Why has County Cricket in England changed?

[Dr_Bassim]

I remember as a young kid, when Shaun Pollock picked up 4 in 4 in the late 90s and I was so excited and I could tune into county Matches all day.

It was a brilliant chance to watch top players in action testing their skills against the best of the best.

Now correct me if I am wrong but

County isn't telecast on Sky anymore.

And even if it is telecast it no longer has players like Akram, Pollock, Waqar, Vaas etc at the top of their skills.

Why was County cricket changed as we say it today?

I would have thought the viewership would have been more with the format they had in heydays.

What happened?

 

[Sin Nombre]

Lower interest in cricket in England.

All the money is in playing IPL / other T20 leagues.

Neither is going to go away and cricket in England will continue to decline.

 

[JaDed]

They have a limit now of overseas player to one don't they?Haven't followed it in a long time.

 

[Dr_Bassim]

They have a limit now of overseas player to one don't they?Haven't followed it in a long time.

They probably do.

But that's my point, you haven't followed it because it used to be telecast on Star Sports and Sky Sports as far as I remember.

But now most of the games are not even telecast.

 

[honeybadger]

Cricketers don't command the star power they once did.

 

[JaDed]

They probably do.

But that's my point, you haven't followed it because it used to be telecast on Star Sports and Sky Sports as far as I remember.

But now most of the games are not even telecast.

I think that was the reason for one of the downfalls,also during its peak(before 90's) it was I guess mostly 3 days for something around 6 hrs and it also had good attendance.

Limit of foreign players,poor attendance,Pakistan-Windies not producing high caliber players,India-Australia getting their own tournaments has resulted in the downfall,also most South Africans(if selected) play IPL over county.

 

[Markhor]

They probably do.

But that's my point, you haven't followed it because it used to be telecast on Star Sports and Sky Sports as far as I remember.

But now most of the games are not even telecast.

I don't remember Sky Sports televising the County Championship any more than they do now. They do broadcast selected games - such as the Middlesex v Yorkshire match in the summer that was a Championship decider.

If you're talking about the 1970s, 80s and 90s when you had all those big names you mention - then BBC would've had the coverage. However they no longer show live cricket so cricket is no longer on Free to Air TV in the UK. Sky have the big bucks and outbid them easily.

BBC showed the 40 over John Player Sunday League matches, Gillette Cup matches (our old List A competition) and some County Championship fixtures. Tony Lewis used to present the coverage.

ITV generally showed the Yorkshire-Lancashire Roses match from Old Trafford but only on Granada, Yorkshire and Tyne Tees.
[MENTION=1269]Bewal Express[/MENTION] [MENTION=7774]Robert[/MENTION] [MENTION=23613]90MPH[/MENTION] [MENTION=1842]James[/MENTION] you guys remember what I'm talking about ?

 

[Junaids]

I don't remember Sky Sports televising the County Championship any more than they do now. They do broadcast selected games - such as the Middlesex v Yorkshire match in the summer that was a Championship decider.

If you're talking about the 1970s, 80s and 90s when you had all those big names you mention - then BBC would've had the coverage. However they no longer show live cricket so cricket is no longer on Free to Air TV in the UK. Sky have the big bucks and outbid them easily.

BBC showed the 40 over John Player Sunday League matches, Gillette Cup matches (our old List A competition) and some County Championship fixtures. Tony Lewis used to present the coverage.

ITV generally showed the Yorkshire-Lancashire Roses match from Old Trafford but only on Granada, Yorkshire and Tyne Tees.
[MENTION=1269]Bewal Express[/MENTION] [MENTION=7774]Robert[/MENTION] [MENTION=23613]90MPH[/MENTION] [MENTION=1842]James[/MENTION] you guys remember what I'm talking about ?

Exactly.

The 90's were no hayday - teams were already limited to one overseas player: twenty years earlier EVERY team was like these:

Hampshire: Gordon Greenidge, Malcolm Marshall, Barry Richards.

Northants: Bishan Bedi, Mushtaq Mohammad, Sarfraz Nawaz

But there were only three TV channels, and every Sunday BBC 2 broadcast a full 40 overs JPL match.

And each round a match in the 55 overs Benson and Hedges and 60 overs Gillette Cup was also shown.

 

[Junaids]

Just to add, in 1976:

Majid Khan was at Glamorgan
Zaheer Abbas at Gloucestershire
Sadiq Mohammad at Gloucestershire
Asif Iqbal at Kent
Mushtaq Mohammad at Northants
Sarfraz Nawaz at Northants
Imran Khan at Sussex
Javed Miandad at Sussex

Any up and coming young Cricketer equivalent to Babar Azam wanted to play county cricket to pit his skills against several global superstars in every game.

