No 108, Oct 24 - The Grumbler's County Cricket Newsletter
🔴 The World Cup is so dull 🟤 Blast 2024 Finals Day sold out 🟠 Lots of Aussies in Champ next season 👨🍳 Alastair Cook retires 🟢 Surprise county moves 🔵 Andrew goes to ECB 🟣 Fill up my survey
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Blimey, the World Cup is dull, isn't it?
The twists and turns of the final few rounds of the County Championship held me spellbound but cricket's most important global event (for now, at least) is bumping along the bottom in terms of interest. You can sort of accept this feeling with the rugby World Cup, which comes to its conclusion this weekend, because the physical nature of the game demands so much rest time. But the egg-chasing event has been saved by two truly Titanic semi-finals and a showpiece that pairs together the best sides in the world.
England's defeat to South Africa last Saturday was truly honourable because they maximised their potential by getting that far in the first place and went close against a much stronger team. The opposite can be said of our cricketers in the same fixture on the same day despite a four-year build-up, twisting the domestic game their way and having a small army of backroom staff.
Yet, somehow, you know any failure will not be their fault.
The World Cup in India could still be redeemed by a couple of classics at the business end too but, after all that planning, why are we left hoping for a 'Hail Mary'? Whether it is down to the ICC, the BCCI or the rest of the world, empty stands, a lack of exciting games and the failure to accommodate the conditions has hampered the spectacle thus far. And it is not as if the ODI format has room for failure.
The ever-excellent Red Inker podcast discussed how long the 50-over World Cup has left as the pre-eminent trophy in global cricket. Critically, the 20-over version may garner more TV media rights next time and the Olympic event, now officially confirmed, could become an immediate competitor as it arrives with credibility baked in.
As usual, the powers-that-be are concerned or at least want to be seen to react, time will tell which one. Whether it is England's abject form or those wide-empty stands, the need to find immediate answers is apparent.
But they will not come from a bit of deckchair shuffling when the iceberg is still sitting below the surface. Because we are continually being fed cover stories for the real truth - the financial maximisation of everything, everywhere, all at once.
This is not just in cricket but in all sports all over the world.
Just look at recent stories in the wider UK media. Our politicians are somehow saying asking public schools to do normal things like… errr… paying the right level of tax will somehow harm education for the other 93 per cent of students in the country. Meanwhile, Gordon Ramsey and Victoria Beckham are spinning tales of triumph over hardship when, in fact, they were driving about in Porsches and Rolls Royces.
This is where we need a strong, independent media to cut through all the bollocks, especially in cricket. There are a few important voices, especially in the written media, but I guffawed when Mark Nicholas (currently chair of the MCC) suggested on commentary that nothing could have been done to get more fans in the stadium at the World Cup.
I’ll bring that one out next season when we get the classic ‘empty stands picture’ in the papers on the opening day of the Championship season.
Here’s some more nonsense I do not accept:
You cannot tell me that the England players’ 50-over form is helped by playing much less of it during the domestic season.
You cannot tell me, as George Dobell dares to state below, the stars’ desire to earn as much as they want, play where they want, when they want for overseas paymasters is NOT adversely affecting their ability to perform for England across different formats.
You cannot tell me that crowbarring an extra format into an already crowded mishmash of a domestic schedule helps the development of English talent
But, people being people and vested interests being vested interests, they try to.
(By the way, add your own “You cannot tell me…” by leaving a comment)
But do tell me this.. why do we judge the calibre of people in our everyday lives on their ability to be selfless (as illustrated in funeral speeches) but we allow the sports we adore to be run by greed?
If winning and watching the best-of-the-best talent was truly the be-all and end-all for supporters then most of us would have abandoned following our teams over the last few decades.
Starting with England.
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Player moves, contracts, signings
Moves: Ball (Nottinghamshire to Somerset), Patel (Notts to Derbyshire), Simpson (Middlesex to Sussex)
The move of John Simpson to Sussex surprised me, partly because Oli Carter seems a good gloveman. But it smacks of troubling times at Middlesex.
Signings: Boland (Durham - overseas)
Contracts: Bohannon (Lancashire - 3yrs), Rew (Somerset - 3yrs), Gregory (Somerset - 2yrs), Evans (Leicestershire - 1yr), Das (Essex - 2yrs), C Allison (Essex - 1 yr), Clark (Durham - 2yrs)
Rehan Ahmed the first teenager to be offered England men's central contract (Telegraph)
Another success from ‘little’ Leicestershire.
Daniel Bell-Drummond appointed Club Captain as Kent Men captains confirmed (Kent CCC)
Rob Keogh Awarded Testimonial Year (Northamptonshire CCC)
News, Views and Interviews
Harry Chathli: Yorkshire appoint business leader as county's new chair (BBC Sport)
2028 Olympics: 'Cricket in Los Angeles will expand the game' (BBC News)
India’s financial heft put cricket back on Olympic map (Times)
IOC accepts recommendation to include T20 cricket in 2028 Los Angeles Olympics (Guardian)
Cricket will make the Olympics bigger and better (Economist)
Here’s an interesting idea on a LinkedIN post I saw.
