Stumps and Sovereignty: A visionary take on South Asian cricket's digital transformation

Cricket in South Asia has long transcended sport, it has mirrored empire, culture, and social transformation. In his new book, Stumps and Sovereignty: South Asian Cricket from Empire to the Digital Age, author Sufghan Sarwar Khan explores how cricket evolved from a colonial pastime into one of the most powerful cultural and technological expressions across South Asia.

The book examines the political, historical, and technological dimensions of cricket’s growth in South Asia, charting how the sport reflects shifting notions of power, innovation, and identity. Khan presents a multidisciplinary view of cricket — connecting empire, economics, and emerging technologies including data analytics and the digital economy.

At the heart of the book lies Khan’s Hybrid Cricket Model.  A proposed reform that envisions merging the traditions of Test cricket with the tempo of One-Day formats to create a fast-moving, three-day version. The model, he argues, could offer smaller cricketing nations a viable entry point into longer formats and rejuvenate global Test engagement.

What sets the work apart is its synthesis of multiple disciplines from cricket in the age of brain-computer interfaces and neuro cricket, to the sport’s expansion into new frontiers such as China, Russia, and North America.

Khan also explores future-facing ideas including nanotech-enhanced cricket, programmable pitches, AI-powered fantasy ownership leagues, and experimental rules for 2050 such as third-umpire challenges and the integration of quantum-assisted AI and robotic officiating.

The book further examines decentralized cricket economies and the Bazball paradigm as examples of innovation functioning simultaneously as strategy and disruption.

The Independent Book Review described Stumps and Sovereignty as “a book that’s impressive in scope and fuses sport and politics without letting one overshadow the other, it could serve as a textbook for in-depth courses, especially one centered around South Asia.”

Khan also examines how modern cricket’s transformation is driven by the media revolution — from satellite broadcasting to real-time analytics, digital fan platforms, and the early emergence of Web 3.0 and blockchain applications in the sport’s governance and fan economy.

Speaking about his approach, Khan said: “Cricket is an evolving sport — and each century demands its own reforms to keep the game relevant for upcoming generations.”

Based in Dubai and originally from Pakistan, Sufghan Sarwar Khan brings both academic and professional insight to his analysis, drawing on his background in cricket research, geopolitical analysis, and his career as a fintech specialist. His perspective is global and multidisciplinary, reflecting both scholarly depth and frontline awareness of the digital revolution.

His work bridges the gap between sport, technology, and society, making Stumps and Sovereignty an essential contribution to understanding cricket’s evolving global role.

The book offers a fresh lens on the convergence of sport, technology, and geopolitics in the latter half of the 21st century.

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble worldwide.