Children love the game and need more chances to play

I DO some coaching at a school in Essex, and I can tell you that most kids still love cricket. At a game yesterday, one of the lads waiting to bat shouted: ‘I’m AB de Villiers!’ He wasn’t the only one. I was also at the women’s World Cup final last year with my daughter. The number of girls there to watch their new heroes spoke volumes. So I disagree when Colin Graves says children aren’t interested. What they’re not interested in is turning up to Test cricket or the County Championship. But make the game short and snappy and all-action, and they still love it. For me, the issue isn’t so much whether it’s 20 overs or 100 balls, because plenty of Twenty20 matches in this country lose play due to rain. What’s important is the quality of the facilities. If you’re lucky enough to go to private school, the facilities are great. But not many state schools can keep up. That’s what the ECB should be worried about. The problem with kids’ cricket for the boys is that when they reach teenage years, they don’t want to be playing long 60-over games. For the girls, a sleeping giant has been awoken, yet girls have to tag on to boys’ teams, which isn’t fair. Kids still love cricket. It’s about giving them the best chance to play it, and the best chance to watch their heroes. The rest is window dressing.