Unassuming Alastair Cook exits quietly but his excellence speaks for itself (Guardian)
‘It is not easy to say goodbye’: Alastair Cook retires from cricket (Guardian)
Sir Alastair Cook: Former England and Essex batter says coaching would be 'interesting' (BBC Sport)
An unprepossessing hero: Murtagh calls time on a proud career well served (Morning Star)
So this WAS Alastair Cook’s last walk
[Tournament-that-shall-not-be-named]: Players express concern at expansion proposals (BBC Sport)
Like Brexit, you-know-what was a bad idea but we cannot admit the mistake and just scrap it. So we fudge, fudge and fudge only making matters worse in the process.
Of course, the Blast broke records in 2019 and, see below, remains popular despite a significant drop in promotion and being shunted into less popular windows.
As you will read below, I believe players are only one stakeholder in the game and I do not want cricket to follow football’s lead where many major clubs spend all the money they earn just on play the stars’ salaries. However, burnout is real. So drop the fourth format, the loss-maker, the late addition that no-one else plays and has divided an already waiting sport.
Nah, says Joe Root. Wonder why?
Staying in the same vein, George Dobell wrote this ($) about England’s thumping defeat to South Africa at the World Cup.
For me, he’s right. We keep on giving players a free pass because they are the stars and the heroes.
Yes, I know it is a short career and yes they should earn while they can. But that should not allow outright greed to somehow be framed as “looking after their family”. I am all for raising the rookie contract salary to entice talent from a more diverse social class but moving a star from £2m to £3m per year is utterly unimportant to me.
Let’s look at it a different way.
The average tenure of an SMP 500 CEO is seven years or so, half that of a star cricketer. They would argue they create jobs, contribute to the wealth of the country and, therefore, are rewarded in kind. It is just what the market pays, right? Not their fault. And, like any high-net-worth individual (including pro athletes), they desire to be… ahem.. tax efficient.
God knows, I despise corporate greed, love great cricketers and believe things could be much better if everyone paid their fair share of tax, starting with our PM and his family.
But sport is different because it is the stuff of dreams. In our youth it teaches us to put the collective above the individual. Team spirit is that intangible notion that makes us better than we are, greater than the sum of our parts and believe in something other than ourselves.
Most of us support clubs and counties first, not players. We want them to continue, that is why so many of us volunteered our membership fees in lockdown. There were no market forces at play there.
Few of us truly maximise our money-earning potential in our careers. Life and the people we love prevent it. But, in addition, we criticise those who put money above everything and tell ourselves stories in which those who put profit above purpose and people are the baddies.
So why do modern athletes get a free pass?
I am not talking about halving wages here, like I did once in my career, I am just saying do not squeeze the pips on every deal because the prevailing belief is that your rare talent, dedication and hard graft have somehow been spun into the notion that you should never have to work again.
Many of us display the latter two qualities every single day with little hope of bettering our circumstances.
The stats suggest it might not do them much good anyway.
One important caveat: Speaking generally, in my experience of pro athletes, there is a genuine desire to give back and help youth talent progress. I have seen it everywhere in the sports in which I have worked.
Rob Andrew handed key ECB role despite controversial Sussex tenure (Telegraph)
Leshia Hawkins appointed as ECB Managing Director, Recreational Game (Glamorgan CCC)
These are filling two newly-created roles by the Richards at the ECB.
Gwyn Richards: Former Glamorgan all-rounder dies aged 71 (BBC Sport)
Bishan Bedi was 'a Lillee among slow bowlers' (Cricketer)
Sussex all-rounder surprised by his own success (Brighton and Hove News)
Spin-heavy England Lions to go to UAE keeping India Test tour in mind (Cricinfo)
Ten new faces among players called up for England Lions winter training camp (Cricketer)
Peakfan's blog: Recruitment impressive (Peakfan)
Finally, here’s a view from Australia…
And another from New Road…
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On John Simpson - I was gutted to learn that next season I won't see my two favourite players, Tim Murtagh and now John Simpson. I too was surprised that Sussex wanted to sign him when they have Oli Carter. But Carter is young, and my guess is that Simpson has been signed in part to mentor him (which I think he'll do excellently). It will be interesting to see how Sussex use Simpson next season - he might just as a batsman.
Simpson is 35 now, and I believe him when he says he welcomes a new challenge. He made his Middlesex debut in 2009, and to be honest the prospect of next season must have been dispiriting. But undoubtedly the offer of a 3 year contract must also have been welcome when Middlesex have admitted that they can't offer a contract beyond the end of next season.