It made young players improve their First Class, 40, 55 and 60 overs games.

 

[Mamoon]

We also can't ignore the fact too much cricket is played these days across three formats. Players are either playing during the County season or take time off.

Besides, there are more attractive options to make money. No one is going to give up T20 league contracts for County Cricket. It's a lot more money for less taxing cricket.

 

[Asim2Good]

County cricket was over hyped in past
Now they can't fool ppl/players anymore
Now quantity of international matches is way too high, players like to rest their bodies whenever they are free

 

[Junaids]

County cricket was over hyped in past
Now they can't fool ppl/players anymore
Now quantity of international matches is way too high, players like to rest their bodies whenever they are free

Hyped by whom?

With unlimited overseas players it was of very high quality and was the world's finishing school for talent.

Somerset v Gloucestershire meant Viv Richards/Joel Garner/ Ian Botham v Mike Procter/Zaheer Abbas/ Sadiq Mohammad.

Meanwhile Surrey could play Lancashire with Younis Ahmed/ Geoff Howarth/Intikhab/Clarke/Pocock against Clive Lloyd/Farokh Engineer/Michael Holding/David Lloyd/Peter Lever.

Now the IPL pays more but more importantly, there are only 18 foreign players allowed at a time - 1 per club.

 

[Markhor]

County cricket was over hyped in past
Now they can't fool ppl/players anymore
Now quantity of international matches is way too high, players like to rest their bodies whenever they are free

It wasn't overhyped, you can ask all the ex-Pakistani and West Indian greats and they'll tell you how vital County exposure was. Imran learnt a lot especially in County cricket.

Its the same reasons why young cricketers praise the IPL now - you got to rub shoulders with quality international players, learn from good coaches, got exposure to foreign conditions and got paid fairly well.

Exactly.

The 90's were no hayday - teams were already limited to one overseas player: twenty years earlier EVERY team was like these:

Hampshire: Gordon Greenidge, Malcolm Marshall, Barry Richards.

Northants: Bishan Bedi, Mushtaq Mohammad, Sarfraz Nawaz

But there were only three TV channels, and every Sunday BBC 2 broadcast a full 40 overs JPL match.

And each round a match in the 55 overs Benson and Hedges and 60 overs Gillette Cup was also shown.

Correct. However what drove me mad about the BBC is that they'd switch to horse racing or Wimbledon in the middle of a match ! At least Sky (and Channel 4 for the most part) shows full ball-by-ball coverage.

The BBC were also quite primitive technologically. If you look on YouTube even as late as 1989 they'd have the camera at one end ! It was World Series Cricket that began showing the coverage from both ends and eventually BBC made the switch. Channel 4 to their credit introduced innovations like Snicko.

One of the biggest reasons why interest in cricket has declined is because there is no live cricket on free-to-air television here. As much as I like Sky, how can you promote cricket from behind a paywall ?

 

[Junaids]

It wasn't overhyped, you can ask all the ex-Pakistani and West Indian greats and they'll tell you how vital County exposure was. Imran learnt a lot especially in County cricket.

Its the same reasons why young cricketers praise the IPL now - you got to rub shoulders with quality international players, learn from good coaches, got exposure to foreign conditions and got paid fairly well.



Correct. However what drove me mad about the BBC is that they'd switch to horse racing or Wimbledon in the middle of a match ! At least Sky (and Channel 4 for the most part) shows full ball-by-ball coverage.

The BBC were also quite primitive technologically. If you look on YouTube even as late as 1989 they'd have the camera at one end ! It was World Series Cricket that began showing the coverage from both ends and eventually BBC made the switch. Channel 4 to their credit introduced innovations like Snicko.

One of the biggest reasons why interest in cricket has declined is because there is no live cricket on free-to-air television here. As much as I like Sky, how can you promote cricket from behind a paywall ?

Exactly. Giles Clarke mortgaged the future to bathe in money today.

 

[DRsohail]

i wanna ask that any chance for pakistani to feature in county cricket.....i think pak has made players there in county.....miandad,zaheer,,mushtaq muhammad.asif iqbal etc..

 

[Markhor]

Exactly. Giles Clarke mortgaged the future to bathe in money today.

Remember this spell from Duncan Spencer to Viv Richards in his last match ? Fortunately the BBC cameras were there that day.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NoOsa_DPhK0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Ponting and Richards said Spencer was one of the quickest bowlers they've ever faced - Ponting even had him alongside Shoaib Akhtar for pace in his book. Sadly injury put an end to his career, and he later tested positive for the same drug as Akhtar and Asif !

 

[90MPH]

I don't remember Sky Sports televising the County Championship any more than they do now. They do broadcast selected games - such as the Middlesex v Yorkshire match in the summer that was a Championship decider.

