Derek Pringle says soft pitches in the Champions Trophy are rewarding good old-fashioned values

Derek Pringle

Global tournaments like the Champions Trophy have long acted as waypoints signposting the latest fashions in cricket, such as the Dilscoop and the slower-ball bouncer. So far, this one has rewarded old-fashioned values, though, like line and length for the bowlers and picking up singles for the batsmen.
Part of it is down to the conditions found in England during early June such as pitches not yet at peak hardness. Yet much of it is down, also, to the 50-over format and the fact ...