel’s deputy ambassador to Finland, came to the ground to wish the team luck and present caps to the four players making their international debuts. Two of them were South Africans Josh Marks and Benjamin Lazarus. “It was wonderful to see her there and feel her support,” says Tankle. 

That warmth wasn’t reflected in the team’s interactions with its opponents. “There were nine other teams, and we all stayed in one hotel. We ate breakfast together, but nobody engaged with us,” Tankle said. “We got a cold shoulder from everybody, except the organisers, who were unbelievable.” 

That treatment sometimes extended onto the field. After the toss before Israel’s match against Germany, the Israeli captain offered his German counterpart a pennant. “He said he didn’t want it,” Tankle says. “I think that’s quite poor sportsmanship.” 

Israel later faced Greece in a crucial game. “If we hadn’t played the game, Israel would have advanced to third place. If we played the game and lost, we would have been knocked out of the playoff,” Tankle said. “So we had to win that game.” Israel won by one run, but Tankle said only eight Greek players shook hands with the Israelis afterwards. One Greek player later told one of Israel’s South African-born players that the teams had been warned of a security threat surrounding Israel and advised to keep their distance. 

Beyond the boundary ropes, pro-Palestinian protesters appeared at every Israeli match, according to Tankle. At one, children were given a loudspeaker and joined the chanting. “They called us war criminals, state killers, doctor murderers, journalist murderers,” she said. The experience was particularly painful because a man accompanying the delegation for additional support and security had lost his daughter and son-in-law on 7 October. “This broken man was sitting there, and those people were chanting.” 

However, just metres away was a very different scene. “In the stand close to where we were sitting were Finnish Jews waving the Israeli flag. They were singing softly but beautifully, ‘Am Yisrael Chai.’” 

At another match, a Finnish man walking past the ground stopped to speak to the Israeli security team. “He asked me, ‘Are you with this team?’ and I said yes,” Tankle says. “He said, ‘I commend you because I want you to know that not all people in Finland behave the way those people are behaving. We’re not all against you.’” 

Four security guards accompanied the delegation, there was a substantial police presence at all matches, and the Israelis were permitted to leave the hotel only to travel to games. One evening, while they were eating dinner, an ambulance parked outside raised security concerns. “We were evacuated to our rooms as a security precaution because the ambulance tested positive for chemicals, but it turned out that it was a false alarm,” Tankle says. 

Despite it all, she says the players remained focused. “They actually rattled our opposition more than they rattled us,” she says of the protesters. “They just gave me a headache. That’s all I can say.” 

For Tankle, that resilience matters because the bigger goal is ensuring Israeli cricket continues to grow. “Cricket is actually quite big, not as big as in other countries, but we’ve got a big programme with children,” she said. “There are women in Israel playing cricket, and there are quite a few clubs. We just want to build on it and grow the game.” 

The national players aren’t professionals, making that development difficult. “They’ve never had a full-team practice because these guys obviously aren’t professional players, so they don’t get paid,” Tankle said. “They’ve got family to support, jobs, and also the army.” Israel is also looking abroad for Jewish cricketers who may have the ability to play internationally but don’t have that opportunity in their home countries. 

Tankle became involved with Israel Cricket after the 2022 Maccabi Games and now works from South Africa, making contacts and connections for the organisation. “I’m passionate about it,” she says. “I want Israel to succeed in cricket. In everything, I want Israel to succeed.” 

Finland demonstrated both the challenges facing Israeli cricket and the determination of those trying to build it. Israel must continue competing to improve its ranking, attract funding, find players, and increase the sport’s exposure. “We have to keep playing tournaments,” Tankle says. “We have to keep on going and going until we get to the top.” 

After everything they experienced in Finland, she remains convinced they will get there. “Their passion, resilience, and determination is unbelievable,” Tankle said.