Winning the World Cup would be intoxicating, but the future health of the sport is far from guaranteedCricket will at last get its day in the sun at Lord’s on Sunday when England play New Zealand in the World Cup final. The whole country will be able to watch, too, because Sky has reached an agreement with Channel 4 to show it on terrestrial television. For the past month and a half the tournament has often felt more like a private party than a great national jamboree to celebrate a sport that used to be part of the national culture but these days feels increasingly marginalised.England have had a tricky passage to the final, at one point looking to be in danger of crashing out. But in the past fortnight they have produced three scintillating performances, culminating in their defeat of old rivals Australia in the semi-final. Australia weren’t just defeated; they were humiliated by an England team playing the sort of irresistible cricket that has characterised their approach to the 50-over game under Dublin-born captain Eoin Morgan. Continue readingreadfullarticle
