Five ways cricket must change after worst of the crisis is over

Test victories are crucial to lift game while county shake-up and innovation for women are also key

England

They cannot use a lack of crowds this summer as an excuse for a drop in intensity. England were making good progress in Test cricket and it will challenge their mental strength to pick up where they left off and play well in the sterile environment of closed stadiums.

But they must see this as a great opportunity. England should beat West Indies and Pakistan. The ball might not swing as much because of the restrictions on applying saliva, so it is a great chance for those young batsmen to make some scores and build their careers.

The players can also drive hope and joy for fans starved of sport. It is a great opportunity for cricket to sell itself by cheering up the country at a tough time. But longer term, the players will have to brace themselves for pay cuts. Cost savings are inevitable for all sports. The players should not worry about it or be dragged into negotiations.

They should just let their cricket do the talking. They have to understand the game will endure a couple of tough years. The best way for it to recover is the England Test team led by Joe Root (right) playing well and winning.

If they do that then the next round of broadcast deals will be valuable and that will keep the players’ salaries high.

Umpires

Covid-19 may bring the end of mandatory neutral umpires. Instead, we could see the best umpires standing in every game, regardless of where they come from.

It will make no difference. The only grey area is the umpire’s call. That is the only time you can suggest bias from an official. But I think technology has largely taken over and the umpires now earn a lot of money, so they can be judged on performance. If they give poor decisions then they should be dropped.

In the next Ashes, I would be very happy if the two umpires were Australian or English as long as they were the best available. We have seen too many matches marred by poor decisions by umpires out of their depth and only standing because they are from a neutral country. Time to make the umpiring as professional as other areas of cricket.

Women’s cricket

It is a growth area and the game has to make sure it is protected during the inevitable rounds of cuts. Whether it will grow in the same steep way it has over the past few years is debatable, because that was always going to be difficult to maintain, but it cannot be allowed to drift.

Women’s cricket could be more athletic. Fielding has improved slightly, but it can get a lot better. Now it is professional in England, there is no excuse for not being fit or agile.

They should trial playing on a shorter pitch of 20 yards. This is not to denigrate the players or their ability. All of cricket has a chance to stop and reassess. It would be a nightmare for groundsmen, but hybrid pitches make it easier these days. It would be better for batters to glance the ball, better for bowlers to generate pace and is worth trialling. If it does not work, go back to 22 yards. Nothing will be lost, but something could be gained.

Counties

Overseas players should be cut from the championship for a few years to save money and I would reduce it from 14 to 10 games per summer.

Ten games are enough in the championship. There would be more intensity to the cricket, fast bowlers would have more rest and be fresher, there would be more time in between games. The county game is a joke at times, with the amount of travel and play. There is no time for rehab, or prehab. It is a grind. Once the conveyor belt starts in April, it is non-stop for five months and it is asking too much of the players.

Championship cricket costs money for the clubs to put on. It is a loss-making format. By cutting the two home games it would save a bit of money. The wickets would also be better because ground staff would have more time to prepare pitches.

The problem is that if we reduce the championship, the counties will probably try to squeeze in more T20s. That cannot happen.

Unfortunately, you may not need as many players on the staff if you play fewer games, but those cuts are coming anyway, so let us make the changes worthwhile. The reduction in four-day cricket would mean county players could appear more in club cricket, driving up the standard of the recreational game.

Clubs and schools

This year is an opportunity to extend the season into the first couple of weeks of October for both clubs and schools. I have argued for this to happen for a long time.

Groundsmen will say they need months to prepare for next year. Get over it. Let the kids and club cricketers play for as long as they possibly can this season. The weather is irrelevant. It is so unpredictable in this country that it could be nicer at the end of September and beginning of October than it is in May. Prolonging the season gives the chance for clubs to create a revenue they badly need now.

My bugbear for years has been how little cricket is played in schools, but even in the schools that do play cricket they are not on the field enough.

Easter holidays, May half-term, exams and then the summer holidays leave about eight-to-10 games per school. Why can the kids not play cricket when they go back to school in September for a month? Instead, cricket cedes this time to football, rugby or hockey. Why? When the kids go back this September it is an opportunity to change that and to squeeze in a few more games. Schools just do not play enough. Grab that chance now and keep it going.

It is the same for junior cricket at club level. It stops in mid-july. Why? This summer they will probably play in August because clubs will be desperate to get going again.

Let us keep it that way and get everyone playing as much cricket as possible.