No 79, Feb 16 - The Grumbler's County Cricket Newsletter
🟢 Maxwell, Sams sign up for Blast 🟣 Finch lauds county 'grind' 🟤 Warks membership innovation 🔴 How to market county cricket 🟠 Yorks racism scandal - delays, no-shows, damage 🔵 NFTs for counties?
WisdenWorld - our community cricket partner, helping to fund the grassroots game
Hi there,
The diagram below is from a LinkedIN post by the Chief Intelligence Officer at Twenty First Group, the sporting ‘think tank’ that assisted with the Strauss High-Performance Review. Read the post and this one too. It is an insight into some of the thinking that informs modern sporting organisations.
For me, Test cricket has a much greater connection than this diagram suggests. I take the point from the post that games are played during the daytime but, even when not in attendance, they remain events you keep an eye on at work, catch up on later and actively seek out at key moments.
Then again, I am middle-aged, was reared on red-ball cricket and come from the UK, where the longest form of the game still sells out. Also, there is no measurement of the ‘keeping tabs’ eyeball and it can’t be monetised easily. However, whether it is pink balls or evening sessions, I feel cricket’s leaders need to adapt the parameters of play and especially the rules so creative captains can manufacture tense finishes. NFL has always done this and the McCullum/Stokes axis has invigorated the game within the confines of current Test cricket. Just think what they could do with a greater array of tools at their disposal.
However, contrary to the diagram, I would argue that modern T20 franchise tournaments possess precious little “reason to care”. In recent weeks I have been able to watch the leagues from Australia, South Africa, UAE and Bangladesh via my television sports subscriptions. It is all colourful, well-hyped, well-produced and utterly forgettable. But I would have counted as a “television viewer” when there was nothing else to watch and I left it on as ‘moving wallpaper’.
In contrast, the slow burn of the Test game continually draws my attention and, whenever key moments have occurred, I can often tell you where I was and who I was with. Though, hardly a scientific measure, just look at how the fan culture around the game is sold and specifically the T-shirts on offer from independent retailers. It is still mostly about whites, red balls and Test match tales. That may change over time, T20 games are fine entertainment and a good night out but increasingly there is no narrative, individuality or specialness. The marketers’ solution of more, more, more has produced less, less, less satisfaction for me. It is like diluting orange squash, if you go too far there is a point where the colour remains but it starts to taste like water.
The Blast has a little history of its own and a well-established “reason to care” via the county rivalries while the IPL is the biggest, best and most spectacular. It is also one of the few team events invented in this century that appear to have successfully tapped into proper regional rivalries. The Big Bash has the quality of the Australian players but cracks have appeared. For me, there is no “reason to care” about any of the others.
Then again, sport is paying money to listen to the undoubtedly well-researched thoughts of Twenty First Group and no one is listening to me.
☕️ When I started this newsletter I made two promises, it will be free forever and your data will never be misused. If you like this newsletter (and you can afford it) please consider buying me a coffee via Ko-Fi or subscribe via Patreon. All coffee buyers are name-checked in the next edition.
Players, Coaches, Signings and Contracts
Signings: Sams (Essex - Blast), Tye (Northampton - Blast), Maxwell (Warwickshire - Blast), de Leede (Durham - overseas - white/red ball, 2yrs)
Contracts: Organ (Hampshire - 2yrs), Benkenstein (Essex - 2yrs), Denly (Kent - 2yr), Gidman (Kent - batting coach)
Joe Denly sets sights on more silverware after signing Kent contract extension (Cricketer)
Toby Roland-Jones: Bowler to captain Middlesex in County Championship (BBC Sport)
Glamorgan's James Harris re-elected as PCA chair (BBC)
Andrew Griffiths named interim bowling and assistant coach (Somerset CCC)
Ex-Ireland fly-half and Gloucester coach David Humphreys to join ECB (Telegraph) ($)
News, Views and Interviews
'Blew my mind': Finch outlines secret to England's rise (Cricket.Au.Com)
Sport seems to be as susceptible to fashionable whims as much as any catwalk designer. Australia win and we must copy them. England get on top and they look toward us.
