Wheatcroft on Cricket

Thanks to Rafael at The Observer Blog for the link to this article on the state of cricket by Geoffrey Wheatcroft.

I find myself very much in agreement. On the subject of cricket in schools: I played cricket precisely twice in games lessons at my school, between the ages of 13 and 18. Before that, I was at a middle school where the headmaster didn't believe in competitive sports.

In spite of this, I played every summer in the garden, on the beach, and in the local park, and I played with my office team when I was a civil servant. I was a fair swing bowler (which means I sang Sinatra songs as I ran up to bowl), though, and the toll even a medium pace takes on the body is extreme. My body is pretty much fucked now.

Cricket is dying, and the official tinkering with the modern game has only made things worse. I've never enjoyed watching it, though I loved to play. I actually think it should be illegal to kick a football between 1 May and 1 September, but what do I know?