Cricket Limbo
Since moving to Ireland I haven’t seen much cricket, though I do follow some games on the internet and watch the highlights from time to time. Yesterday’s final-day victory by India over England by just six runs at the Oval brought to an end an excellent series of five Test matches, drawn 2-2 with one match drawn. Chris Woakes had to go into bat at Number 11 with an arm in a sling because of a dislocated shoulder. Shades of Colin Cowdrey going in to bat against the West Indies at Lord’s in 1963 with a broken arm. Neither Cowdrey nor Woakes faced a ball, actually. England drew in 1963, while still six runs behind with one wicket standing, while Woakes was not out as India won by six runs. A series draw just about seems a fair result to me.
Test cricket is something special and the 2025 England vs India series had more than the usual share of memorable moments. The two teams were evenly matched, tempers got a bit frayed from time to time, but both sides should be congratulated for providing such magnificent fare. A Test Match series is a cricket feast like no other.
As Keith Flett mentions in his blog, the Oval test has traditionally the last of the summer, usually taking place later in August, the lengthening shadows given that distinctive end-of-season feel. This year, however, the Oval test finished on 4th August (yesterday), and there’s no more Test cricket this summer. The schedule has been pushed forward to accommodate the gimmicky and unintestering competion called The Hundred, which starts today. The first of the last three County Championship fixtures don’t start until September 8th. It’s all a bit shit, really.
Anyway, just for nostalgia’s sake, I thought I’d post the old theme song from the BBC’s cricket coverage (when it used to be free on TV). It is Soul Limbo by Booker T. & the M.G.’s. We never got to hear the whole track, but as proper cricket is in Limbo for a month it seems appropriate to do so now.
In the Dark 
August 6, 2025 at 9:39 am
During August there is a one-day competition among the counties, but teams are denuded not only of England Test players but also players chosen for the Hundred. It’s a shadow of the old Gillette Cup. At least the final is held over until tghe Hundred players are back.
The Hundred fomat (100 balls per innings, 10-ball overs) was invented simply because a rival T20 competition to the present one was contractually ruled out in order to assure sponsors. Its aim, with eight teams based around the largest grounds in the country, is obviously to usurp the county system. I predict that in 20 years time first class cricket in Britain will be played exclusively between the Hundred franchises, for whom the counties will become feeders having ceased to be professional outfits. I’m not sure that such a change will be detrimental to the first class game here, actually.
The ECB, having invented the Hundred, donated 51% of the franchises to the counties (and in one case MCC) owning the eight grounds, and auctioned off the other 49%. The results were spectacular, with hundreds of millions of pounds coming in to the franchises, who retained a controlling share. The ECB put constraints on how the franchises could spend the money; some of it must go to the other counties, for instance. It is claimed that this has prevented the imminent financial collapse of several of the smaller counties.
At present the Hundred is confined to August. But money talks, and in the long term somebody rich with 49% of a company is actually in a stronger position on the board than somebody poor with 51%. Think it out…