Future of Cricket

The Game has developed a lot over the years from the humble beginnings of A Sheppard with a Gate and A cane, to what we consider the modern game in this ODI and Twenty/20 competitions. We English have always been a hearty nation we create the sports and we allow the other nations to beat us at it just to allow them the satisfaction for just a minute that there better at something.

Then they realise the only reason they know the Gentleman’s game of cricket is because we had a once great empire. Well at least there not Americans who destroy are sports and turn them into something obscene and of bad taste like baseball.

Neutral Test matches is like hand feeding a Piece of quorn to a hungry lion with your bare hands. People in England enjoy cricket but like the hungry lion it’s not quite the supplement that Cricketing Gentlemen are looking for. The average Lord’s member is not going to miss his Saturday morning cup of English Breakfast Tea to go and watch Bangladesh Vs Sri Lanka or Zimbabwe Vs West Indies.

With the emergence of Twenty20 cricket, and it's growing popularity, to what extent does Test cricket need to reinvent itself? The question can it reinvent itself can the long version of the game make it self compete with the fast paced, crowd pleasing and the money of the 20/20 format. The lure of the IPL is a great lure to many professional cricketers in the global economic crisis.

However test cricket had a boost in 2005 with the England winning the Ashes. The ECB shoot themselves in the foot by giving there contract to SKY for home and away Test Matches which then decreases possible viewing figures and all this so they can invest in some half baked county players. This decreases the likelihood of someone seeing test cricket as its finest with such players as Rahul “the wall” Dravid.

What we need is an ambassador for test cricket someone who stands out as a character who enhances through the ranks making it simple for the masses. The cricket needs not to change but the people’s attitude to test cricket.

As I find there is not better sound than the commentators commenting about there scones to dry or the lemon drizzle cake they got from Mrs Lemming of Southport. Could the nation of Britain survive without its test cricket? I don’t think so the endless spotting of members asleep in Lord’s Cricket Ground is all in the fun of this great sport that we could not enjoy in the shorter form of the game.

Finally we have the most asked question in cricket which is “who’s winning” and to a self confessed cricket fanatic cannot help but smirk as the average person’s face becomes a mess of twisted confusion as you explain that no one is winning till the fifth day is over or there is no winner at all.

So go spread the word test cricket is still alive.