tag:theconversation.com,2011:/africa/topics/england-cricket-team-28179/articlesEngland cricket team – The Conversation2020-04-17T10:43:55Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1363332020-04-17T10:43:55Z2020-04-17T10:43:55ZEnglish cricket threatened as summer game hit by pandemic<p>The 2020 English domestic cricket season was supposed to start on April 12. Most teams had flown to warmer climates for pre-season tours, the grounds had been meticulously prepared over the winter and new membership cards had landed on the doormats of tens of thousands of domestic county members. But instead the coronavirus pandemic has temporarily put paid to life as we know it. </p>
<p>COVID-19 has decimated the 2020 <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/51605235">sporting calendar</a> across the world, posing unprecedented challenges for sport organisations at every level. No sport is immune and many teams around the world <a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/04/sports-covid19-coronavirus-excersise-specators-media-coverage/">could face financial ruin</a> when the pandemic passes. </p>
<p>In Britain, one sport facing the real prospect of <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/52105806">no fixtures at all this summer</a> is cricket. The early period of the season focuses on the County Championship (four-day cricket), with attention turning to the shorter one-day formats in the warmer months of June, July and August. But a lack of fixtures brings with it significant financial uncertainty. </p>
<p>The summer of 2020 presented the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) with a golden opportunity to harness the increased exposure and public interest from the national team’s success in the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/48983890">2019 World Cup</a>, held in England and Wales. A new competition, the Hundred, a city-based limited-overs franchise competition is due to begin on July 17. The <a href="https://www.thecricketer.com/Topics/banner/government_cricket_ecb_sports_minister_nigel_adams_interview.html">new competition</a> promised the attraction of new spectators, a rise in participation and more cash for cricket at the county level. </p>
<p>Now the Hundred might <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/cricket/2020/03/24/hundred-could-postponed-2021-cricket-season-reduced-two-months/">not start at all</a>. The ECB has postponed all matches <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/51982898">until May 28</a>, after which games – at least at first – could well take place behind <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/52124981">closed doors</a>. May 28 is also the planned start of the <a href="https://www.ecb.co.uk/t20-blast">Twenty20 Blast</a> (T20), a lucrative competition and the lifeblood of cash generation for many counties.</p>
<h2>Cancelling cashflow</h2>
<p>As well as this, if the England international fixture list is cancelled or curtailed, it seriously damages the cashflow at both county level and for the ECB. International fixtures are hosted at various county grounds on a rota system. The largest county grounds host Test matches while selected smaller grounds host One Day Internationals (ODIs). Counties that host regular international matches are already better off financially than the others, so we could see massive inequalities appear in county cricket. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7072/7/1/11/htm">Past research</a> on the finances of county cricket supports this argument. Counties that host international matches have an average turnover of around £10.6 million per year. Those that don’t average £4.6 million per year.</p>
<p>The financial pressure on counties not hosting international cricket is becoming acute. They only have three main revenue streams. One is a central grant fund from the ECB, supported by sponsorship and broadcasting income associated with the England national team. The second, matchday revenue is key to most professional sport teams’ financial health – in 2018, £11 million was generated through gate receipts across the 18 counties. About 90% (£9.9 million) of this was generated through hosting T20 fixtures, so cancellation of the T20 competition could cost each county more than £500,000. </p>
<p>The final income stream comes from annual memberships. Membership income for all counties was £9.5 million in 2018, ranging from £2 million at Surrey in the affluent south of England to just £100,000 at Leicestershire in the Midlands. If matches are postponed then counties may have to reimburse their members a percentage of this cost, further depleting their cash reserves.</p>
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<p>The problem is that the counties have become overly reliant on the ECB grants. In 2018, for nine counties the ECB payment was 40% or more of their turnover (for Leicestershire it was 76%). Of these nine counties, six do not regularly host international fixtures. If the ECB payment was to be removed, only Surrey would make a surplus. Counties need to find a way to become self-sustaining.</p>
<h2>Hand to mouth existence</h2>
<p>This summer marked the first year of a new landmark TV rights deal between the ECB and Sky, worth <a href="https://www.ft.com/content/12865178-5d7f-11e7-9bc8-8055f264aa8b">£1.1 billion</a>. The additional income will result in increases to the annual ECB payments to counties. Positive news but it doesn’t solve the reliance issue. </p>
<p>To make matters worse, several counties have looked to use this extra money to invest in their infrastructure (Yorkshire’s <a href="https://www.yorkshireccc.com/news/view/7618/the-opening-of-the-emerald-stand-marks-bright-future-for-yorkshire">new Emerald Stand</a> at their Headingley ground and Lord’s redevelopment of the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/jan/16/mcc-granted-planning-permission-50m-lords-redevelopment-cricket">Nursery End</a> being two examples). These counties have taken long-term strategic decisions to finance these projects with the assumption of increased revenues, which may not now arrive. </p>
