29.3.10

Up for Grabs

Various people seem to be getting uptight about the fact that the opening match of the English cricket season is taking place in Abu Dhabi. I can't say I'm hugely bothered, especially as the weather round here today is about as far from suitable for cricket as you can get.

The last time I watched cricket in April, let alone March, I went down with a mild case of hypothermia, so the idea of playing it somewhere warmer appeals, but then I wasn't going to go to the game anyway.

If I was one of those loyalists who regularly attends the season opener at Lord's I've no doubt I'd think differently, as I certainly do about the crackpot suggestion apparently being made last week by the new bloke in charge of the PCA (can't remember the name) that several rounds of the championship could be played abroad each season.

But then most aspects of the English first-class season suddenly seem to be up for grabs and open to question, with some others apparently seriously considering abandoning the two division championship in favour of three randomly drawn conferences, an idea which sounded dreadful and pointless when Lord MacLaurin was peddling it about thirteen years ago and which hasn't improved.

David Hopps of The Guardian has set up a Facebook page opposing the idea. I'm not sure how much good it'll do but it's the first Facebook page I've ever signed up to.
Posted by at 2:58 PM

2 comments:

Dean @ Cricket Betting Blog said...

Hi Brian,

The idea of taking games abroad was discussed by the Premier League football chairmen recently, and we all know what a greedy bunch they are.

If cricket is to start to try following the example set by football, we might as well pack up now (and I write as a football fan).

I do sometimes fear for the future of cricket with the current administrators, the idea of running two T20's was around not so long ago, what was that all about? Talk about overkill.

If this is the level of forward thinking, then I'm afraid the £ signs are well ahead as the priority, then again, I think they have been for a long time.

11:24 PM
Brian Carpenter said...

Thanks for the comment as usual Dean. It's been a busy week so I haven't got round to replying until now.

For the moment I retain a perhaps naive faith that first-class and Test cricket will survive, since I believe that current players at least know that these are the real tests of their skills.

This may well change, though, as players retire and new ones come into the game, knowing that they can make more money, and develop a wider reputation, playing IPL or whatever else is around in say ten years' time.

If I'm still here then (and I hope to be) it'll be interesting to see what the shape of the internatinal game is. I'll be very surprised if there aren't many fewer Tests and some countries may not be playing them any more.

Or perhaps the T20 bubble will burst...

8:26 AM

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