- Apr 5, 2014
- 25,845
- Thread starter
- #961
There are positives in that some of the young players look very good indeed - Orr, Haines, Alsop, Carter. Ali Orr in particular is a revelation - it’s rare to find someone who can smash it about for T20 and be able to play the patient long form game too. The bowling is now the biggest concern - I’m not convinced many of them are worth keeping. Crocombe, Hunt, Atkins are nearly men. Archie deserves more time but Has lost his confidence. Who knows with Robinson, Garton and Archer. We may have seen the best of all 3. I don’t think Finn is as bad as some say, but he’s not going to get fivefers.
There lays the problem. If Archer and Robinson were bowling then we wouldn't be concerned. But once they go to England there is no depth to replace them. This is because Sussex don't have the resources. And if a player is good in one of the formats those vultures north of Gatwick hop in their Bentleys and trundle down the 23...
As for the Championship, it was often topped by a team who had players who were strong on the county circuit but not quite good enough for England. Add to that a couple of undistracted overseas old pros. Leicestershire and Glamorgan were good examples in the 90s. And, of course, Sussex may have been the best example shortly after.
But now, with all the formats, it's changing and some teams may struggle to keep up. It's a long way back for Sussex. But my worry is it's a long way back for cricket.
I don't usually get phased by much. Life is too short. But I'm really bitter about what has happened to cricket because, for me, it's the greatest game on earth. And a lot of my social history is woven with it.