Dear Editor,
For a long time I have been thinking and occasionally writing about the need to schedule the different formats of cricket with a view to getting the best out of all of them for all the parties. It should always have been clear to any reasonable person that a large number of new fans and indeed several younger “old” fans would find a cricket match that lasts for one day or three hours may be more attractive than one that lasts for five days.
As I have written before I am certain that the inventors of the shorter formats anticipated that result. Unfortunately, several influential cricket people kept trashing the shorter formats and relegating them to a sort of lower order, forgetting that notwithstanding the Trevor Baileys, the Leslie Whites, the Hanif Mohammeds and such strong characters cricket is a game played to entertain. Fortunately there seems to have been an epiphany of sorts, and the ICC is getting serious about purposeful scheduling. The West Indies had been the foremost victim of thoughtless scheduling. Our administrators must now seize the moment and become the main advocates for sensible scheduling, from which all will benefit, with us being the chief beneficiaries.
Yours faithfully,
Romain Pitt
