Lord’s resistance to a statue for Rachael Hayhoe Flint is SO cricket

IS there a sport in which tradition clashes with progress more than cricket?

I’m no cricket aficionado, but I have increasingly followed the sport over the last four years and am fascinated by some of the opposing dynamics within it.

This week it was reported that the incoming MCC president, Clare Connor, wanted to commemorate Rachael Heyhoe Flint by erecting a statue or naming one of the Lord’s gates in her honour. This had been met with some resistance from within the MCC, one member allegedly saying the move smacked of “gesture politics”.

As much as I am not a cricket expert, I do know who Heyhoe Flint (right, and below, with England’s Katherine Brunt) is – and more importantly the enormous contribution she has made to women’s cricket.

Without her pioneering contribution, the women’s game might not be anywhere near where it is.

The most alarming part of this is actually not that there was some opposition, but that it has taken until 2021 for someone to suggest that Heyhoe Flint’s contribution to the sport to be officially commemorated. How the tradition of the MCC can find the slightest bit of resistance to this idea is beyond me.

I am also proudly supporting The Hundred this summer and am looking forward to seeing what impact this new tournament will have. It is different and exciting and could have a huge impact on the revenues that cricket can generate in the UK. During a time in which new money is needed in sport more than ever, I am puzzled why people still find things to moan about when it comes to the tournament, whether it be rule changes or different terminology.

Even more puzzling is that cricket literally revolutionised itself back in 2003 by inventing Twenty20 Cricket which is now globally embraced, admired and has been enormous for global revenues for the sport.

It is almost like cricket has this inbuilt resistance to change but when it is finally forced through everyone forgets the fuss they kicked up and moves on to resist the next potential advance.

I understand and respect how important tradition is, but I also made my name within a niche sport and know how many challenges that brings.

Cricket will always have its history but that doesn’t mean the sport doesn’t need to move with the times, whether that is rightly commemorating a female legend or coming up with new tournaments or features to capture the attention of more fans.

Cricket is a wonderful sport with a passionate global audience. I have enjoyed learning more about it. But I wish that there would be less time spent on resisting things that move the sport forward.

Once upon a time, someone dared to take a risk on Twenty20 Cricket which has seemed to work out just fine.