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Is the county championship fit for purpose? It depends on what its purpose actually is … Is the County Championship fit for purpose? It depends on what its purpose actually is …
(35 minutes later)
A NEW BROOM?A NEW BROOM?
Two cricket competitions start this week. At one there will be fireworks, floodlights, shiny suits, deafening crowds and the superstars of the game swatting the ball to all parts (each part, of course, sponsored and monetised to within an inch of its life). At the other dependable seamers will be quietly pacing out their runs under slate skies and in front of a smattering of chilly supporters, any razzmatazz provided only by a particularly spicy piccalilli someone has brought to accompany their pork pie.Two cricket competitions start this week. At one there will be fireworks, floodlights, shiny suits, deafening crowds and the superstars of the game swatting the ball to all parts (each part, of course, sponsored and monetised to within an inch of its life). At the other dependable seamers will be quietly pacing out their runs under slate skies and in front of a smattering of chilly supporters, any razzmatazz provided only by a particularly spicy piccalilli someone has brought to accompany their pork pie.
It’s the same game, but only just. Unfairly seen as the doddering old man of the English sporting calendar, the county championship is undeniably something of an anachronism in the second decade of the 21st century. If you went on Dragons Den to pitch a competition in which the games last four days, most of which occur when the majority of the population is at work, often ends in draws, is entirely vulnerable to the weather and struggles to support itself financially, Peter Jones and Deborah Meaden would laugh you back down the stairs and into the waiting arms of a sympathetic Evan Davis. It’s the same game, but only just. Unfairly seen as the doddering old man of the English sporting calendar, the county championship is undeniably something of an anachronism in the second decade of the 21st century. If you went on Dragons Den to pitch a competition in which the games last four days, most of which occur when the majority of the population is at work, often ends in draws, is vulnerable to the weather and struggles to support itself financially, Peter Jones and Deborah Meaden would laugh you back down the stairs and into the waiting arms of a sympathetic Evan Davis.
But, brilliantly, it’s still with us. The question, in the birch-beating aftermath of England’s World Cup debacle, is whether it does what it is supposed to do. Is the county championship fit for purpose? Well, that rather depends on what its purpose actually is. If its purpose is to make money then no. If it exists to entertain and provide players for England capable of taking on (and beating) the best Test sides in the world, then the answer is somewhat different. But, brilliantly, it’s still with us. The question, in the birch-beating aftermath of England’s World Cup debacle, is whether it does what it is supposed to do. Is the county championship fit for purpose? Well, that rather depends on what its purpose actually is. If its purpose is to make money then no. If it exists to entertain, and to provide players for England capable of taking on (and beating) the best Test sides in the world, then the answer is somewhat different.
That said, the idea of the county championship’s sole purpose as being to develop talent for the England Test team is surely somewhat outdated. The way that players arrive in the Test side has changed. Take James Anderson and Alastair Cook, the second highest wicket taker and the third highest Test runscorer in England history, who played one and two full county championship seasons respectively before making their Test debuts and have made only sporadic appearances for their counties since. That said, the idea of the county championship’s sole purpose as being to develop talent for the England Test team is somewhat outdated. The way that players arrive in the Test side has changed. Take James Anderson and Alastair Cook, the second highest wicket-taker and the third highest Test runscorer in England history, who played one and two full county championship seasons respectively before making their Test debuts and have made only sporadic appearances for their counties since.
Compare that to the men they are likely to replace at the top of those lists by the end of the year, Ian Botham and Graham Gooch, who both continued to turn out regularly in the county championship for the remainder of their careers. The percentage cricket played in the domestic four-day game by England players has hugely changed (and there are, of course, arguments on both sides as to whether this is a good or bad thing).Compare that to the men they are likely to replace at the top of those lists by the end of the year, Ian Botham and Graham Gooch, who both continued to turn out regularly in the county championship for the remainder of their careers. The percentage cricket played in the domestic four-day game by England players has hugely changed (and there are, of course, arguments on both sides as to whether this is a good or bad thing).
• Botham: 102 Tests, 402 first class matches • Botham: 102 Tests, 402 first-class matches
• Anderson: 99 Tests, 174 first class matches • Anderson: 99 Tests, 174 first-class matches
• Cook: 109 Tests, 210 first class matches • Cook: 109 Tests, 210 first-class matches
• Gooch: 118 Tests, 581 first class matches • Gooch: 118 Tests, 581 first-class matches
It still matters – Adam Lyth’s weight of runs for Yorkshire last season has been enough to force himself into the Test reckoning (although not into the XI if the side named to face St Kitts & Nevis is anything to go by) – but its importance to the development (and maintenance) of the national side has been diminished, with attempts to identify future England players more centralised than ever. It still matters – Adam Lyth’s weight of runs for Yorkshire last season has been enough to force himself into the Test reckoning (although not into the XI, if the side named to face St Kitts & Nevis is anything to go by) – but its importance to the development (and maintenance) of the national side has been diminished, with attempts to identify future England players more centralised than ever.
