A po-faced game with all fun flushed away
David Foot in The Guardian writes that cricket’s profile might be booming but it is blighted by a surfeit of administrators, often with conflicting international interests
Martin Williamson
25-Feb-2013
David Foot in The Guardian writes that cricket’s profile might be booming but it is blighted by a surfeit of administrators, often with conflicting international interests. And, he asks, where is the fun?
Cricket has become altogether too po-faced. It is played with barely the suggestion of a smile. Duncan Fletcher was a talented coach, liked by his England players. We gained the impression, however, that the dressing room occasionally resembled a morgue.
England's saturnine soldiers dutifully do their physical jerks. The mind games imparted to them do not allow much time for public relaxation. There is a uniformity about their gestures and emotions. If they have an evening drink, it is probably designer beer out of the bottle. Individuality is kept in its place.
Martin Williamson is executive editor of ESPNcricinfo and managing editor of ESPN Digital Media in Europe, the Middle East and Africa