Suddenly Aaron Finch believes our "county cricket grind" allows for greater innovation. Hang on, I thought it was the cause of all our problems. Andrew Strauss told me so just a few weeks ago.
In reality, surely England’s welcome change of approach is down to the attitude of McCullum and Stokes (plus others, see Morgan below), as well as having a team with the requisite skills to execute their plans more often than not. While in my view the Championship has merit as a competition in itself, it should be tweaked (but not gerrymandered) to assist the England setup. After all, they pay the bills. The change in bonus points for next season (see below) is a double positive as it supports Bazball and makes the Championship more exciting. Who knows, with an enticing product and some, or any, marketing support it might pay its way a little more?
Finch believes the constant opportunities of the county game provide the freedom needed to hone new skills. This goes against the conventional wisdom that Aussie batters’ have greater discipline as they prize their wicket given opportunities are so rare in Shield games.
"They know that if they miss out a couple of times in a row, they're going to be playing again in the next day or two," said Finch.
"So even if they've failed, they just keep giving it a go and that probably helps with the innovations in the game, plus our conditions, our wickets and our grounds perhaps don't allow for it that much.
"There's certainly more innovation in the English game, right through the system.
"Almost everybody ramps, everybody reverse sweeps and hard sweeps, and even keeps wickets and bowls a bit.
"They're definitely a well-skilled outfit."
Of course, this speaks to the wider array of skills needed in all forms of cricket these days. But the question is why have the various untouchable, all-knowing brains trusts running England cricket over the years not seized upon our point of difference before and used it as a positive? Rather than forcing an albeit successful strategy from outside that struggles to recieve support from our existing domestic arrangements.
That is not to say county cricket should be immovable but there is more than one way to win.
First-class counties winning the battle to preserve existing domestic calendar (Cricketer)
County Championship points system tweaked to encourage aggressive batting (Cricinfo)
Here are some of the changes set for the Championship next season. I welcome the bonus points change. While we do not want the buffet bowling common in old three-day games to set up finishes, the Championship should always be looking for attractive conclusions. Batting quickly gives you more options. And, if I were in control, captains need more levers to create a crescendo on the last day (see Simon Heffer’s piece below). The previous structure and emphasis on pitches that promoted long innings brought about too many pointless fourth days. Likewise, I'm OK with the Kookaburra ball trial as long as all teams use it for the same number of games. Even-handedness is critical, the lopsided fixture list in the First Division last season was unsatisfactory.
The Cricketer piece tells us much about the approach of ECB Chair Richard Thompson. It did not take the assembled brains in jars to get 15 of the 17 proposals in The Strauss Report accepted. But the ‘experts’ were needed for the contentious two around the structure of the county game. Rather than discuss the issue like good governance might suggest, the old ECB seemed content to set their own exam question, hire specialist exam-takers, award themselves an A* and then wonder why they had no credibility.
Thompson’s ECB are sitting around a table with the counties and the fact that he has stressed “the fixture list for 2024 had to be agreed upon before the 2023 campaign started, so teams had full knowledge of what they were playing for” only serves to highlight the incompetence of the previous lot.
"Turnover of £26.3m was almost 50% higher than in 2021 as the club saw its finances move back towards levels seen before the impact of the pandemic. Full crowds for the men's Test match and T20 international against India and the hosting of women's matches at the Commonwealth Games all boosted revenue. The Bears also saw general membership at Edgbaston more than double in 2022."
With that, their innovative membership ideas for this season and the below, the Edgbaston side are on a roll.
