A Cricketing Revolution

It may not have happened in a week, but a few months is certainly a long time in sport. From the end of the winter – and a run of one victory in seventeen matches – to today’s heady hopefulness, it has been quite the turnaround for England Men’s Test team.

A new Head Coach of the Test team in Brendon McCullum, a new captain in Ben Stokes, and a new fearless philosophy coined ‘Baz Ball’. Thus far, it is working. First came a whitewash over New Zealand – the ICC’s inaugural Men’s World Test Champions – and then a record-breaking run chase in a one-off match-up against India.

This transformation on the pitch is translating also to success right across the sport.

THE HOTTEST TICKET IN TOWN

Reports of a struggle to sell tickets for the curtain-raiser at Lord’s are a distant memory. Day 5 of the last Test Match at Edgbaston ‘sold out’ inside 90-minutes and it is predicted that there will be an increase on the 2.3 million who attended a fixture last summer.

Beyond the stands cricket remains the nation’s second most consumed sport after football and is our favourite summer sport. This love affair is being accelerated by the rapid growth of the women’s game. The Commonwealth Games in Birmingham featured women’s cricket for the first time, and The Hundred will again offer the same platform and prize money to the men and women’s competitions.

NEW PROSPECTIVE SUPERSTARS

This ECB’s commitment to transforming women’s and girl’s cricket is helping inspire a generation of stars seeking to replicate both Joe Root’s reverse scoop or Nat Sciver’s ‘Nat-meg.’

More than 100,000 children registered for the All Stars programme (5-8 year olds) and Dynamos Cricket initiative (8-11 year olds) where sessions are run by local cricket clubs, schools and community leisure centres.

It will be hoped that these numbers contribute to another record-breaking summer of participation, following last year’s 2.7 million people at the crease in England and Wales.

The profile of cricket and the positivity it can bring is highlighted brilliantly in Freddie Flintoff’s ‘Field of Dreams’ series, currently being shown on BBC. In it the legend takes to the Broadfield Estate in his hometown of Preston to sell cricket, a sport these children have previously had no interest in. Flintoff’s encouragement for the novices to ‘see ball, hit ball’ simplifies the process to maximise the enjoyment. This refreshing series dispels the perception of cricket as an elitist sport and shows how readily accessible this revolution can be.

INVITING EVERYONE IN

This new philosophy isn’t just about freedom but openness also.

James Anderson, England’s most successful bowler, delivered a ‘masterclass’ on Sky Sports in the middle of a Test Match. Moeen Ali, the face of British Asian cricketing potential in this country, shared valuable insights on commentary for the BBC’s Test Match Special. While Kate Cross, in the hours following the Cricket World Cup Final, recorded a popular podcast with Radio 1’s Greg James.

These are examples of players who want the public to come along on the ride. It is an approach which increases their value as ambassadors, not just for the sport but for the brands activating within it.

BRAND NEW POTENTIAL

An attractive and inclusive product generating record-breaking attendances, viewers, and participants. This is a landscape which is an exciting one for brands to be a part of. Whether that is the long-established, like LV= which has been involved at all levels for many years, or the newcomers, like Sage announcing its partnership ahead of The Hundred this summer.

As Flintoff has demonstrated in Preston, the raw talent, which holds the key to a healthy future for cricket in this country, does exist. The challenge now is to find an approach that can reach and inspire this broad church of potential.

That approach, for now at least, is ‘Baz Ball.’