<p>Most counties operate on a hand-to-mouth existence. Current figures suggest only five counties would be able to meet their short-term debt commitments. The prospect of no income leaves them facing difficult decisions in how to cover costs and pay their staff. A number of counties have already made use of the government’s <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/52186508">furlough scheme</a> and others are likely to follow suit. </p>
<p>The short-term financial picture in English cricket is bleak. The ECB has stepped in to provide <a href="https://www.ecb.co.uk/news/1650783/ecb-unveils-61m-interim-support-package-for-professional-and-recreational-cricket">financial support</a> with a package worth up to £40 million for the counties, and an additional £20 million being made available to support grassroots cricket. But some of this is money that would have gone to the counties anyway, and it will only sustain them for so long unless fixtures resume. </p>
<p>The latest ECB accounts show cash reserves of £40 million and they have already invested heavily in the Hundred. The question remains as to whether they can stretch their resources further to stop counties from going to the wall. Unfortunately, there is very little the counties can do other than wait.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/136333/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Coronavirus has exposed the frailties inherent in the English game.Robbie Millar, Researcher, Sport Industry Research Centre, Sheffield Hallam UniversityDan Plumley, Senior Lecturer in Sport Finance, Sheffield Hallam UniversityRob Wilson, Head of Department; Finance, Accounting & Business Systems, Sheffield Hallam UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1238272019-09-19T08:59:04Z2019-09-19T08:59:04ZBen Stokes v The Sun: gross intrusion or simple reportage? How media privacy law works<p>When Ben Stokes celebrated his part in the England cricket team’s World Cup triumph, followed by his incredible match-winning innings during the Ashes, dubbed the “greatest ever”, he could not have anticipated that heightened interest in him would lead to the later unwelcome unearthing of an old family secret. </p>
<p>The day after the Ashes series ended, The Sun newspaper ran a story headlined “<a href="https://www.thesun.co.uk/sport/9941347/ben-stokes-cricket-brother-sister-killed/">Stokes’ Secret Tragedy</a>” recounting the 1988 murder of Stokes’ two siblings by his mother’s ex-partner in New Zealand.</p>
<p>In a highly charged response on Twitter, Stokes vehemently criticised The Sun, claiming its story was “immoral and heartless” and “contemptuous to the feelings and circumstances of my family”.</p>
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<p>The Sun’s spokesperson has defended the newspaper’s actions, claiming that the murders were widely covered in the New Zealand media and that it had published with the co-operation of another family member, Jacqui Dunn, the killer’s other daughter.</p>
<p>These arguments broadly reflect the privacy versus free expression arguments that have recurred in many legal disputes between high-profile celebrities and the (usually tabloid) media. Such disputes are governed by <a href="http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/136661/">misuse of private information (MPI) law</a>, an area of law developed by judges following the passage of the <a href="https://www.libertyhumanrights.org.uk/human-rights/human-rights-act">Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA)</a>, particularly the Article 8 right to respect for private life and the Article 10 right to free expression.</p>
<p>Though Stokes has not indicated any intention to bring a legal claim, wider questions have arisen as to the legality of The Sun’s actions. So, has The Sun breached privacy law?</p>
<p>When deciding whether a misuse of private information has occurred, the court would apply a two-stage test. First, it would consider whether Stokes had a “reasonable expectation” of privacy in relation to the information. If so, the court would then balance Stokes’ privacy right against The Sun’s free expression right and decide which one is stronger and ought to prevail. Both of these stages of the test take close account of the particular facts of the relevant case. In the context of misuse of private information, two issues in the Stokes case are particularly interesting because of their (legal) ambiguity.</p>
<h2>Public domain</h2>
<p>First is the question of whether this information was, as <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/cricket/ashes/ben-stokes-the-sun-newspaper-family-story-brother-ashes-2019-a9108401.html">The Sun claims</a>, already in the public domain? In older confidence actions in the pre-Human Rights Act, pre-digital era, a firm “public domain” exception applied. Once information was “out there”, it was “public” and there was no secret left to protect. </p>
<p>But this position has developed and a strict private/public binary no longer applies. An individual may still have a reasonable expectation of privacy in respect of information that is partly (or even widely) publicised. In Stokes’ case, the extensive publicity given to the murder of his siblings was more than 30 years ago in a country on the other side of the world. So this would not automatically be deemed “public” and The Sun’s reference to the story as “Stokes’ Secret Tragedy” tends to support this.</p>
<h2>Whose privacy?</h2>
<p>A second interesting issue is: whose privacy is it anyway? Stokes’ Twitter statement claimed: “I will not allow my public profile to be used as an excuse to invade the rights of my parents, my wife, my children or other family members.” This hinted perhaps at his acceptance that his sporting role will attract a degree of attention and interest. </p>
<p>Misuse of Public Information (MPI) law does indicate that being a “public figure” or “role model” is a relevant factor in MPI disputes and so-called “Ashes Hero” Stokes would fit the definition. But the law is also clear that public figures still enjoy a right to privacy, as successful litigants such as <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/2002/mar/27/pressandpublishing.privacy">Naomi Campbell</a> and <a href="https://inforrm.org/2016/05/19/news-supreme-court-allows-appeal-in-pjs-celebrity-injunction-case/">“PJS”</a> demonstrate. Furthermore, Stokes’ “public figure” status would have only limited bearing on whether The Sun’s story was deemed to be in the public interest.</p>