If you're talking about the 1970s, 80s and 90s when you had all those big names you mention - then BBC would've had the coverage. However they no longer show live cricket so cricket is no longer on Free to Air TV in the UK. Sky have the big bucks and outbid them easily.

BBC showed the 40 over John Player Sunday League matches, Gillette Cup matches (our old List A competition) and some County Championship fixtures. Tony Lewis used to present the coverage.

ITV generally showed the Yorkshire-Lancashire Roses match from Old Trafford but only on Granada, Yorkshire and Tyne Tees.
[MENTION=1269]Bewal Express[/MENTION] [MENTION=7774]Robert[/MENTION] [MENTION=23613]90MPH[/MENTION] [MENTION=1842]James[/MENTION] you guys remember what I'm talking about ?

Yes correct Sky sports hardly show any county cricket, barring 1 or 2 matches right at the end of the season.

Even in the 90s when the BBC had the rights for English cricket coverage they only showed Benson and Hedges county cup matches, not the championship as far as I remember.

 

[cornered paktiger]

Another reason is the encroachment of other countries' seasons into the English season. Up until this century, no other country played cricket during the English season (i.e. late April to early September). The West Indies season was the latest but typically finished in April and the Pakistani and Indian were the earliest starting in October.

However nowadays West Indies routinely play rests in May-July, Sri Lanka June-August and Zimbabwe in August. Even South Africa hosted tests this August. This limits the availability of test players to play county cricket, not just from the above host countries but whoever is touring. Add to the the Ipl in April/May and the West Indies T20 tournament in August which are more lucrative and less taxing and there isn't much time for the top tier players to grace (and develop from) the county scene.

The days off the English season being the off-season for the rest of the world are over and with it the heyday of overseas county stars.

 

[Robert]

[MENTION=1269]Bewal Express[/MENTION] [MENTION=7774]Robert[/MENTION] [MENTION=23613]90MPH[/MENTION] [MENTION=1842]James[/MENTION] you guys remember what I'm talking about ?

I remember the 1985 Roses march on Yorkshire ITV. Paul Allott was bowling.

Before that there were many LO matches on the Beeb. I remember a Somerset vs Middlesex match which was one of the most exciting games I ever saw. Richards, Botham, Garner, Gatting, Edmonds, Emburey and Daniel all played.

My opinion is that T20 is killing the English test game, producing batters who cannot defend and preventing the development of crafty spinners.

 

[Thivagar]

I remember the 1985 Roses march on Yorkshire ITV. Paul Allott was bowling.

Before that there were many LO matches on the Beeb. I remember a Somerset vs Middlesex match which was one of the most exciting games I ever saw. Richards, Botham, Garner, Gatting, Edmonds, Emburey and Daniel all played.

My opinion is that T20 is killing the English test game, producing batters who cannot defend and preventing the development of crafty spinners.

Explain please.

 

[Tusker]

Exactly.

The 90's were no hayday - teams were already limited to one overseas player: twenty years earlier EVERY team was like these:

Hampshire: Gordon Greenidge, Malcolm Marshall, Barry Richards.

Northants: Bishan Bedi, Mushtaq Mohammad, Sarfraz Nawaz

But there were only three TV channels, and every Sunday BBC 2 broadcast a full 40 overs JPL match.

And each round a match in the 55 overs Benson and Hedges and 60 overs Gillette Cup was also shown.

Iam not sure why you keep raving about cricket from the 70s ... that too the county cricket ... watch the clips below and it is all ordinary cricket to me who is use to modern day cricket. Can you tell me what is so great about the quality and standard of cricket ( I understand that there are some big names involved but I'am more interested in the actual end product that they supposedly produced i.e. Top quality cricket ). Can you explain ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyHvFArouAM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9WKSiG4qdA

 

[Tusker]

My opinion is that T20 is killing the English test game, producing batters who cannot defend and preventing the development of crafty spinners.

That is an Easy excuse to make .... Jadeja, Jayant, Ashwin and a whole bunch of Indian batsmen that have emerged while playing a lot of T20 Cricket say otherwise.

 

[Bewal Express]

I don't remember Sky Sports televising the County Championship any more than they do now. They do broadcast selected games - such as the Middlesex v Yorkshire match in the summer that was a Championship decider.

If you're talking about the 1970s, 80s and 90s when you had all those big names you mention - then BBC would've had the coverage. However they no longer show live cricket so cricket is no longer on Free to Air TV in the UK. Sky have the big bucks and outbid them easily.

BBC showed the 40 over John Player Sunday League matches, Gillette Cup matches (our old List A competition) and some County Championship fixtures. Tony Lewis used to present the coverage.

