It's time for a red-ball fightback

HUW TURBERVILL: If the main summer series is against India or Australia, a programme of red-ball cricket in the month leading up to it simply has to be organised

England’s narrow escape at Trent Bridge focused minds. The build-up to the first Test was all about The Hundred, but three days of being outplayed by India woke people up.

Joe Root’s courageous century saved blushes, but India’s attack had greater depth and their batting more class.

And poor Jos Buttler’s ordeal in the first innings highlighted the shortcomings of the domestic summer calendar. In his maiden first-class innings of the season, he was all at sea, and understandably so. A diet of white‑ball cricket left him malnourished.

Writing this before the second Test at Lord’s, I pray administrators get a grip now.

Test cricket is still lucrative and popular here.

Yes, The Hundred seems to have engaged youngsters and casual fans, but is that the future we want? T20 totality?

Fabian Cowdrey posted a poll on his Twitter feed asking people to pick one – white-ball or red-ball success. More than 700 replied, and 87 per cent put their money on red.

If the main summer series is against India or Australia, a programme of red-ball cricket in the month leading up to it simply has to be organised.

To all those like Kevin Pietersen who say we should have 10 first-class matches to mirror our international rivals, that does not factor in the UK weather. It has to be at least 12, and ideally 14 or even 16.

And let’s not forget that there are millions of fans of the Championship, who follow it in newspapers and magazines, on websites, via streaming or even – yes – in person.

The poor Royal London Cup has not been well treated this summer. Depleted squads, no TV coverage until the final… for a format in which we are world champions.

Many say that the Championship should be played at the same time as The Hundred – but would fans really be pleased seeing the same depleted squads turn out in that?

Is a mixture of four-day and one-day action the answer? And before people moan about switching formats in the same week, it is what they used to do in the good old days! A four-day and 50-over game in the same week would work.

I’m afraid something is going to have to give, though…

It cannot be the County Championship.

The ECB will not let it be The Hundred, which will be given a three or four-year run. It’s crass but seems to be racking up the numbers in terms of TVs switched on and bums on seats… for now.

And counties need their Blast home matches.

^{The Hundred is in full swing - and it won't be for moving}

Therefore, it has to be the 50-over game. I would introduce an FA Cup-style competition. In one half of the draw, the 18 first-class counties would need to be whittled to 16 so two preliminary matches would be required. Then in the other half the 20 National Counties would need to come down to 16, involving four preliminary fixtures.

Then you’d have 16 knockout ties – first-class v national (not the fudge of friendlies we have now).

Agh, I hear you say, that means that some England or potential England 50-over players might only have one 50-over fixture per summer. Correct, that’s why I’d also have a ‘league cup’ involving just the 18 first-class counties.

It’s not perfect, but it’s surely an improvement…

Now that the honeymoon period is over, it’s clear that the BBC contract didn’t go far enough. You have to give some praise to ECB chief executive Tom Harrison for persuading the Beeb to show our beloved sport again, but no Tests?

Could they not have had one Test per summer at least? ‘Lord’s Test Week’ would be a major event – or failing that any of them really if they want a more urban or provincial theme. 

It would be like The Open (oh, whoops, the BBC have lost that to Sky as well). Wimbledon then. Or could they even show the final session of every day on BBC2 or 4 even, from 4pm to 7pm. 

Yes, Sky would have to pay less as they had lost their exclusivity, but we can all see the difference the BBC makes in cricket’s case.

^{England are due in Australia for the Ashes this winter...}

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The Hundred has some way to go to attract its target audience.

Tom Harrison purred about families drinking coffee not booze at the 2017 Women’s World Cup final, and there’s been some trash-talking of the Blast as ‘just a p*ss-up’ among authorities and on‑message journalists.

Yet unseemly scenes at Lord’s have necessitated a ban on spectators bringing their own booze into HQ; and I received a message from a reader about scenes at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff.

“Glammy was horrible last night. Just a crowd of p****-up idiots not interested in cricket. The Fosters stand was like a war zone. Security removing people from the ground. Families leaving early.”

Teething troubles? A sign that better security is needed? Or unrealistic expectations for the ECB’s chosen one?

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The Ashes are the greatest.

And for England cricketers, it’s the toughest tour.

This winter it’s shaping up to be impossibly tough, however. There’s a danger that they won’t be allowed to spend time with their families for four months. And they will have no fans there.

For only the third time since the War (after 1962/63–1965/66 and 2010/11–2013/14), it’s time to break up the four-year cycle… delay the series until 2022/23.

There’s no point accepting second best. We can wait. The expectation will be tantalising.