<p>This statement also raises the trickier issue of how to deal with the privacy interests of an interrelated family group. Stokes’ primary concern was for the privacy of his family – and particularly his mother who lives in New Zealand. The privacy rights of family members may be included in claims where there is clear evidence they would be adversely affected by publication of private information.</p>
<p>But would Stokes have a reasonable expectation of privacy in relation to events that happened to other members of his family before his birth, particularly where another extended family member is willing to speak to the media about them? This case raises the problem of who (if anyone) can “own” or control shared family experiences – particularly when family members have different attitudes to the information. </p>
<p>In this sense, the case has broad parallels with the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/may/20/concert-pianist-james-rhodes-wins-right-to-publish-autobiography">James Rhodes dispute in 2014-15</a> where the Court of Appeal held that James Rhodes’ autobiography did not misuse private information about his son, because the information was about Rhodes rather than his son.</p>
<p>Ultimately, the Stokes-Sun dispute highlights some interesting grey areas in MPI law and, while a privacy claim would face a number of hurdles, it is also clear that The Sun’s claims about public domain should be treated with caution. Yet, irrespective of the strength of any legal claim, in light of widespread criticism of The Sun and support for Stokes, it seems that the morality of The Sun’s actions is perhaps more clear-cut.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/123827/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Rebecca Moosavian does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Was The Sun’s story about England’s Ashes hero an invasion of privacy?Rebecca Moosavian, Lecturer in Law, University of LeedsLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1203022019-07-14T20:26:53Z2019-07-14T20:26:53ZEngland win Men’s Cricket World Cup in a last-ball thriller – now will the country see more matches on free TV?<p>To say, “cricket was the winner” doesn’t really cover it. England’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2019/jul/14/england-new-zealand-cricket-world-cup-final-match-report-super-over">astonishing World Cup victory</a> came off the last ball of a “super over” – a tie-breaker that was only needed because the game itself had ended in a tie. </p>
<p>On the final ball of a tournament that has lasted since the beginning of June it came down to this: New Zealand needed two runs to win, England needed to restrict them to one. If wicketkeeper Jos Buttler had fumbled Jason Roy’s throw as the Kiwi batsmen ran for their lives, the street parties would have been happening in Dunedin and Auckland. </p>
<p>No World Cup final could have been more exciting or demonstrated so clearly the passion, excitement and camaraderie that sport has to offer. The greatest game of one day cricket of all time? Given what was at stake, without a doubt.</p>
<p>British broadcasters, understandably, were celebrating as hard as anyone. Earlier in the day, BBC Test Match Special began its radio coverage of England’s victorious World Cup final with the words of <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/player/24598.html">England skipper Eoin Morgan</a>. The trophy was there to be won he suggested, but there was also an opportunity to promote the game on a “huge platform”.</p>
<p>His words bear some scrutiny. First of course, after losing finals in 1979, 1987 and 1992, Sunday’s victory at last confirmed England’s <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/48958223">recent dominance in one day cricket</a>. Secondly, it is significant that England’s captain is an Irishman. </p>
<p>England have never been concerned about <a href="https://internationalcricket.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_England_cricket_captains">their captain</a>’s birthplace or ethnicity. The role has been held, among others, by two other Irishmen, two Welshmen, a Scot, two sons of diplomats born in Trinidad, another in what was formerly known as Bombay, and another in what was previously Madras. </p>
<p>Diversity indeed, has defined English cricket since ultimate batting stylist Prince Ranjitsinhji <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/player/19331.html">made his England debut in 1896</a>. In the 2019 semi-final against Australia, it was <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/player/669855.html">Jofra Archer</a> — from Barbados with an English father — who drew first blood for England. He played a crucial role in the final – delivering the vital, nerve wracking “super over”, on which the whole championship depended.</p>
<p>Earlier, in the semi-final, the bowler responsible for the crucial removal of two Australian batsman in a single over was <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/player/244497.html">Adil Rashid</a>, a Muslim from Bradford. For those celebrating Britain’s cultural mix, the ovation he received as he returned to his fielding position was a special highlight in a day full of them. </p>
<h2>Every game’s a home game</h2>
<p>The tournament contained other such uplifting moments. India versus Pakistan for example, was <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2019/jun/16/india-v-pakistan-cricket-world-cup-2019-live">played with a bonhomie</a> unimaginable given that when they last met in a World Cup match at Manchester in 1999, the two nations were <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/pakistan-india-nuclear-bomb-kargil-war-former-cia-officer-sandy-berger-bruce-riedel-a6758501.html">technically at war</a>.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/mens-cricket-world-cup-the-story-of-the-afghanistan-team-and-why-its-such-a-crowd-pleaser-118302">Men's Cricket World Cup: the story of the Afghanistan team and why it's such a crowd pleaser</a>
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<p>And the balance of cricketing power undoubtedly now lies in the subcontinent. The MCC recently announced its first non-British president in the form of former Sri Lankan captain, Kumar Sangakkara.</p>
