The Daily Telegraph - 27.08.2019

The batting

Ian Botham’s

Headingley

heroics in 1981

were delivered

in much

quicker time

than Ben

Stokes’s at the

weekend.

Botham’s 149

came off 148

balls in 219

minutes, with

27 fours and a

six. Stokes’s

135 came off

219 balls in 330

minutes. He

did clear the

boundary

seven more

times than

Botham.

The post-

match

interview

Botham was

able to retreat

to the balcony

for his

appointments

with the media

while Stokes,

as is the norm

nowadays, had

to deliver his

verdict on the

innings of his

life on the

pitch, while

still in his pads.

The crowd

reaction

It was an

atmosphere

to savour at

Headingley on

Sunday but the

celebrations

were kept in

the stands.

Botham, in

contrast, had

to run off the

pitch, chased

by his adoring

public, in the

days when it

was de rigueur

to stage a pitch

invasion

whenever the

opportunity

allowed.

The key

partner

Jack Leach was

the perfect foil

for Stokes,

staying an

hour and 17

balls for one

run, while

Graham Dilley

complemented

Botham,

scoring 56 off

75 balls in their

117-run stand

as England,

following on

and 500-1 to

triumph, set

Australia 130

to win. Bob

Willis’s eight

wickets sealed

England’s win.

1981

1981

1981

2019

2019 2019

2019

2019

large sums throughout the game.

Sky is understood to have recorded

viewing figures of 2.1 million on

Sunday, which matches the num-

ber who tuned in later to the high-

lights package on Channel 5. BBC

Radio’s Test Match Special was said

to have recorded figures of around

1.3 million.

Even behind a paywall, Adams

believes cricket can “seize its

moment”.

As part of his wider plan to boost

sporting involvement in schools,

the minister has written to Gavin

Williamson, the Secretary of State

for Education, explaining how it is

“absolutely crucial” that participa-

tion is improved.

“It’s about my desire to see sport,

PE, however you want to call it, in

the school curriculum, inside the

school day and outside on a manda-

tory basis,” he added. “I think it’s

absolutely crucial that we do that,

but it’s not that simple. I’ve written

to the Education Secretary and we

will be discussing it at great length

very shortly with No 10.”

Adams is optimistic that the tide

has turned for cricket. “Cricket and

street cricket in particular is a great

way of introducing youngsters who

would not get a start in the sport. I

know the ECB are determined to

see an uptake in the number of

youngsters playing.

“I know the Prime Minister is

very passionate about cricket. I’ve

spoken to him about it and there’s

no better time to seize the opportu-

nity after an incredible summer of

cricket which is not over.”

The ECB, which successfully

completed a project to introduce a

million youngsters to cricket dur-

ing the World Cup, had faced year-

on-year falling viewing figures and

attendances in the domestic game

until this summer.

In an effort to redress the bal-

ance, the ECB struck a deal with the

BBC to broadcast live TV coverage

from 2020 – two England men’s

home T20s, one England women’s

home T20, 10 men’s matches from

the new Hundred format and up to

eight matches from the women’s

domestic T20 tournament.

Adams said he was confident var-

ious new projects in the pipeline

would convince the public that the

sport is in good shape.

“I can’t remember excitement

and buzz around cricket like this

since 2005,” he said. “The World

Cup final kicked it off – people who

didn’t like cricket suddenly took

interest – and Headingley and the

show that the England team put on

with Australia was one of the best

ends to a Test match I’ve witnessed.

“The excitement of the World

Cup and superstars like Jofra

Archer coming into the game, and

Ben Stokes, superman heroics,

hopefully will inspire those who are

not necessarily members of cricket

clubs to be involved.”

Adams insisted his tweet, “Arise

Sir Ben”, was “in the excitement of

the moment”. “I think he needs to

concentrate on what he is doing so

well,” the minister said when asked

about Stokes’s honours chances.

Colin Graves, the ECB chairman,

and chief executive Tom Harrison

will be quizzed by a panel of back-

bench MPs in October about how

they plan to build the sport.

News: Page 7

‘The

Prime

Minister

has a

passion

about

cricket,

there’s

no better

time’

Inspiration:

Jofra Archer

has helped to

raise cricket’s

profile

innings from ‘Special One’

The Daily Telegraph Tuesday 27 August 2019 *** 3

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