The mention of the English Twenty20 competition last year
was almost universally followed by every journalist’s increasingly favourite
phrase: the ECB were killing the goose which laid the golden egg. Indeed, this
goose had been fed up so much that by the end of the summer it appeared to be
fois gras on the menu. Terrible jokes aside, they had a point; the schedule was
crazy. The competition had expanded too extensively. Desperate to cash in on
its early popularity with the punters, the ECB had increased the number of
group games to 16. With quarter finals and a box office finals day to follow,
big crowds deserted the competition. There were exceptions – Hove and
Chelmsford still regularly drew big crowds – but in general, number of mid-week
games, poor weather, and most crucially increased number of overall games saw
spectators become diluted. Even finals day failed to sell out. Quite simply,
supply massively outstripped demand. Realising their mistake, the ECB have
scaled back the competition to three groups of six this year, allowing each
county six home games to sell, in the hope that the flame will be rekindled.
Although, it is questionable whether it is really a change of schedule or more
likely the reintroduction of Kevin Pietersen (for Surrey) to the competition
which is likely to have the bigger impact upon ticket sales!
Trent Bridge will host the first Ashes Test next year
Overkill of Twenty20 is an issue in its own right. In saying that, it is less of a concern than the outrageous amount of ODI cricket played these days. Both, however, reflect a general trend to attempt to squeeze every possible pound
from potential commercial opportunities, which have become increasingly
accessible in the game recently. The publication of next summer’s Ashes schedule
today has highlighted the regularity of our forthcoming battles against the
Aussies. Not only do we play them in a full test series next summer, but we
have 5 ODIs against them this summer. We then tour Australia in the winter of
2013/14, before hosting them again in the summer of 2015. That is three test
series in three years, and we host them in some format in three of the next
four summers. There is no doubt that the Ashes provide fantastic entertainment,
and are a key part of the ECB’s plan to encourage more people to play and
follow the game, and there is some sense in ensuring the World Cup no longer falls straight after a tough series in Australia. Yet, the amount of Ashes cricket must be a concern. Part of
the lure of these Ashes test series is that they do not come round every year.
They are unique, and placed upon a pedestal as the peak of international
cricket (at least in terms of competitive spirit). By playing them three times
in three years (four times in four if you count this summer’s ODIs), you are
simply denigrating The Ashes. Every cricket lover in the country spends the
intervening summers looking forward to them; each series in between is often
judged in relation to how it has aided England’s preparation for The Ashes.
They are the perennial yardstick for England’s performance, and even if
Australia have not been as strong in the last four years as the previous four
decades, they have still provided some fascinating encounters. Aside from this,
much of the England teams management is built around the Ashes. It is no
coincidence that Andrew Strauss speaks of captaining England until at least the
end of the 2013/14 Ashes; Paul Collingwood retired after the last Ashes, and
Andy Flower may well move on after the 2015 Ashes series. Having such a short
Ashes turnover not only removes some of the special atmosphere which
accompanies the spectacle as they inevitably pass from luxury to decency, but
it also removes the element of each side building up for each series through a
number of other series. After all, there will hardly be any series in between!
England celebrating their Ashes victory in Australia last winter. But will over-scheduling reduce demand? Photo: Getty Images
The ridiculousness of it all is that the number one and
number two best sides in the world are set to face eachother in England this
summer. It is the first time since 2008 that England and South Africa have met
on English soil. Yet they play just three test matches. The sides do not meet
again until December 2015, by which time England will have played three five
match test series against Australia. I am a huge fan of Ashes cricket, but
where is the sense in that?
A good meal should always leave you wanting a little bit
more. That has been the beauty of the Ashes in recent years. Exciting series
have combined with sensible scheduling. The danger by 2015 is that the general
public end up wanting a little bit less.
Alastair Mavor
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