It is effectively a 'state of the nation' address about English cricket in 2024. It is an elegy to days gone by, as well as being a warning to what may happen in the future and indeed is happening right now.
But as well as recognising the challenges faced by those who play the game, and the concerns of those who have watched it for decades, the author also recognises that the game has had to change and diversify.
Indeed, as Derbyshire's CEO Ryan Duckett says within its pages, in the 2022/23 financial year Derbyshire raised half a million through membership and ticket sales but a further million through conferences and events.
Whether the average supporter likes the idea of concerts on their county ground or not, they are here to stay. The improvements in playing staff that Derbyshire has seen this winter is largely attributable to the excellent work done off the field, filing function suites, hosting fireworks extravaganzas and more.
This book looks at the development of One Day cricket in this country, up to and including The Hundred, while also bemoaning how the showpiece climax of the summer, the one-day final, is now a much less grand affair, having more recently been contested by what in some cases are second teams from the county circuit.
It is a fascinating read and the author has done an excellent job in speaking to relevant people within the game, players, administrators and supporters.
It is another outstanding book from Pitch Publishing and they are to be commended forgetting this 'out there'.
As for the author, Ben Bloom, I hope the book does well. It is well worth the money and will occupy you through the usual down time of the English summer.
Batting for time - The fight to keep English cricket alive is written by Ben Bloom and published by Pitch Publishing
All the sensible money has to be on a Glamorgan win, unless at least half the day is lost to the weather. But its the hope that kills...
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