England last combined the role of head coach and sole selector in the 1990s – it will be fascinating to see how it plays outChris Silverwood has preferred to keep a low profile during his time as England’s head coach but by now taking on the additional job of sole selector, and thus approaching something more commonly found in football and rugby, the spotlight will get a notch or two brighter.In a year when the stated aims are clear – add the T20 World Cup to the trophy cabinet and regain the Ashes – the question of who is responsible for what has certainly been simplified. Joe Root and Eoin Morgan, respective captains of the Test and white-ball teams, remain...
The game is looking strong after a traumatic year but there remains the challenge of truly reflecting society, and not just in terms of skin colourThe past year has thrown up challenges like no other in our lifetimes but as we look ahead hopefully to the return of some kind of normality in 2021, to the delayed launch of the Hundred, a hectic international schedule for England’s men including home and away series against India, and the start of a period of real excitement and potential in the women’s game, overall I’m optimistic. We’ve had a hard reset, but we might just come out of it better positioned to face the future.When we first went into lockdown, and all sport...
The unspoken, unexamined decision of the Indian Premier League to ignore one country has turned the dressing room into a proxy battlefield, the auction into a theatre of warLast week, the England and Wales Cricket Board announced it is in the process of organising the first official England tour of Pakistan in 15 years. This is, self‑evidently, the right thing to do. Since England’s last visit in 2005-06, Pakistan have toured this country eight times for various tournaments and series. From the ECB’s perspective, their decision to brave the pandemic and send a team this summer may well have proven the difference between financial ruin and mere recession.And so naturally the decision to consider the possibility of maybe, potentially, exploring...
The best male players’ earning power has exploded in recent years; it’s those on fringes that must worry most about Covid-19The gravy train has slipped into reverse for the first time in 20 years. Old cricketers are often asked when has been the best time to play the game. The stock answer is: “I’m glad I played in my era,” and the explanation generally includes: “More characters, more camaraderie, more beer, more fun … no bleep tests, no all-seeing mobile phones, no social media … and admittedly not much money.” My response, however, has generally been that this is the best time to be a professional cricketer – at least until 2019.This cannot entirely be put down to my being...
It has been a vintage season for England’s men despite empty grounds – but a hard financial winter loomsThe way Douglas Adams told it in Life, the Universe and Everything, the world ends right after England win back the Ashes on a glorious late summer day at Lord’s. “The sun was shining on a happy crowd,” Adams wrote. “It shone on white hats and red faces. It shone on ice lollies and melted them. It shone on the tears of small children whose ice lollies had just melted and fallen off the stick. It shone on the trees, it flashed off the whirling cricket bats.” If the last few months have taught us anything much, it’s that there would be...