Players need to make cricket loved again

The cricket world is a small world, but wherever you look the picture is a disintegrating one, writes Mike Atherton in his latest Times column. While the omens for a good India versus England are not good, says Atherton, now, more than ever, the game needs something to cheer.

An excerpt:

“Take your PlayStations and your DVDs” was the advice given to this newspaper on Tuesday by a security adviser milking the situation for all it was worth, “because you will not be going out of your hotel of an evening.” If he had his way, you suspect body doubles, lookalikes and food tasters would need to be provided before he deemed it safe to go. Mind you, in Australia two winters ago a member of the England team was seen going to collect his laundry with a security guard in tow. Practise, play, room service; practise, play, room service. It is not much of a way to play cricket - not much of a way to live.

According to Stephen Brenkley in the Independent, England should not have been so eager to go back to India while the hosts should not have been so eager to ask them. Far from being played for the right reasons, says Brenkley, the series is being played for the wrong ones.

A greater cause for concern is the World Cup of 2011, says veteran Indian journalist R Mohan in the Asian Age. The England Test series may be resurrected and run under the tightest possible security cover in what may be termed as safe cities, says the writer, but what will the terror scenario be around an event that is to be held 24 months or so down the road in some of the most volatile places?

When the smoke clears and the dust settles cricket may regret the haste with which bags have been packed and matches cancelled, writes Peter Roebuck in the latest edition of Sportstar.