7 problems with English cricket

I had this post planned anyway, but the defeat by Holland in the World Twenty20 adds context and relevance.  Yesterdays result should act as a huge wakeup call and a slap in the face with a wet kipper for all of English cricket.  Likely it will not.  Here is why:

1. The Counties – 18 members clubs which have far too much say in how English cricket is run.  They have created a cosy environment in which they can look after their own interests and protect their traditional setup.  To them, international cricket is essentially nothing more than a cheque book to prop up their paltry commercial efforts.
2. The ECB – In recent years, the ECB has moved away from the progressive policies that were in place 8-10 years ago and returned to the malaise that had afflicted their thinking in previous decades.  Nowadays, short-term revenue is the name of the game, and weak management ensures that English cricket continues to bumble along.  Their handling of the TV rights is a case in point, with virtually no coverage on free-to-air networks.  The World T20 highlights are shown on BBC late at night, presumably so as to ensure that kids can’t watch it.
3. The mentality – English cricket continues to struggle with its place in the game: it would like to feel as if it were still the most important nation in cricket, whereas in reality those days have long gone.  Those who say that world cricket needs a strong England team need to realise that they haven’t been consistently competitive for decades.
4. The Flintoff effect – Previously known as the Botham effect.  A peculiar situation arises that when the England team can boast one or two superstars, English cricket hits the snooze button and rests ignorantly upon its laurels.  Later, the realisation that they are going backwards comes too late for it to be arrested easily.  The result?  Years of on-field underachievement and incompetence.
5. The domestic competitions – As a result of 1 and 2 above, the domestic competitions are setup primarily to squeeze out as much money as possible.  They are not geared to producing top-class English cricketers, as evidenced by the sheer number of matches being played.  Schedules often see, say, Sussex travelling to Durham for a one-day match, and then hosting Durham at home a couple of days later.  Players are little more than workhorses, who are not allowed to develop into thoroughbreds.
6. Test cricket – To the English, test cricket is pretty much the be-all-and-end-all.  Limited-overs cricket might fill the coffers, but we do not view success in these formats as being particularly important.  Since the 1992 World Cup, England have barely registered in terms of 50-over cricket even when the test team has been successful.  In Twenty20 England, having introduced the format only six years ago, have already fallen behind all of the other major nations, and now some of the associates as well.
7. The players – Assisted by 5 and 6, many players are little more than jobsworths, just doing enough to keep their places until such time as they are awarded their benefit by their county (another outdated system).  There is little by way of innovation, which can often be treated with suspicion, and a lack of drive and ambition.

Of course, there is nothing here that hasn’t been said a thousand times already, but we shall have to keep swimming against the tide until the message hits home.