<p>Women’s cricket, meanwhile, is thriving in England, its exponents increasingly recognised for their skill first and their gender second. Indeed, former Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist recently judged England’s Sarah Taylor to be the <a href="https://www.espn.co.uk/cricket/story/_/id/23871418/sarah-taylor-best-wicketkeeper-world">best in that position in the world</a>, “male or female”. Seemingly cricket is a model of diversity and inclusivity.</p>
<h2>Is anybody out there?</h2>
<p>Which brings us to Morgan’s assertion that the game could be promoted on a “huge platform”. Of course, it’s potentially the case – but reality warns us otherwise. Until the final this World Cup, unlike its football and rugby equivalents, was largely hidden from view in the UK behind a Sky paywall. </p>
<p>The public appetite has been healthy enough, with BBC’s head of radio and digital, Ben Gallop, tweeting that even before the final, England’s semi-final was “our biggest live page of the year for any sport”. The audience on Sky though, peaked at around a million. When England’s women footballers played their World Cup semi-final against USA nine days earlier, the free-to-air audience on BBC was almost 12m. </p>
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<p>Consequently, suggests former England bowler <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2019/jul/06/england-cricket-world-cup-tv-infuriate-sky">Vic Marks in The Guardian</a>, England’s cricketers might well feel a little bemused that “such a huge chunk of the country has no idea who they are and how they play” . </p>
<p>When, during the memorable summer of 2005, England cricket <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2014/oct/14/the-spin-england-cricket-kevin-pietersen">last became a national preoccupation</a>, Channel 4’s coverage meant that enquiries about who was “in” and “out” were much more likely to refer to England’s batsmen than the contestants of Big Brother or Love Island. </p>
<p>But with these new enthusiasts on the hook, English cricket promptly threw them back, as, <a href="https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/sport/2019/07/english-cricket-only-has-itself-blame-forgotten-world-cup">according to David Skelton in the New Statesman</a>, it decided that “revenue was more important than growing the audience for the sport” .</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/cricket/cricket-world-cup-final-england-vs-new-zealand-live-free-to-air-channel-4-sky-sports-a9001226.html">late deal brokered</a> between SKY and Channel 4 to show Sunday’s final on UK terrestrial TV might be too little, too late. True, it might catch a wave of residual interest, but even so, only cricket could schedule its ultimate showpiece to coincide with the British Grand Prix and the men’s final at Wimbledon. Cricket in England now worryingly <a href="https://theconversation.com/womens-football-to-grow-the-game-dont-banish-it-to-pay-tv-119838">slides back behind its paywall</a>. </p>
<p>Change, in the form of a new cities-based competition called “<a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/cricket/the-hundred-format-start-date-schedule-teams-what-we-know-jonathan-liew-a8835086.html">The Hundred</a>” is coming next year. For purists, it is <a href="https://www.thecricketer.com/Topics/domestic/who_on_earth_is_the_hundred_for_we_try_to_identify_the_ecb's_mysterious_'new_audience'.html">not really cricket at all</a> and, by wooing an audience that it probably already had in 2005, the game is playing fast and loose with a loyal following it already has. </p>
<p>The World Cup might have been won by England, but if if young players in the country don’t get to watch their heroes, it risks wasting something special.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/120302/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Richard Thomas does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>It was the greatest advertisement for cricket, but now the game needs to be promoted to everyone, not hidden on pay-TV.Richard Thomas, Lecturer, Media & Communication, Swansea UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/875332017-11-16T12:35:39Z2017-11-16T12:35:39ZAshes 2017: why underdog status could do England’s cricket team a big favour<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/195005/original/file-20171116-15416-9bncd2.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Image courtesy of Sky Sports</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>After being in the news <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/cricket/2017/09/27/england-name-ashes-squad-plus-latest-ben-stokes-arrest-live/">for all the wrong reasons</a>, England’s cricket team is in Australia preparing for the Ashes. The beleaguered squad is viewed by pretty much everyone <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2017/oct/29/joe-root-ready-prove-critics-wrong-england-land-australia-ashes-ben-stokes">as underdogs</a> following the loss of star player Ben Stokes due to a disciplinary matter.</p>
<p>For fans in England or Australia – or pretty much anywhere else cricket is played for that matter – the Ashes is laden with significance. The contest dates back to 1882, when a touring team from the then colony of Australia beat England, prompting a satirical obituary “in affectionate remembrance” of English cricket in a British newspaper. Since then, Ashes tours have become for players and fans alike, a barometer of national pride for the two countries. And, at the moment at least, Australia is claiming bragging rights in expectation of giving England a good thrashing.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/195006/original/file-20171116-15416-1ff2qfq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/195006/original/file-20171116-15416-1ff2qfq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/195006/original/file-20171116-15416-1ff2qfq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=485&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/195006/original/file-20171116-15416-1ff2qfq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=485&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/195006/original/file-20171116-15416-1ff2qfq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=485&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/195006/original/file-20171116-15416-1ff2qfq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=610&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/195006/original/file-20171116-15416-1ff2qfq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=610&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/195006/original/file-20171116-15416-1ff2qfq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=610&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">A matter of life and death.</span>