Robert Elms Interview (Rain Stopped Play, inspection at 3)
Morgan Sindall suing consultant for £10m over problems on Old Trafford cricket ground job (Building)
Kent County Cricket Club's Spitfire Ground revamp given go-ahead (Kent Online)
Kent signs the Mulsim Athlete Charter (Kent CCC)
Middlesex appoint Angus Fraser as interim chair as recruitment process drags on (Cricketer)
FanCraze adds 12 English county cricket clubs to partnership portfolio (SportsPro)
I have some cryptocurrency. It may well prove to be a waste of money as I missed the boat early on. However I love the idea of decentralised cash, out of the reach of established banks, and the concept of the blockchain is genius. In the long term, I expect mainstream financial institutions to work with governments to steal the best parts for their own purposes then outlaw the rest. They can’t afford to lose control of money.
However, the value of NFTs (think copyrighted digital art or 'skins' in gaming) is tougher for me to grasp. The notion of valuing art is rather ridiculous anyway, who says the Mona Lisa should be worth X and the work of another talented artist should be a fraction of X. But, leaving that philosophical posturing aside, the idea that the demographic of county cricket fans will be interested in NFTs is frankly ridiculous.
Don’t waste your money. Or even your cryptocurrency.
Former Yorkshire player Jamie Hood honoured by the NYSD (Yorkshire CCC)
‘They bought a house next to a cricket pitch then moaned about balls in their garden’ (Telegraph)
Glenn Turner on hitting 1,000 runs before end of May: ‘I look back on it with pride’ (Telegraph ($)
My manifesto to save county cricket (Telegraph)
This is the way county cricket should be thinking. I am not a fan of Simon Heffer's "two codes" idea and normally his approach is too ‘establishment’ and old-fashioned for me but he’s admirably progressive here.
Things I like:
One catch-all membership fee to get you into any county game
Three-day games of 110 overs per day, with Friday evening finishes under lights
Heavier fines for poor over-rates
I am not sure parts of county cricket have ever truly understood they are in the entertainment industry and the old ties of supporting your local team just don't hold up anymore.
Take a look at the football shirts worn by kids playing in the park. You see as many Real Madrid, Barcelona and PSG kits as Arsenal, Liverpool or Man United. Twenty years ago, it was all about the English teams. Those rare kids shackled in shirts of Championship or League One sides will be, almost certainly, the product of passionate parents. The football education of modern kids is heavily influenced by the FIFA video game and highlight reels on YouTube or social media. There are no local papers creating local heroes anymore. Arguably, digital media has connected the world but left us more detached from those directly around us.
Also, I did not realise the potential threat of Major League Cricket to the county season. Given the way other tournaments have encroached, it could lead to a new wave of players giving up red-ball for white.
"Now, the Indian Premier League clashes with the start of the season, MLC clashes with the middle of the season, and the Caribbean Premier League clashes with the end of the season. And that is before we even get to The H*ndred."
Eoin Morgan, England's World Cup-winning captain, announces retirement aged 36 (Cricinfo)
Without Eoin Morgan there would be no Bazball (Telegraph) ($)
As the piece rightly argues, Eoin Morgan's greatest achievement may be in changing the culture of English cricket, especially within the white-ball game. Personally, I don't subscribe to the 'great man of history’ narrative but the Middlesex batter was certainly part of a cabal of new thinkers who have helped make England the 50-over and 20-over world champions as well as the most exciting Test side on the planet.
Given the innate conservatism of English cricket, a single-minded, highly-successful character like Morgan was required. But, on the flip side of this, Morgan struck me as one of a new breed of "corporate cricketers", aware of both their value to the game and the rewards they could gain from it.
Any reader of this newsletter will realise I prize meaning over money and the success of the game over that of any team or individual. Yes, there is some sentimentality in this and you could argue part of it is based on a 'false history' of manners, etiquette and "doing right by the game" but I consider it to be cricket's unique selling point.
Of course, we should laud a planned, determined pursuit of silverware and with that come the trappings of success. But long after the champagne has gone flat, some of us will also judge our sporting heroes on a selfless contribution to the game as a whole.