Yet the ECB clearly recognises its importance, with its latest strategic plan for 2014-2017 – “Champion Counties” – noting “the primacy of Test match and LV= County Championship cricket which provide the ultimate test of cricketing skills” and putting its money where its mouth is. Of the funding that goes towards delivering the “four pillars” required to develop cricket in the country (£93m of investment rising to £104m in 2017), 47% goes into the “building a vibrant domestic game” strand. Yet the ECB clearly recognises its importance, with its latest strategic plan for 2014‑2017 – “Champion Counties” – noting “the primacy of Test match and LV= County Championship cricket which provide the ultimate test of cricketing skills” and putting its money where its mouth is. Of the funding that goes towards delivering the “four pillars” required to develop cricket in the country (£93m of investment rising to £104m in 2017), 47% goes into the “building a vibrant domestic game” strand.
And if you are going to judge the county championship’s strength by the success of the Test team, then it’s doing a pretty fine job. The Test team are, after all, No3 in the world and have lost only four series (out of 20) since 2008-09. The Test team has been generally successful, the last Ashes series obviously notwithstanding. England’s shortcomings in the white ball game (understandably at the forefront of minds thanks to the World Cup and the way in which ODI cricket dominated England’s schedule over the past year) shouldn’t be used as a short-form stick to bash the longer game.And if you are going to judge the county championship’s strength by the success of the Test team, then it’s doing a pretty fine job. The Test team are, after all, No3 in the world and have lost only four series (out of 20) since 2008-09. The Test team has been generally successful, the last Ashes series obviously notwithstanding. England’s shortcomings in the white ball game (understandably at the forefront of minds thanks to the World Cup and the way in which ODI cricket dominated England’s schedule over the past year) shouldn’t be used as a short-form stick to bash the longer game.
How could it be improved? One criticism is the way in which the championship struggles to replicate the intensity of Test cricket. Is there a way to make more games matter more? A rugby-style post-season play-off system perhaps, with the top four facing each other in semi-finals and final?How could it be improved? One criticism is the way in which the championship struggles to replicate the intensity of Test cricket. Is there a way to make more games matter more? A rugby-style post-season play-off system perhaps, with the top four facing each other in semi-finals and final?
And while central contracts have clearly been of huge benefit to the England side, the county game has undoubtedly suffered as a result. Part of the appeal of the IPL is the prospect of superstar-stuffed sides going head-to-head. Domestically that has disappeared. Wouldn’t it be great to find a week in the calendar during which all England players could return to their counties for a championship game. A Super Sunday (and Mega Monday, Terrific Tuesday and Wonderful Wednesday), if you will?And while central contracts have clearly been of huge benefit to the England side, the county game has undoubtedly suffered as a result. Part of the appeal of the IPL is the prospect of superstar-stuffed sides going head-to-head. Domestically that has disappeared. Wouldn’t it be great to find a week in the calendar during which all England players could return to their counties for a championship game. A Super Sunday (and Mega Monday, Terrific Tuesday and Wonderful Wednesday), if you will?
All that said, it’s hard to escape the feeling that it doesn’t really matter whether the county championship makes sense or is in much way useful in the grander scheme of things. There’s a hint of Trigger’s Broom about the whole thing. Bits have been chopped off, changed, replaced, but its essence remains intact (depending on what side of Theseus’s Paradox you land on). Is the county championship fit for purpose? Does it really matter if doesn’t have one? Isn’t the most important thing that it exists at all?All that said, it’s hard to escape the feeling that it doesn’t really matter whether the county championship makes sense or is in much way useful in the grander scheme of things. There’s a hint of Trigger’s Broom about the whole thing. Bits have been chopped off, changed, replaced, but its essence remains intact (depending on what side of Theseus’s Paradox you land on). Is the county championship fit for purpose? Does it really matter if doesn’t have one? Isn’t the most important thing that it exists at all?
• This is an extract taken from the Spin, the Guardian’s weekly cricket email. To subscribe, just visit this page, find ‘The Spin’ and follow the instructions.• This is an extract taken from the Spin, the Guardian’s weekly cricket email. To subscribe, just visit this page, find ‘The Spin’ and follow the instructions.