Why England lose at cricket
Class is at the heart of the problem. For various reasons, few state schools engage in serious competitive sport any more, and cricket has suffered especially.

It requires more time than most games, and that is in short supply thanks to the National Curriculum. The timing of the GCSE and other examinations early in the summer terms further limits the opportunties for organised sport in the cricket season.

The kit - all those pads, bats, balls - is pretty pricy. The playing fields have been sold off. And teachers' contracts now limit the time they can devote to supervising games after school or at weekends.

Simon Heffer, The Spectator 9 August 2003