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<p>Given the recent examples of underdogs overcoming their limitations in other sports – <a href="https://theconversation.com/leicester-city-are-football-champions-of-england-im-tearful-incredibly-proud-and-full-of-envy-58658">Leicester City Football Club</a>, for example, going from relegation fodder to English Premier League winners; <a href="http://www.espn.co.uk/golf/masters16/story/_/id/15178583/danny-willett-wins-masters-jordan-spieth-collapse">Danny Willet winning the US Masters</a> while ranked 102nd in the world, and the <a href="http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-cubs-win-world-series-sullivan-spt-1103-20161102-story.html">Chicago Cubs winning the World Series</a> for the first time in 108 years – it’s worth asking whether underdog status is good or bad for the English cricket team?</p>
<p>An underdog <a href="https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/underdog">is defined</a> as an individual or group that is at a disadvantage and expected to lose. So there are two intertwined elements to being an underdog that are worthy of further consideration. First, underdogs are those considered to be at a disadvantage compared to their opponent – whether it is because of fewer resources, a smaller reputation or, in the case of England’s Test team, the loss of a star player. </p>
<p>Second, underdog status can be achieved through lowered expectations and an anticipated loss. The lowering of expectations can often lead to commentators or pundits viewing the underdog in a positive light. Watching an underdog achieve can be a massive source of inspiration – after all, it is the uncertainty within sport that keeps us on the edge of our seats. Hence, underdog status may not be such a bad thing for the England players.</p>
<h2>Pulling together</h2>
<p>Team cohesion is often defined as the sum of the forces pushing in from the outside and the bonds within the group pulling it together – and, in Australia, it is likely that this push/pull effect could be maximised. Both on and off the field of play, the England players will be exposed to sledging – the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/oct/18/the-spin-history-of-sledging">verbal abuse</a> usually directed at individual batsman by the majority of the fielding team. </p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/194998/original/file-20171116-8003-4h2y7f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/194998/original/file-20171116-8003-4h2y7f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=648&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194998/original/file-20171116-8003-4h2y7f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=648&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194998/original/file-20171116-8003-4h2y7f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=648&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194998/original/file-20171116-8003-4h2y7f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=815&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194998/original/file-20171116-8003-4h2y7f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=815&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/194998/original/file-20171116-8003-4h2y7f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=815&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">How Queensland’s Courier-Mail greeted the England test team when they toured in 2013. England lost 5-0.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Courier-Mail</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In an Ashes series, probably the highest-profile cricket encounter globally, the sledging will be from players, crowd, pundits and <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/cricket/joe-root-england-cricket-ashes-series-australia-new-boys-hostile-reception-a7891426.html">probably the Australian media as a whole</a>. However, if well prepared for, these external forces directed at the England players, could be used to pull the group together to form a very tight unit and even strengthen the team’s resolve: “The whole world is against us, but what doesn’t kill us, will only make us stronger.”</p>
<h2>Home advantage</h2>
<p>Another psychological concept that will loom large in the context of the Ashes, will be the home advantage. The phenomenon that the home team (in most aspects of sport) tends to have an advantage because of greater crowd support, a better working knowledge of the pitch, and the local facilities. </p>
<p>In most circumstances, these factors would lower the expectations of success for the away team but might increase expectations for the home side. Interestingly, the heightened expectations of the Australian players, among both the public and media, could work against them. </p>
<p>If, in the somewhat unlikely event that things go England’s way, these expectations could see the crowd and the pundits quickly turning on the Australian players, whereas conversely, the reduced expectation – and hence pressure – felt by the England players, may have a liberating effect.</p>
<h2>All in the mind</h2>
<p>The Ashes series will be the ultimate test of the England player’s <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/all-in-the-mind-9b0rpzpwk">mental toughness</a>. The England Cricket team should expect adversity to come from every direction, the media will be “in their face” 24/7, the crowd will be constantly on their back and it is likely that every element that the Australian management can control will be used to test the resolve of the England players. </p>
<p>For instance, it is likely that the <a href="http://www.firstpost.com/firstcricket/sports-news/flat-tracks-galore-cricket-australia-admit-pitches-need-to-offer-more-to-the-bowlers-2594472.html">pitches will be prepared to favour the Australian team’s preferences</a> and even the itinerary may have been constructed to give the England players little respite. If England players can produce match-winning performances under these circumstances, they will truly be mentally tough.</p>
