Well it’s an interesting one. Ian Bishop’s opening line is that if Kofi Annan had been heard to say ‘it’s not cricket’ at the UN, that proved that cricket stands for something that should be preserved. And if the dramatic voiceover production values get a bit irritating, it’s nothing compared to the rage of watching and listening to Giles Clarke spouting excuses and aggressively defensive tirades. The Stanford affair? Next question, please. Is Test cricket vulnerable? No. My word, he is such an odious man! It is impossible to watch this without the bile rising at his slimy, entitled self and then being grateful that he is no longer around.
The film – available on Amazon Prime without that pesky additional fee that Amazon seem to sometimes add on top of the subscription charge, but I digress – is a sort of low budget documentary that somehow still manages to secure interviews with the great and good of world cricket and its broadcasters. There are lots of Blair Witch Project style up-the-nose camera angles and lots of cricket journalists somehow keeping a straight face while delivering their killer soundbite line for this talking heads production. And maybe a few five minute interviews cut to shreds so that Chris Gayle, for example, can crop up numerous times to give his views.
Of course, the issues that the film raises are interesting: the effect of the IPL on world cricket and the death of the ‘gentleman’ that is Test cricket. It’s already telling that the film is five years old and Test cricket continues, albeit it with a raft of ‘exciting’ innovations like day/night matches and the World Test Championships. The film (rightly, in my view) condemns short Test series and this point dovetails nicely with the recently concluded series against the West Indies in England.
The film (rightly, in my view) condemns short Test series and this point dovetails nicely with the recently concluded series against the West Indies in England.
As Fazeer Mohammed argued passionately on TMS and The Analyst podcast, West Indies cricket can only regain its strength and status when it is treated with respect by cricket’s big three: India, England and Australia. The English split summer – a short then a long series, with the West Indies, Bangladesh or even New Zealand being treated as a warm up for the main event against India, South Africa or Australia – is just one such golden goose example. We all know that competitive series are better than demolition whitewashes but we won’t get competitive series unless teams are given the chance to grow.
While I’ve always been against the idea, perhaps a two tier Test championship is the way to go but then on the flip side, if fans are important, we want to be able to tour the West Indies.
While I’ve always been against the idea, perhaps a two tier Test championship is the way to go but then on the flip side, if fans are important, we want to be able to tour the West Indies.
Lalit Modi, founder of the IPL, is interesting in talking about keeping the fan experience at the heart of the game’s promotion and marketing, supposedly in contrast with others who are all about the money. He has something of the zeal of the convert here but we’ll let that slide for now.
Let’s remember that Test cricket is alive and well in England. We still get large crowds, affected mostly by the weather rather than general disinterest. Early May in Durham is a struggle, but the main Test grounds get close to selling out. I would suggest that English cricket attendance and interest could be improved by the addition of grass banks for family use. Yes, you get fewer people into those areas but what you get is the next generation of supporters. And for people questioning what we do in the event of poor weather? Well, good quality artificial grass, if that’s what we need to do. The fact is that you really can’t bring a child to Test cricket (or most county matches) in England until they’re well into their teens because they just aren’t equipped to sit still for so long. It’s fine if you’re a super nerd who wants to score the day (full respect to you – living my dream!) but that’s not most children and by the time they are capable of enjoying a day at the Test, it is too late because their imagination and loyalty is elsewhere.
I have written before (Save our Associates) about the importance of boosting non-Test playing nations in order to grow it as a product. The abolition of the Champions Trophy and the reduction in the number of teams in last year’s World Cup are remarkable indicators of the inwardness of the ICC at present. I suppose if Test cricket fails, the IPL can position itself as the premier product. The film goes into detail about links between N Srinivasan, cement magnate, owner of the Chennai Super Kings IPL team, and head of the BCCI until 2014 when his son in law became involved in a betting and ‘inside information’ scandal. The ICC funding decision to favour the big three against all those other nations is shameful and all cricket fans should be more aware of it.
And yet, people worried that the theatre would die when cinema took off. We may have lost the Music Hall and spawned a new genre of rip off musicals but people still want to go to the theatre and the big actors know that it’s where they need to go if they want real success and fulfilment. I think Test cricket is the same: under constant threat from the new boys but not going anywhere. Here’s hoping, anyway.