The Yorkshire Racism Scandal
Mike Atherton: How the toxic Yorkshire racism row ruined lives on all sides (Times) ($)
Matthew Syed: Yorkshire racism row is a familiar tale of incompetence – in sport and beyond (Times)
Matthew Hoggard criticises Yorkshire racism hearings: "The process has failed everybody" (Cricketer)
Richard Pyrah: "Allegations of racism made by Azeem Rafiq have been badly handled" (Cricketer)
Yorkshire admit liability on racism charges as Richard Pyrah pulls out of process (Cricinfo)
Mike Atherton’s piece is excellent. It is a long, considered analysis that attempts to clear the murky waters submerging this difficult case. It’s key point, “process matters”, cuts to the heart of the entire affair - from the ECB allowing Yorkshire to conduct their own investigation, the unsatisfactory, opaque nature of that probe, the rigour applied to investigating Azeem Rafiq's claims, Lord Patel's desire to 'clean house', the DCMS select committees and now the long-awaited hearing.
As I have said before, from the outside, my sense is the many would like these waters to stay murky. Delays, prevarication and a lack of openness seem to have been used as tools. As Atherton points out, the only person to admit using words with a racial connotation (though, even here, there is context) is Gary Ballance. He has moved abroad to continue his cricketing career. Rafiq is also leaving this country, but for reasons of personal safety. Of course, there are many other casualties in this saga, notably some of those let go by Yorkshire in the early days of Lord Patel's tenure.
I suspect many were entirely innocent and they all should have had due process and got "their say". Well, flawed or not, that was what the CDC hearing was designed to provide, at least for a handful of the key names. One can understand the lack of trust in the process (Hoggard's point about the ECB failing to provide clarity on the evidence they hold is well made) but their case will still be heard "in absentia". Therefore, any conclusion will be challenged and one suspects there will be little by way of greater clarity.
If you allow a stain to remain uncleaned for too long, it can become permanent. That may be the lasting legacy of all the murkiness and the delays.
This great Yorkshire fudge hurts the game and the key actors but, just maybe, will benefit the county.
Arguably, the investigative process into racism at Essex has been handled more competently until now. This is not saying that much as there is still dispute, division and anger over what has happened at Chelmsford. Though the Newton Report has been delayed, there is some confidence it will be published soon and the ECB meted out punishment for earlier misdemeanours before any sanction against Yorkshire. However, there have been whispers that the problems at Essex in the past may have run deeper than first thought and, if due process follows, the Chelmsford side may take over from Headingley as the focal point for racism in the county game.
PS If you want to become the next chair of Yorkshire then you can apply here. But I wouldn’t if I were you.
Finally…
I was going to put this newsletter in for the ECB’s Domestic Cricket Awards in the category of “Outstanding Online Coverage of Domestic Cricket”.
Then I thought… what if they actually read it!
Classifieds
Join the Cricket Supporters Association, it’s free
County Cricket Matters - Buy the magazine direct or on Kindle
Guerilla Cricket - irreverent, online commentary and jingles all the way
Listen to the 98 Not Out podcast - top interviews and cricket chat
Also, there’s my book, Last-Wicket Stand.
Buy through Amazon or through me for an autographed copy ✍️
🏴☠️ Indy bookshop | 🇺🇸 USA | 🇦🇺 Australia
This newsletter started in January 2021 because, frankly, no one else was publishing one and the county game lacked promotion. It will always be free and we will never misuse your data.
🤝 Sponsor - I have one partner, WisdenWorld. All the revenue is going to community cricket schemes run by my chosen charity, (TBC).
☕️ Coffee tips - The newsletter is a labour of love but it takes a long time to write. If you like the content, please feel free to tip me a coffee. Or commission me to create cricket content. I’d love to turn it into a full-time job.
My monthly coffees: Gary Prail, William Dobson, George Dobell, Long Leg, Kevin Roome, John Lucey, Sophie Whyte, Cow Corner Slog, Graeme Hayter, Chris Moody, Martin Searle, Ben Hieatt-Smith
Patreon: Simon Burnton, Bob Christie, Richard Maslin
Coffees since the last edition: Malcolm Sparrow, Simon Rofe, David Segal, A Star Wars fan
All so very true about test/t20/big bash cricket, and just to let you know, somebody is listening. David, Perth, Western Australia.