English Cricket Welcomes the Enemy

The news that England hope to host the IPL  is as unsurprising as it is depressing. After all, what better way to start an Ashes summer than with the distracting influence of a cricketing circus? Never underestimate the greed of those charged with looking after the game, howver. As soon as the Indian government declined to offer satisfactory security guarantees it was inevitable that English cricket administrators, dazzled as always by the prospect of raking in more cash, would prostitute themselves in a mad dash to grab a piece of the action.

It is hard to see any advantage in this. Better by far if the circus were taking place in South Africa. But apparently the thinking in England is that, while of course the idea of protecting the first-class game must be paid some form of lip-service, the only thing that really matters is cold hard currency and anything that advances the ECB’s bank balance is Good for the Game.