England beat New Zealand to win the World
Cup for the first time in what will go down as one of the most bizarre encounters
of all time – and it’s the perfect opportunity to inspire and attract the
younger generation to Cricket.
Despite the scores remaining level after
the super over, England emerged victorious on the basis of scoring more
boundaries throughout the match – 26 to New Zealand’s 17. It was such a
thrilling encounter that even non-cricket fans were glued to their T.V screens,
routing for England to bring it home.
Reaching the final of any World Cup would
always captivate and entice the nation but winning it in our home country at
Lord’s made it that little bit sweeter. Those who were watching experienced
tension, fluctuating heart rates and an overwhelming sense of pride and joy,
bringing out emotions spectators did not realise they had associated to
Cricket.
The 2005 Ashes triumph over Australia was
the last time the country saw such drama when 8.4 million people witnessed the
incredible scenes towards the end of the series. Viewership readings never got
close to that until Sunday’s World Cup Final, with a peak audience of 8.3
million people witnessing a special moment in England’s history. Making the
bout between England and New Zealand free-to-air was an excellent move and it
allowed everyone to come together and witness Ben Stokes become a national
hero.
England’s Test captain, Joe Root, spoke
about what the World Cup triumph can do to help reinstall the sport into the
new generation. He said: “It shows it’s a growing game and we’re doing
everything we can to widen the reach of it.
“As a team, we talk of leaving the game in
a better place when we finish and taking it forward all the time.
“I feel like the way we’ve gone about
things in this World Cup has hopefully done that and given an opportunity for
the next generation to see what we’ve achieved and want to go on and emulate
it.
“I was 14-years-old when I watched that
2005 Ashes series and it was hugely inspiring for me.”
The success of England has grasped the nation, and it is ever-so important that they do not let go. With the 2019 Ashes series commencing at the start of August, the Cricket community must do everything they can to entice and bring in the audience from that World Cup spectacle and transition them into this event. A slightly different entertainment viewing, though, and the slower-paced, less frantic gameplay could repel those viewers and disengage their interest.
This year’s Ashes could reach the highest
viewing figures since that 2005 series and England have an excellent chance of
prevailing, which again would help inspire and catch the eye of the ‘average’
spectator. If you think England will regain the 2019 Ashes, you can get the
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to place your bet.
The money that has been invested into
Cricket since Sky Sports brought the T.V rights has made a positive impact on
the sport. However, it is essential that the sport find a way to improve the
viewership figures, and this is the perfect time to do so. Winning the World
Cup is the greatest achievement a team can provide for their nation, and that
was reflected following Sunday’s victory.
Grass-roots for Cricket must inspire and
show the younger generation the brilliance of the World Cup and grasp their
attention towards the sport. Now is the time to push Cricket and make it a
sport people want to play. The more success England have, the easier it will be
as the younger generation will look up to these players as role models,
thinking ‘I want to be them when I grow up’. It won’t be easy, but Cricket is
in the best place it has been in for years, and now is the time to grow.
