English cricket chose money over fans after the 2005 Ashes
The best cricket stories of the week, 17th to 23rd May 2025
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English cricket chose money over fans after the 2005 Ashes
The Guardian’s Taha Hashim looks back at how the English game fundamentally changed after the success of the 2005 Ashes - which prompted a media sell out to a paywalled broadcaster and killed cricket’s popularity.
“Many have their anecdotes to argue what has been lost. “All that buzz about the 2005 Ashes, you could see it in the summer holidays, people playing cricket in the park,” says Simon Hughes, the commentator who was part of Channel 4’s coverage. “And I hadn’t seen that for years. That went on for about another year and then it just died off.
“I feel sorry for the great cricketers that England have produced since like Joe Root and Alastair Cook. They’re unknown figures to a huge generation.”
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Do the BCCI need to restructure India’s league system?
ESPNcricinfo’s Abhinav Mukund has a fascinating report on how local T20 leagues unearth and scout new talent for the IPL, but the lack of monetary compensation makes it difficult to sustain these leagues.
“The fact remains that there is only so much money a state-run league can make. This needs to change or the ecosystem will likely collapse. Franchise owners need to be compensated for investing in and grooming young talent. For a tournament that runs for three weeks or less, which is the usual duration of a typical state-run league, they scout, recruit and provide opportunities for young players across the state, in the hope those cricketers become superstars. But the leagues have no monetary gain for doing this.”
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Rohit has pulled the T20 game apart
News18’s Rudransh Khurana takes a deep dive into the numbers to determine how effective Rohit Sharma’s pull shot has been in T20 cricket.
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The best of the rest
The Times’ Mike Atherton catches up with David Coltart, local Zimbabwean mayor and the unsung hero behind the country’s cricket revival; “Zimbabwe’s unsung hero on cricket’s role in reuniting his nation”
Okay Africa’s Paula Adhis reports on the rise of the Women’s game in Africa; “Once Overshadowed by Men, Africa’s Women’s Cricket Wants a Bite of the Billion-Dollar Game”
Cricket.com’s Anirudh Suresh lauds Punjab Kings’ bet on Prabhsimran Singh “Punjab Kings Believed In Prabhsimran — Now He’s One Of The Best Openers In IPL”
ESPNcricinfo’s Peter Hatzoglou explain why he signed on to play just one PSL game; “The replacement's diary: Why I said yes to the PSL”
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The best videos and podcasts
Beyond23’s Michael Clarke talks to GT COO Arvinder Singh about what it takes to run a successful IPL franchise, including winning the whole thing in your first year of existence! [YouTube]
Bowlers Union’s Chris Wright & Keith Barker talk to England pacer Chris Woakes on his international career, playing with the new ball versus the old ball, his role models, and more. [Apple/Spotify]
The Grade Cricketer’s Ian Higgins & Sam Perry have a fun chat with journalist Barney Ronay about Bazball, the English summer, & everything wrong with this English team. [YouTube]
Cricket by JB’s Praatibh Surana discusses why West Indies was a good T20 side in the early 2010s, and how much it has to do with a multi-billion dollar scam. [YouTube]