Rain spoils play

The Sussex Sharks have now had three t20 games spoiled by rain. Yesterday there was play but we were reduced to 8 overs. I do feel that the ECB have not paid sufficient consideration to the vagaries of British weather in the new metro franchise. Yesterday I went to Hove to see the Sussex Sharks play the Kent Spitfires. Kent scored 175 with Sam Billings, who appears neither to play for Kent nor England, contributing 58, though paid by both. Then the heavens opened and I returned at the interval to watch the Open. Billings, a wicketkeeper/batter has to get ahead of Bairstow and Buttler and reflects another problem for English cricket: How do they identify a test batsman to open alongside Alistair Cook, and a three and five if noone is currently playing red ball cricket?

Nowadays the savvy spectator consults his weather app from which it was evident that that there would not be a full day’s play. The temptation to stay in front of telly with the Open, Tour de France and Women’s cricket world final must be a strong one. ECB take note.