COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Should Joe Clarke play for England? | Essex boardroom problems | Six ducks for Kent tail-ender | Yet more ECB nonsense

COUNTY CRICKET BLOG: Should Joe Clarke play for England? | Essex boardroom problems | Six ducks for Kent tail-ender | Yet more ECB nonsense

Rich Clarke

This has become my favourite part of the season. The middle of a two-month story about unadulterated red-ball county cricket with a new chapter written every Thursday. There have been a few too many run-heavy bore draws but I suspect that is the result of an edict from on high and, anyway, there is nearly always one pot-boiler that reaches a dramatic denouement in the final session. This time it was Derbyshire v Glamorgan and everyone’s favourite county coach, Mickey Arthur, loved it. 

The cricket calendar is famously cluttered but, right now, it is all about the County Championship. Soon there will be Test matches, the Blast, the 50-over and then, amid much fanfare, a lesser, circus-style event created by clowns.

So this is the moment to slow down, take a moment and breathe in the fragrance of your cricketing surroundings.

For this is precisely what we are fighting to preserve.

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News, Views and Interviews

EXCLUSIVE: Chief executive Tom Harrison ignored ECB rules as he ordered Essex to sack chairman John Faragher without due process after he was accused of making racist comments and threatened to withdraw the right to stage England women’s matches

This allegation appears pretty serious to me. And remember this (ECB launches review into chief executive Tom Harrison’s conduct over resignation of Leicestershire chairwoman Mehmooda Duke (Times) ($)) is ongoing as far as I am aware, although it seems to have had more delays than the Sue Gray report.

Harrison’s background was in television rights and it seems safe to assume this was key to his appointment. During his tenure, the value of the media deal has risen significantly. This money is critical to the growth of the game. 

However as Ed Warner points out here. ("Tom Harrison has allowed himself to become a commercial beast": Manifesto of an overlooked ECB chair (Cricketer))commercial enhancement is all he has offered or, at the very least, it has been his focus. He is running a sport not a business and there is far more at stake than just money. That is why over 80 per cent of county members’ donated their fees during lockdown. It is also why pretty much every child, whatever their level, is tutored by an unpaid coach at some point. Major sports rights-holders can always increase revenue if they sell exclusive rights to a satellite broadcaster or shape their tournaments to the desires of terrestrial television, but it might not be the best thing for the sport. Competent governance is critical.

Ed Warner was on my podcast recently after he put himself forward as a potential chair of the ECB. He was chair of UK Athletics during London 2012 and though, as you will hear, I disagree with him on certain issues, he has my trust.

That is more than can be said of the ECB’s leadership over the past few years.

Club Statement: Board Update (Essex CCC)

Staying with board issues. I am seriously considering standing as a board member of Essex CCC. The fallout of recent problems has meant eight of the nine places are now vacant. 

It is a conundrum for me, not least because of Imposter Syndrome, a modern euphemism for good old-fashioned insecurity. People from the type of crappy comprehensive school in Epping that I attended do not sit on boards. They normally fix your car, stock shelves or push paper in offices. In fact, the office in “The Office” always reminded me of the type of environment in which my schoolmates have spent their careers.

In the current climate, I am concerned I’ve written something ‘wrong’ in this newsletter or on my @The_Grumbler Twitter feed. But by the same token, I do not want those channels to be neutered by an official position. I’ll think on. 

Essex's road to equality: With his old county facing accusations of racism, former England captain NASSER HUSSAIN returns to discover how they are changing things (Mail)

Keeping with Essex, the Leyton Hub is an excellent example of the inclusion that cricket should be amplifying. The excellent Arfan Akram has be working hard on this for years. But one of his answers in this interview with Nasser Hussain struck a chord with me:

“Hussain: Did you ever experience racism as a player coming through at Essex?

“Akram: I faced discrimination. There was ignorance. It was a societal thing. It was class as well as race.”

I was sad but not surprised when The Telegraph reported almost half of cricket fans do not think the sport has a significant problem with racism. It clearly does. It is this, not just tokenism, which has led Lancashire to advertise for a role that addresses the issues and Michael Carberry to be appointed to run a special project with Kick It Out. Then there is sexism, another huge issue. 

But they are both more visible than the issue of class.

Duncan Stone has just laid bare the whole issue in his book. Other books are clearly revealing the entitlement, incompetence, selfish and fakery that is increasingly substituted for leadership in this country. 

As a white, middle-aged male, I might be revealing my own baises here. But while the fight against racism and sexism in cricket are clearly underway if far, far, far from won, the issue of class is on the podium too and solving that is critical as well if cricket is to regain its significance in the arena of UK sport. 

England door open for Joe Clarke despite involvement in "pathetic sexist" WhatsApp group (Mirror)

Let’s grasp another nettle here. Should Joe Clarke be allowed to play for England after the revelations surrounding him in the rape case that saw ex-Worcestershire player Alex Hepburn jailed. The Nottinghamshire batter was not on trial but the proceedings uncovered his involvement in a WhatsApp group that "demeaned women and trivialised rape”. George Dobell’s nuanced discussion of the issue in a recent edition of The Cricketer drew a sharp reaction, particularly from female cricket fans. Clarke was banned, dropped from the Lions and discounted from England selection as a result of his historic social media posts. However his name is cropping up again and new England MD Rob Key has intimated that the door is open. 

Reputational rehabilitation is surely decided subjectively and case-by-case, involving an assessment of qualities such as contrition and humility. I have no idea about Clarke’s attitude in these areas. I did write a piece about how mud has stuck to Graham Gooch after he led a rebel tour 40 years ago despite his positive influence on the game since then. But this is a case involving sexual violence against women and I have a teenage daughter.

I bring up the issue because I want you to think seriously about Clarke’s inclusion. By that I mean right round it, all 360 degrees, not just about the needs of England’s middle order and the importance of forgiveness but about what playing for your country should represent. 

And if you are male, please ask for your sister/wife/mother/daughter’s opinion before you take a stance.

Let it go: the art of the leave in cricket (Guardian)

Cricket is the only sport in which not doing something is considered an art. But, if you know the game, this is an apt description.


We are a good month into the season so England test credentials are being outlined.

Vince? Duckett? Brook? The race for a spot in England’s Test middle-order (Wisden)

Six uncapped quicks who could challenge for an England Test spot this summer (Wisden)

Tom Haines: The classical, correct young Sussex captain who has caught Rob Key’s eye (Times)

First Membership Ticketing Surgery Tomorrow (Somerset CCC)

Great initiative from Somerset. Of course this is much more applicable to counties with a city centre ground.

WG Grace: Cricket legend has 10 matches wiped from iconic first-class record (BBC)

This rascal needs taking down a peg or two. But his numbers are incredible. And while we are talking about WG Grace, please follow @WG_RumblePants, who is an incredible artist and one of cricket’s eccentric characters. 

NBA, NFL stars invest in IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals (Khaled Times)

This is interesting. Perhaps it is just another case of sports stars speculating with their vast reserves. But the Royals are one of the IPL franchises who have expanded into other T20 Leagues and Major League Cricket is moving forward at pace. Here’s my podcast with their VP of Marketing.

Finally, some marvellous nonsense that only cricket can conjure up. 

Howzat! Beach cricket in Elie gets under way against visiting wedding party (Dundee Courier)



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