ITV generally showed the Yorkshire-Lancashire Roses match from Old Trafford but only on Granada, Yorkshire and Tyne Tees.
[MENTION=1269]Bewal Express[/MENTION] [MENTION=7774]Robert[/MENTION] [MENTION=23613]90MPH[/MENTION] [MENTION=1842]James[/MENTION] you guys remember what I'm talking about ?

Remember them well, my first memory of domestic cricket was when Somerset won the Sunday league in the early 80's. Most memorable match seeing Waqar Younis against Northants for the first time and him bowling at the speed of light, and destroying a strong batting line up.

 

[MMHS]

Remember them well, my first memory of domestic cricket was when Somerset won the Sunday league in the early 80's. Most memorable match seeing Waqar Younis against Northants for the first time and him bowling at the speed of light, and destroying a strong batting line up.

Probably 12/119 (6+6) I believe; sometimes in 1990 or '91. He was definitely around 160KM on effort ball, if not faster!!!

 

[MMHS]

Cricket is a dying sports outside Asia. Eventually, it'll survive in South Asia around India like Baseball & may be through 1st, 2nd, 3rd generation expat Asians in AUS, ENG, SAF & NZ.

By nature the core of this game doesn't comply with fast & instant gratification of modern life - even a T20 takes almost twice time than a Soccer or Basketball game & it's slow by nature; if ICC somehow forces fast bowlers to shorten run-up & bowl at 120KM pies for SIX in 50 metre grounds, still it's just about an "action" in 35 seconds at least - in basketball, sometimes lead changes 5 times in that period.

Skill of this game is learned at nets & demonstrated in game from long hours - if we change that, cricket won't remain cricket. It's not a power, contact or speed sports - it's a skill based game, where duration is the major factor for the climax of the game - even 3 Day Test won't produce the sensation like recent Gabba or Chennai Test. It's a trade off between own identity or slow death - I prefer identity than survive as a hybrid surrogate; I will stop following cricket, the day I find it has lost it's soul.

 

[Donal Cozzie]

Cricket is a dying sports outside Asia. Eventually, it'll survive in South Asia around India like Baseball & may be through 1st, 2nd, 3rd generation expat Asians in AUS, ENG, SAF & NZ.

By nature the core of this game doesn't comply with fast & instant gratification of modern life - even a T20 takes almost twice time than a Soccer or Basketball game & it's slow by nature; if ICC somehow forces fast bowlers to shorten run-up & bowl at 120KM pies for SIX in 50 metre grounds, still it's just about an "action" in 35 seconds at least - in basketball, sometimes lead changes 5 times in that period.

Skill of this game is learned at nets & demonstrated in game from long hours - if we change that, cricket won't remain cricket. It's not a power, contact or speed sports - it's a skill based game, where duration is the major factor for the climax of the game - even 3 Day Test won't produce the sensation like recent Gabba or Chennai Test. It's a trade off between own identity or slow death - I prefer identity than survive as a hybrid surrogate; I will stop following cricket, the day I find it has lost it's soul.

I dont buy this belief that cricket is dying due to the modern life being faster.

Cricket is a sport for people of a certain personality and people with certain tastes, there will always be people willing to pay and watch to satisfy those tastes, the sport won't simply die off totally. Even tests if managed correctly can have a place.

 

[USofA]

I dont buy this belief that cricket is dying due to the modern life being faster.

Cricket is a sport for people of a certain personality and people with certain tastes, there will always be people willing to pay and watch to satisfy those tastes, the sport won't simply die off totally. Even tests if managed correctly can have a place.

I agree, but are/will there be enough of them? Would need enough of them to sustain the sport (especially the longer version) as everything costs money to run. The game needs money and so do the players, to remain interested as a viable career option.

 

[Robert]

Explain please.

Because they are not getting on to bowl long spells during the sunny parts of the English summer when the wickets have dried out. They are playing T20 instead of four-day CC matches. Their role is to get through four overs without being smashed, and also to be able to hit a few blows at the death, which is why we are producing "spinners" who can hit test fifties but cannot take wickets.

 

[Thivagar]

Because they are not getting on to bowl long spells during the sunny parts of the English summer when the wickets have dried out. They are playing T20 instead of four-day CC matches. Their role is to get through four overs without being smashed, and also to be able to hit a few blows at the death, which is why we are producing "spinners" who can hit test fifties but cannot take wickets.

Now I understand.

 

[Cricfan4eva]

Not just county. Cricket isn't the same anymore.

There's just way too much cricket atm. Leagues cropping up all around the world, international fixtures also have increased a great deal. We have an international event almost every year until 2022. There's only so much you can take

 

[Mamoon]

Why do people keep on insisting that cricket is a 'dying' sport in Australia, when Australian PPers themselves completely disregard that claim?