Those charged with making the decisions in sporting fields are often in the firing line when criticism is being dished out.
Whatever the sport and regardless of the situation or the personnel involved, if deciding which course of action to take is your bag then you better be ready for the verbal grenades which are inevitably going to be hurled in your direction.
Those who watch and play sport across every competition won’t need to be hard pushed to know where this article is coming from.
On this side of the world, if you pay any attention to cricket you may have noticed that the English and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) have been knee deep in controversy over the past few days.
The decision to relegate Durham from the first division of the County Championship, award them a whopping 48-point deduction before a ball has even been bowled in the same competition and take a few points away from them in both limited overs tournaments, all because of some financial strife, has not been met with universal approval.
In simple terms, Durham’s bids for the right to stage international matches, at the request of the aforementioned governing body, led directly to a huge deficit which, in turn, needed the ECB to become the financial knight in shining armour.
A vicious circle to all those with two eyes and half a brain but nevertheless deemed worthy of a punishment that is draconian at best and downright appalling at worst.
And if the ECB have been criticised for taking such a route, and my word they have, then they deserve little else.
But on the flip side of the coin, some praise should be forthcoming for their decision to take the plunge into the world of day/night Test cricket.
Next August, when the West Indies are in Birmingham, the Edgbaston lights will be given a few evenings of work as the experiment of Adelaide, and soon to be Brisbane, and the UAE, finds its way to the northern hemisphere.
And this should be applauded as a gamble well worth taking.
In some instances to stand still is to go backwards and while Test cricket in this country is in rude health when compared to other parts of the cricketing world, that isn’t really the point.
Waltzing through life with headphones on means you don’t hear the noise around you and if changes are made too late then the damage may have already been done.
I don’t buy the ironic skepticism of some who bemoan the decline of the traditional formats while at the same time not being open to any alternatives.
Life changes, trends alter and progress happens. That is the way the world turns and barring the appearance of Clark Kent anytime soon, it won’t be changing.
It wasn’t so long ago, under 15 years in fact, that the seemingly ridiculous notion of playing professional 20-over cricket was bandied about.
Who would want to watch that?
Now we have a landscape that has been radicalised by Twenty20 with domestic leagues aplenty, huge attendances, globetrotting players and a juggernaut without brakes.
Even if it wasn’t your cup of tea, you would have to be a curmudgeonly soul to not admit the Adelaide contest between Australia and New Zealand was a resounding success.
The cricket was enthralling, the crowds were excellent and the optimism of the administrators was proved to have some foundation. Yes there are imperfections but these cons are far outweighed by the pros.
Cricket Australia were willing to have a go and others have opted to follow suit.
It isn’t quite a case of boom or bust for the Test game because the wolf isn’t quite at the knocking at the door stage but, and this is the key point in the whole debate, there isn’t one good reason not to try.
I know one person who’ll be tuning in.
While a premature retirement isn’t the solution, he or England want, he may be forced into it if he can’t maintain a long run of matches.
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