<p>Recent indicators are not favourable. During <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/41859201">England’s 5-0 drubbing in Australia in 2013/14</a>, Jonathan Trott – who occupied the key batting position of number three for England – left the tour early for <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/oct/03/jonathan-trott-mental-health-england-ashes">stress-related reasons</a> having been hit by a delivery from Australia’s super-fast bowler Mitchell Johnson. The oft-trumpeted Australian tactic of “mental disintegration” – uncompromising cricket on the field and a constant barrage of abuse off the field – had helped to claim an important scalp. </p>
<p>However, with most aspects of preparation and the occasion being weighted in the Aussies’ favour, legendary status and a hero’s welcome home awaits a winning England team. If the underdog wins, the repercussions will rumble around “down-under” for a lifetime – Australian pundits still smart at the memory of the 1986/87 Ashes tour when a team from England that “<a href="http://en.espn.co.uk/onthisday/sport/story/339.html">can’t bat, can’t bowl, can’t field</a>” returned home holding the Ashes urn. Given the hype in the Australian press this time around, an England win would be truly memorable.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/87533/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>England’s cricket team is expected to lose the series against aggressive Australian opposition. But they might just defy expectations.Ian Maynard, Professor of Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Science, University of EssexJohn P. Mills, Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology, University of EssexLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/703072016-12-16T15:20:46Z2016-12-16T15:20:46ZWhat makes test cricket’s best spin bowler so effective?<p>With a victory over England in the fourth test by an innings and 36 runs, India’s cricket team <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/38285670">have secured</a> their fifth consecutive test series win and have now gone over four years <a href="http://stats.espncricinfo.com/usa/engine/records/team/match_results.html?class=1;id=2012;team=6;type=year">without losing</a> a test match on home soil – a run of 18 matches. Throughout this period we witnessed the meteoric rise of Ravichandran Ashwin, India’s prize test match finger spin bowler. </p>
<p>Ashwin, <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/rankings/content/page/211270.html">now the number one</a> ranked bowler in world cricket has amassed 15 five-wicket hauls in tests, the highest for any bowler in two successive calendar years. In September he <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/india-v-new-zealand-2016-17/content/story/1059096.html">became</a> the second-fastest bowler to claim 200 test wickets in his career.</p>
<p>Statistics aside, success on the world stage is not a matter of chance, quite the contrary. Ashwin’s journey is a culmination of his technical refinement, innovation and the teammates who bowl alongside him.</p>
<h2>Refining the technique</h2>
<p>While there are many facets that contribute to a successful spin bowler, imparting a high number of revolutions on the ball is seen as critical and the main cause for both the ball’s “drift” in the air and deviation off the pitch. Coupled with the ability to pitch the delivery in advantageous areas, elite finger spin bowlers such as Ashwin play an integral role in the success of teams competing in the international game.</p>
<p>A forthcoming study on the biomechanics of elite finger spin bowling, led by myself and my colleague, Mark King, at Loughborough University in conjunction with the England and Wales Cricket Board, profiled 30 elite male finger spin bowlers over a four-year period (including the English spinners Graeme Swann, Monty Panesar and James Tredwell). Our team of researchers explored the technical factors within a bowling action that influence the rate at which a ball spins. </p>
<p>The team observed very strong positive relationships between the orientation of the bowler’s pelvis and the rate at which the ball spins during flight, particularly at the instance of front foot contact and ball release. These findings created a compelling argument that highly advanced motions of the pelvis are paramount to producing high spin rates to the ball and therefore that spin bowling should not be solely thought of as an upper arm skill.</p>
<p>The movement during the ball’s flight is due to its “lift” or <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23f1jvGUWJs">Magnus force</a>, which affects the way a ball reacts during motion. This movement occurs because on the side of the ball which is advancing due to the spin motion the air flow is slowed down, <a href="http://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0031-8949/88/01/018101">creating a high pressure region</a>. On the other, receding side, it creates a low pressure region. The difference in pressure causes a “lateral” force perpendicular to the ground and a lateral movement of the ball during flight. This is known as drift. </p>
<p>The force of the lift will vary in direction and magnitude and depends on the amount of spin and the axis along which the ball is spinning. In addition, cricket balls have a seam, and spinners commonly apply spin along the line of this seam to help their grip on the ball. This means the spin axis is commonly kept perpendicular to the direction of the seam, promoting a stable seam position and the possibility of the ball deviating off the seam the moment it hits the pitch.</p>
<p>When the ball meets the pitch surface, particularly in India (due to drier pitches creating high friction between the ground and the ball), this commonly creates large lateral deviation and a heightened challenge to the opposing batsman.</p>
<p>Coming back to Ashwin, since 2012 he has noticeably made a number of key technical changes to his bowling action to improve alignment and promote a transfer of momentum throughout his delivery stride. In 2016, he now bowls with a slightly open pelvis orientation when his front foot hits the ground. This differs to the strictly side-on, or at times closed-off pelvis orientation that he used when releasing the ball back in 2012. He now has the ability to rotate his pelvis effectively and efficiently, promoting the transfer of kinetic energy from the pelvis to the hand as he releases the ball, and so injecting greater spin onto the ball. </p>
