- England are already playing against Pakistan eight days after facing Australia
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There is no event now in international cricket. The anticipation of an upcoming series has been lost. One thing just blends into another.
I was at the golf club on Saturday with a couple of mature fellas who like cricket and they said they were losing interest. They were shrugging their shoulders about this Pakistan series.
That hit home with me because I am also not bothered about it at all and I am supposed to be in the game. I can’t keep up with what’s coming next. It is easy to forget it is even on.
It was only eight days ago that England were playing at home against Australia in a white-ball series, under the lights in the rain and cold. Now they are playing red-ball cricket in 36 degrees in Pakistan. And don’t forget reader, when this Test series finishes, the white-ball team are in the West Indies – a series that starts this same month.
England have said that white-ball squad will contain a couple of players from this Test team, so they will have to get from Pakistan to the West Indies and play a totally different concept. It beggars belief. You cannot be in two places at once, unless something has changed in the world that I don’t know about.
England are already in Pakistan playing Test cricket just eight days after facing Australia
They are playing red ball cricket in 36 degree heat so soon after competing in the cold at home
Some players will be playing in the West Indies white ball series too – including Jamie Smith
But I am not putting any blame at all on the teams or the players. They don’t do the schedule. There is some dummy doing that. The ICC know the price of everything, but the value of nothing. It should be quality over quantity, but it is the other way round with them.
Supporters are obviously the last people on their mind. A fan would usually save up and plan long in advance for a tour, maybe join a tour group and look forward to their trip. Now, where are they supposed to go? Which series are they supposed to choose?
Until last week, England’s armchair fans didn’t even know if they were going to be able to watch this series at all. ‘Is it going to be on telly?’ ‘Oh, they don’t know yet.’ It’s ridiculous. Are these people sat around a table drunk?
Because of the schedule, teams have no time to prepare properly now. They don’t play warm-up matches. They just rock up into a different country and start playing.
I once took England to Lahore to prepare for a tournament in Sharjah as coach, and have been there two or three times with Sky. It is one of the great places to tour. Everyone talks about the Caribbean, Australia or New Zealand, but Pakistan is fabulous and great fun.
Because of the schedule, the team have no time to prepare and don’t play warm-up games
The ICC know the price of everything but the value of nothing, as they focus on quantity
There are always difficulties at winning away from home and Pakistan is no different. It is a very difficult place to win.
You need to adapt to the conditions and the culture, particularly the younger players who have never been there before. But there is just no time for that any more. The mind boggles.
