Coming to a ground near you?

[IlfordEagle]

Not even a trickle in favour, Harrison is definitely a Legend in his own mind only!!

[Postman]

"We're getting people to re-appraise cricket in terms of their perceptions of what the game means to them, and ultimately addressing the complexity of cricket - presenting it in a simple way."

This utterance of the fatuous Mr Harrison is surely an early contender for stupidest cricket statement of the year, although if past form is anything to go by, he will produce several even stupider ones before the year is out.

[smandlej]

Utter gobbledygook.  Cricket doesn't mean anything at the moment to those they're trying to attract and to those of us who already follow it, this tripe isn't cricket.

I don't know whether they've gone into the detail yet, but they do realise that everything will need to be simplified, don't they?  Fielding positions will just be close, mid-field and boundary, none of this short leg and silly mid-on nonsense.  Bowlers will have to be quick or slow.  Means of dismissal will be caught, bowled, broken the wicket (run out or hit wicket) and I'm not even sure that you can simplify LBW.  And there will need to be a whole new set of TV commentators who've never worked on cricket matches before, so that they don't use the traditional terminology by mistake.  Anything more complicated than that will put off this whole new audience they're so keen to attract.

Lynda

[LeedsExile]

Great post Lynda. The bit I really cannot understand is if this new thing is successful in bringing a new audience, why would that audience then gravitate to other forms of cricket? There are far too many differences in the new format to compare it with other types of cricket. What they should have done is go for 10/10. It already exists as a format and has been quite well received. It would also fit easily into the time slot required by tv and would be easily understood by anyone with a passing knowledge of cricket.

[smandlej]

Exactly, LeedsExile - if it's to be that simplified, it's not going to resemble cricket as we know it and so the new audience won't be tempted to try the real thing.  Agree about 10/10 - would have been a much better idea, and over so quickly that it wouldn't really matter if you understood what was going on or not!

It would be interesting to know how many people originally got hooked by cricket when watching the longer form of the game.  I know I certainly did and I suspect youngsters these days do, too.

My other question is, has the intended make-up of the teams shifted away from the original plan as well?  Steve and I got the idea, when this travesty was first mooted, that players would be bid for (not necessarily in money terms) by each of the eight teams, thus meaning that you might not actually see a member of your own county side playing at your county ground.  Now we get the feeling that there will be representatives of 'local' teams in each side - presumably to try and attract county supporters to their nearest ground.  Not sure it will work, though: why travel 40, 60 miles or more to see two of your team play, when you can go to your own ground and see eleven of them playing.

Lynda

[essexfan548]

I got into cricket watching the Test match on the BBC as a teenager!

[smandlej]

Snap - bored during the school holidays at the age of 15, I turned on the TV and there was the Test Match.  Never looked back.

Lynda

[Andy]

This 'simplify' nonsense reminds me of Strauss claiming that it would make the game appeal to women.

[smandlej]

This 'simplify' nonsense reminds me of Strauss claiming that it would make the game appeal to women.

It already does!

Should I feel patronised?  Guess what.

Lynda

[oldhasbeen]

I got into cricket watching the Test match on the BBC as a teenager!

... like me, and a large number of my old schoolmates.... and I dare say many, many others

[nat]

I got into cricket watching the Test match on the BBC as a teenager!

... like me, and a large number of my old schoolmates.... and I dare say many, many others

Not enough people though. We're in a minority so how do we expand the 'customer base'?

[Valentines Park]

how do we expand the 'customer base'?

Do they need to?

Test match tickets are ruinously expensive but there's always plenty of takers. 

[Andy]

I got into cricket watching the Test match on the BBC as a teenager!

... like me, and a large number of my old schoolmates.... and I dare say many, many others

Yep.  Had the same effect on me as Doctor Who...watching England collapse from behind the sofa.

[bwildered]

People of the older generation have seen surprisingly more change than one realised. From test matches  only to one day cricket, then fielding restrictions, bowling limitations and bat technology.
Cannot see the latest fan base to have the patience for the future of the game .

Can only see Chelmsford getting a franchise game in 100  ball competition when the well is running dry elsewhere .

[Perov]

I hope that IF Chelmsford gets offered a Hundred ball game, we tactfully tell them to go away!