Overview

Batting for Time: The Fight to Keep English Cricket Alive is the exploration of a sport in existential crisis. In a rapidly changing sporting and social landscape, county cricket - an institution whose history spans more than 150 years - finds itself confronted with the most uncertain period in its long history. The proliferation of lucrative global franchise leagues has threatened to leave behind a member-owned English structure deep-rooted in the Victorian era. Pitting traditionalists against modernisers, and romantics against pragmatists, the need for change has sparked a host of civil wars, creating deep divisions among those who care for the English game. Using the 2023 season as a backdrop, Batting for Time explores the precarious state of English cricket, asking what it is we expect from our domestic game, who it primarily exists for and where things might go in the future. What must English cricket do to survive?

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9781801509008

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Reviews

"""Everybody who cares about English cricket should read this book... it's vital work."" -- Adam Collins * The Final Word Cricket Podcast * ""A very thorough account of where the game is right now. Whatever your view, it is worth reading."" -- Yas Rana * Wisden Cricket Weekly * ""This book is sensational. So many complex issues and nuances in the game... written in such a way that is so readable and understandable. It is some achievement."" -- Kevin Howells * Test Match Special * ""Who should read Batting For Time? Anyone who has an interest in the future of English cricket. The book will certainly enable those on both sides of the argument to understand the other’s position a little better and as a result, just maybe, help in finding some common ground and... a solution that we can all live with."" -- Martin Chandler * Cricketweb * ""A really interesting book about the future of county cricket."" -- Simon Hughes * The Analyst Inside Cricket Podcast * ""An excellent piece of journalism... it serves as a valuable snapshot in time."" -- David Hopps * The Cricketer *"

"""Everybody who cares about English cricket should read this book... it's vital work."" -- Adam Collins * The Final Word Cricket Podcast * ""A very thorough account of where the game is right now. Whatever your view, it is worth reading."" -- Yas Rana * Wisden Cricket Weekly * ""A really good book... sets out so clearly the debates ongoing about English cricket."" -- Kevin Howells * Test Match Special * ""Who should read Batting For Time? Anyone who has an interest in the future of English cricket. The book will certainly enable those on both sides of the argument to understand the other’s position a little better and as a result, just maybe, help in finding some common ground and... a solution that we can all live with."" -- Martin Chandler * Cricketweb * ""A really interesting book about the future of county cricket."" -- Simon Hughes * The Analyst Inside Cricket Podcast *"

Author Information

Ben Bloom has been a sports journalist on national newspapers since 2010. He spent 11 years at The Telegraph where he wrote on a range of sports, including international and domestic cricket, and led the paper's coverage of three Olympic Games. His work saw him nominated for a British Sports Journalism Award. As a freelance reporter, he has written for the BBC, The Guardian, The Times, Daily Mail, and numerous other outlets.

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