Cricket in crisis

SIR – Many English cricket supporters may wonder why the 2019 World Cup winners have performed so poorly in One Day Internationals recently. Perhaps it has something to do with the England and Wales Cricket Board abolishing the domestic first-class 50-over competition as soon as we won the World Cup, in order to focus on the form of mini cricket called The Hundred.

Professional cricketers such as Wasim Akram (Sport, July 21) assert that playing three forms of cricket is unnecessary, yet the ECB goes and creates a fourth.

John Hanson

Canterbury, Kent

SIR – Henry Blofeld (Comment, July 21) fears that a cricket bat might soon be classed as a weapon of aggression. Sadly, this has already happened.

Many years ago my son, returning from Lord’s, had his bat confiscated before we were allowed on the London Eye big wheel. It’s not just cricket: some 40 years ago an air passenger was similarly deprived of his croquet mallet. Perhaps the authorities were concerned that he would demand to be flown to Cheltenham.

Dr Peter West

Bosham, West Sussex