A shame I’ve only seen this extract from his new book but Michael Vaughan is laying out his vision of a shimmering bold future for English cricket. There were some sound nuggets from the piece I read involving getting pampered (his inference not mine) county pros to return to their club cricket roots from time to time for a spot of humble pie as well as the suggestion that counties play less cricket and get out to India to play there each year as a valuable experience in tough conditions.
Got to agree with him on that one – India is unique and exactly the pressure cooker experience all county pros would benefit from. Just watching the second ODI out in India between the home side and Australia and even the Aussies look a little dumbstruck by the wall of noise and frenzy hitting them as they attempt to chase down 350+.
But seeing as Vaughany has had his pearls of wisdom strung out in public, I thought it should be my go…
A VISION FOR ENGLISH CRICKET
Less Twenty20 cricket – yes, I know the cricketing world has been bitten by the 20/20 bug but we already have the IPL, Champions League, Champions Trophy and not to mention whatever competitions going on in England next year (last count there were 32). In England, we are Olympic gold medallists at dragging out a cricket event until all interest has hit rock bottom. Shorter, sharper doses of this format is the way forward and with the welcome shot in the arm of overseas franchises.
Less 40-over cricket – or at the very least, think of a better format for a competition that chucking all the bloody counties into two pots and then having semis and finals. It harks back to those dreary days of countless meaningless games between sides with bugger all to play for.
Less 50-over cricket – You might have detected a theme by now – but who on earth wants to watch five or heaven help us all, seven one day internationals between the same teams. If we have to play this much cricket each summer (and let’s face it, it’s not making England any better at the sodding format) then at least make a mini-tournament or invite over Deccan Chargers or Trinidad & Tobago to brighten things up.
Don’t start county cricket until May - I am firmly in the camp who loves to chalk off the days until the new season but I’m never one of the die-hard few who will sit in driving rain in plummeting temperatures to watch Somerset and Devon each score 400 at Taunton in front of two ducks and a lost tourist.
Shake up the points system in County cricket - No one wants to lose a game of cricket but at the end of the day, it happens to the best of us so better to go out in a blaze of glory. Encourage sides to press for that win, draws are not uncommon especially in a country where whole counties can be under water for days (just ask Worcestershire) but there has to be bugger all incentive to just let games drift.
Take Test cricket off Sky - Whilst resisting for years, I have succumbed reluctantly to the beast that is Sky. Apart from the fact that it would save me £35 a month, and despite Sky’s subscribers now up at 9.5m, I cannot believe it does the game any good to be watched by a fraction of the population.
And there you have it, hardly revolutionary but will they listen, will they b*%#$!!
