The Industry Column – Should Australia Be In England Now?

Richard Gillis asks if Australia should be in England this summer…

The England and Australian cricket boards are playing fast and loose with their most valuable asset, the Ashes brand. Two views on the ODI series starting today, Friday 29th June.

Mike Selvey offers a decent pro-argument in today’s Guardian.

‘First an explanation, if at first sight this ODI series appears to be overkill, and it relates directly to England’s dreadful preparations for World Cups past and a desire to rectify matters. Hitherto, a World Cup has tended to follow an Ashes series: next year, 10 Tests in a row between England and Australia, five at home and five away, will break the cycle, leaving preparation clear in 2015, in which England have negotiated a five-match ODI series in Australia, immediately before the World Cup in that country. It makes absolute sense.

‘The payback, though, is a reciprocal series in England first, not because there is a statutory bilateral obligation, but as an exercise in back-scratching: Australia, in the process of regenerating their one-day team, will be contesting the Champions Trophy in this country next summer and in the same way have been given the opportunity to gain some experience in English conditions. If it seems onerous now, then three years hence it may be viewed as one of the best deals England could have made.’

This is the glass-half-full view. The alternative is that by 2015 the Ashes, the single most valuable – in every sense – event in the cricket calendar will begin to feel too familiar.

Sir Martin Sorrell made this point about proliferation when I spoke to him recently for a piece in Wisden Almanack.

‘There is far too much international cricket.’

Faced with the lure of short-term profit over longer-term protection of the game, he says, the governing bodies have chased the buck.

‘The boards are maximising short-term returns at the expense of the long term. It’s very difficult to resist the temptation to exploit the commercial opportunity in front of you. But it’s a mistake. A very big mistake.’

Then the broader point, that has a wider application.

‘It’s easy to say but very difficult to do. But it’s becoming clearer with every passing year. When the Indian team came here (in 2011) they had clearly been playing too much cricket. More broadly, there is a general trend toward too much consumption, and not enough measured consumption. One could draw an analogy with cricket, that there should be a responsible level of activity.’

This article first appeared on www.unofficialpartner.co.uk. Follow Richard on Twitter @RichardGillis1