Cricket has been plugged out of the nation's consciousness, thanks to the greed and disingenuousness of the ECB, the arrogance and laziness of the BBC and the Government who were too quick to take cricket off the sporting 'A' list way back in 1998. Investment and development were clearly necessary for cricket. But if kids in a London park are not playing the game today, why is that so? There were children playing cricket in 2005, I'm sure. For all the money that has been made for cricket - and in cricket's name - the children are not playing. Not any more.
Even if the Government intervenes now, and puts some cricket back on the Sporting 'Crown Jewels', that won't take effect until 2010. If cricket should come back on to free-to-air TV or DTTV (digital terrestrial / Freeview television), that still leaves millions of children who don't know what cricket is.
The saddest day.
R•I•P Terrestrial Coverage of Cricket in the United Kingdom.
Much loved (even when interrupted for the 3:30 at Catterick) and missed