Leading , Managing and Influencing
ECB ’ s commitment to the future direction of recreational cricket
I recently had the privilege of watching a day ’ s Test cricket from a box at Lord ’ s in the company of some of our most valued volunteers . It was a beautiful day , the cricket was very good , the hospitality splendid , and the conversation animated and passionate as it always is when you put 20 or so cricket people in a room together . Lord ’ s was packed to the gunnels , bands played , dancers entertained , and one would be forgiven for thinking that all is well in the world – and particularly in the world of Test cricket .
Unfortunately , despite the full house at this particular Test against Sri Lanka , all is not well in the world of cricket – and particularly with Test cricket . The problems have been well documented and in a world dominated by money and business plans , the bottom line is that cricket needs to find a way to make Test cricket pay , such that it remains not just viable but the premier competition in the world cricket portfolio .
It is understood that in financial terms this is about TV deals and getting people into the grounds to watch , as well as achieving a balance between the various forms of one day cricket and the multi-day game . But in cricketing terms , it is also about the players themselves – and what they want from the game . It seems that an increasing number are choosing to ‘ retire ’ from Test cricket and an increasing number are not putting themselves in the frame in the first place by declaring themselves as ‘ one day specialists ’.
I have always thought the term ‘ one day specialist ’ was a misnomer because even without the current debate about the efficacy of Test cricket , the massive majority of cricketers worldwide will only ever play one-day cricket . Many years ago when I was the Master i / c Cricket at Dulwich , our cricket professional was the former Surrey batsman , Bill Smith . Bill was a brilliant coach , a real ‘ old school ’ technician who would drill the boys in the arts of keeping still , picking line , playing straight , and being patient . I remember a young lad coming in and playing across the line very early in his innings and smiling broadly as the ball sailed away through mid-wicket . Bill remonstrated with him and told him that he was watching too much one-day cricket . Quick as a flash the lad retorted that one-day cricket was all he was ever going to play !
That was in the early 1980s and of course the way that all cricket is played 35 years later is markedly different , but the principle enunciated by my young friend ( who went on to become a very successful club cricketer ) has not changed at all . The fact is that multi-day cricket and one-day cricket should be complementary , not oppositional .
Leaving aside Test cricket for a moment , what is the future for multi-day domestic cricket – county cricket and minor counties cricket , where the basic arguments for and against are broadly the same ? That is , how can these forms of cricket remain viable options in the business-led environment in which we operate and , if not , what is to be done about it ?
Cricket is not alone in having a shortened version of the main game – there is a world series seven-a-side rugby and we have been playing indoor five-a-side football for years . But mainly because of the similar time elements in these other sports , the shortened versions do not threaten the very existence of the main games as we know them , as it does in cricket .
In my editorial in the last magazine I referred to the differences between multi-day cricket and one-day cricket in respect to the redrafting of the Laws in 2017 , expressing the hope that MCC might consider publishing regulations for limited overs cricket in a separate booklet for T20 , 50 – 50 and generic suggestions for other formats , and in so doing reduce the need for the different regulations that so plague recreational cricket . If the contents of my postbag and email inbox are anything to go by , this is by far the most popular suggestion I have ever made , so I will be re-doubling my efforts to achieve this outcome .
This is not to say that all is well in the world of domestic recreational cricket : I regret that the news is not great there either and it is not that I wish to be the portent of doom and gloom , but it is important to report the situation as it is , specifically in terms of the disappointing figures that show the declining number of participants playing the game and the stagnant nature of the growth of the game as a whole . ECB has tackled this issue head on and as many of you will know , this has resulted in a complete change of strategy and direction , which you can read about in more detail elsewhere in this publication .
Whilst there is little disagreement about the need for this transformation , it is inevitable that such change management will lead to uncertainty , particularly in the realm of personnel and job retention ; indeed a recent meeting that I attended made Harold Macmillan ’ s 1962 Night of the Long Knives look like no more than a rearrangement of the cutlery ! But the good news is that for every job that has been made redundant , at least one other has been created , which demonstrates in tangible and financial terms , ECB ’ s commitment to lead , manage and influence the future direction of recreational cricket . In my view , this is essential if change is to be effected successfully .
Whilst it should be acknowledged and appreciated that its remarkable social history has served the game well , not least in facilitating autonomous leadership and decision making in different parts of the structure , the fact is that in current circumstances , the governing body must govern , and if leagues , county boards and other organisations and stakeholders ( often driven by the egos of certain individuals ) are enabled to ride roughshod over that need for collective and collaborative change , then it is not being overdramatic to suggest that the game ( as we know it ) may wither on the vine .
I wish you all a happy summer of officiating , wherever you are and in whatever capacity you operate .
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