<h2>Partnerships and pace</h2>
<p>Humility is a strong virtue in any individual. With this in mind, Ashwin’s rise to stardom has to be partly credited to his <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/sportacademy/hi/sa/cricket/skills/newsid_3207000/3207491.stm">orthodox left arm spin</a> partner, Ravindra Jadeja. </p>
<p>Between November 2015 and the end of the fourth test against England in mid-December 2016, India’s star duo had accumulated the most wickets in test cricket – an incredible <a href="http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/records/bowling/most_wickets_career.html?class=1;id=6;type=team">124</a>. The pair are unrelentingly accurate, with Jadeja mounting great pressure, bowling 53 maidens (an over, or six consecutive deliveries where no run is scored) in the current series against England alone.</p>
<p>The speed at which the ball is released also plays a significant role in the success of an elite spin bowler. When a new, competent batsman enters the crease, they use the idiosyncratic cues provided by the bowler, such as the release velocity, height, and angle of preceding deliveries. This forms a mental template of the ball’s trajectory – essentially an attempt to predict the trajectories of the deliveries to follow. </p>
<p>Here, Ashwin’s subtle variation of the speed and the axis around which he spins the ball comes into play. He commonly delivers his stock ball with an initial release speed around 54mph. Variations of pace close to this speed may exploit a batsman’s mental template and take advantage of the batsman’s subtle “blindness” to length and speed. This can create a fatal weakness in judgement, particularly for any new batsman at the crease. </p>
<p>The new batsman’s ability to tell what speed and trajectory the ball will arrive is now sub-optimal, meaning vital mistakes are made in deciding whether to come forward or back when playing the ball. This can result in a quick return to the dressing room.</p>
<h2>Innovation</h2>
<p>Ashwin can also be considered as one of the modern game’s great innovators through his use of a unique delivery known as the “carrom” or “sodukku ball”, meaning “snapping of fingers” in the Tamil language. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Pz7s5HG2TMk?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
</figure>
<p>When delivering the carrom ball, Ashwin spins the ball using half as many revolutions as he would with one of his regular deliveries. The ball is released out of the front of the hand as opposed to the side, using the middle digit to impart spin. As a result it is very difficult for the opposing batsman to distinguish and therefore a dangerous tool of deception. </p>
<p>With this magnitude of spin, the ball’s trajectory is much straighter and results in many wickets as the opposing batsman often plays down the wrong line of trajectory. As a result, Ashwin, who is one of the very few operators of this delivery in the world game, has one of the highest percentages of dismissals for leg before wicket in test cricket to date. </p>
<p>All this has combined to make Ravichandran Ashwin one of the most effective bowlers in today’s modern game.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/70307/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Liam Sanders is affiliated with Loughborough University, The English Institute of Sport and receives research funding from The England and Wales Cricket Board. </span></em></p>The rise of India’s Ravichandran Ashwin is down to both art and science.Liam Sanders, PhD Researcher, Loughborough UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/606422016-06-08T13:51:07Z2016-06-08T13:51:07ZEasy England victories are not always good for cricket – here’s why<p>As the touring Sri Lankan cricket team arrives in London for the final test of their three-match series, there won’t be too many people willing to part with their money for a ticket for the fifth and final day – in fact, given the dominance of the England XI, it’s a brave fan who is going to shell out up to £100 in advance for a ticket to a fourth day that may well not happen.</p>
<p>The first test at Headingley in Leeds <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/36350422">lasted less than three days</a> while the second test in Durham stretched to four days thanks to a <a href="http://www.skysports.com/cricket/news/12341/10300368/england-v-sri-lanka-statistical-review-of-the-second-test-at-durham">second-innings fightback</a> by the Sri Lankan batsmen. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/125569/original/image-20160607-15045-1kiseei.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/125569/original/image-20160607-15045-1kiseei.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/125569/original/image-20160607-15045-1kiseei.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=237&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/125569/original/image-20160607-15045-1kiseei.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=237&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/125569/original/image-20160607-15045-1kiseei.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=237&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/125569/original/image-20160607-15045-1kiseei.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=297&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/125569/original/image-20160607-15045-1kiseei.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=297&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/125569/original/image-20160607-15045-1kiseei.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=297&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">England home test matches 2015-2016.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Cricinfo</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This seems to be a recent trend: the last seven tests played in England have all finished inside five days. There could be a number of reasons for this – among them the proliferation of limited overs cricket which encourages players to be more aggressive and leaves less time for them to adjust to the longer form of the game. But what isn’t in doubt is the financial impact on those concerned with organising the matches.</p>
<p>According to the English Cricket Board (ECB), <a href="http://www.ecb.co.uk/news/articles/23m-attend-cricket-2015">more than 560,000</a> spectators watched England play in home tests in 2015. Multiplying the capacity of the grounds which hosted test matches in 2015 by the number of days play in each of those matches gives a total possible number of seats of 566,479, which translates to 98.9% of test match tickets being sold. So demand for these marquee events remains strong.</p>
<p>Counties with big enough stadiums bid for the rights to host England internationals – and the fees paid to the ECB represent the main costs of hosting the match. It’s hard to get hold of detailed financial information, but Yorkshire County Cricket Club included costs of £1,300,521 in <a href="https://yorkshireccc.com/the-club/annual-reports">its annual accounts</a> relating to the six days of international cricket it hosted in 2015 (one five-day test and one limited overs game). This was associated with revenues of £2,440,612 – this included tickets and hospitality. </p>
<p>If we take a rough approximation from Yorkshire’s figures and say that five-sixths of the revenue and costs related to the New Zealand test the county hosted, then – over five days – this netted a profit of around £950,000. But cut that back by a day or two and the revenue decreases by 20% per day (costs stay constant as the staging fee is not based on length of the match) then the loss of two days play would have reduced profit to around £136,500 – or a return on investment of around 13%. </p>
<p>It may well have been reasonable then to see some of the higher-ups at Yorkshire looking glum as England romped to victory on day three of the first test of the summer. This is especially true as test match venues might now weigh the opportunity cost of being able to host other potential money spinners such as rock concerts – for which ticket prices often exceed those paid by cricket fans.</p>
<p>When test matches end early it is likely to have a significant financial impact on the hosting counties and, in the future, more risk-averse clubs may choose to focus on limited-over games – not as prestigious in cricketing terms, but the revenue stream and costs are more easily matched. There are few other sports which match the conundrum that up to 40% of revenue for a marquee event is lost due to the dominance of one of the competitors.</p>
<h2>Big-money broadcasting</h2>
<p>Much of the ECB’s <a href="http://www.ecb.co.uk/ecb/about-ecb/ecb-annual-report">£174m annual revenue</a> comes from its lucrative partnership with Sky TV, for whom the rights to England test matches are highly valuable in a summer of sport in which it is effectively shut out of Wimbledon, Euro 2016 and the Olympics. Sky’s four-year deal with the ECB is <a href="http://www.espncricinfo.com/england/content/story/551654.html">reported to be worth US$280m</a> over four years and the broadcaster is unlikely to be happy to lose seven days of premium advertising revenue – as it did last year because of test matches finishing early. </p>
<p>Sky would not be the first broadcaster to baulk at the phenomenon of shorter test matches – the <a href="http://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/short-india-south-africa-tests-hit-broadcaster-s-revenue/story-Ps7T3BAYUjNrfKQDBiqClM.html">Hindustan Times reported last year</a> that premature finishes in last year’s India-South Africa series had lost the Murdoch-owned Star TV money “left, right and centre”.</p>
<p>If this trend continues it will be interesting to see if this makes cricket broadcasters think again about the value of test matches. Maybe they’ll begin to demand penalty payments in the case of shortened matches – certainly it would be an issue which would be expected to impact future negotiations</p>
<p>Event studies abound from economic consultancies keen to talk up the value of events, the MCC commissioned one such study in 2007 <a href="http://londoneconomics.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Final-Report-Economic-Impact-Major-Matches-at-Lords-240820071.pdf">regarding cricket matches at Lord’s</a> which included the impact of money spent in and around the grounds – and it is clear that the impact of a big sporting event extends beyond the purchase of tickets by spectators. Pubs, restaurants, hotels and other businesses also stand to lose from shortened matches.</p>
<h2>The end of five-day tests?</h2>
<p>Several suggestions have been put forward for improving test match cricket: the ICC’s Dave Richardson recently raised the possibility of <a href="http://www.skysports.com/cricket/news/12123/10301541/test-cricket-league-possible-from-2019-says-icc-chief-executive">introducing test leagues</a>, a proposition also made by former England captain <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/cricket/2016/05/26/why-englands-series-with-sri-lanka-proves-there-should-be-two-di/">Michael Vaughan</a>, while ECB chairman Colin Graves has suggested making <a href="https://www.lords.org/news/2015/march/graves-keen-on-four-day-tests">test matches four days</a> long. </p>
<p>These suggestions are interesting, but might not solve the problem of how to make a test last five days and maximise the economic impact of these events. The 2015 Ashes series between England and Australia was competitive, but failed to produce a five-day match. And reducing matches to four days will inevitably mean that clubs and broadcasters rethink the amount they are willing to pay. </p>
<p>Cricket fans could no doubt suggest a wide variety of ways to improve things but in terms of maximising the economic value of a test match currently the question remains of how to make a test match last five days without ensuring dull cricket.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/60642/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Robert O'Neill does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A string of quick victories for the home side have left cricket’s backers massively out of pocket.Robert O'Neill, Senior Lecturer in Economics, Strategy, Marketing and Economics, University of HuddersfieldLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.