Only high-class international cricket can rival lure of Indian Premier League

Last week, I suggested that interest in international cricket would play second string to the start of the 2022 Indian Premier League. However, that interest is not going away quietly.

Australia’s men’s Test team beat Pakistan in Lahore to secure a 1-0 victory in a three-Test series, whilst the West Indies’ men’s Test team beat England in Grenada to also secure a 1-0 victory in a three-Test series. The pitches that were prepared in both Pakistan and the Caribbean received criticism for their slowness and were not good advertisements for the longer format.

Nevertheless, the results mean that Australia sits at the top of the 2021-2023 World Test Championship table and England at the bottom of nine teams. Under new leadership, Australia reveled in its defeat of Pakistan.

The position of England captain Joe Root for a record 64 Tests, with only one win in the last 17, is under increased scrutiny. Currently, his team is without a permanent coach, whilst the England and Wales Cricket Board has an interim chair and no director of cricket. One is expected to be chosen soon and the new director will have the task of appointing new coaches. It is an unstable and unsatisfactory situation.

Meanwhile, in New Zealand, England’s women’s team, as defending champions, has avoided the ignominy of failing to qualify for the semifinals of the women’s 50-over One Day International World Cup competition. Having lost its first three matches, the team rallied to win the next four and then comprehensively beat South Africa in the semis.

The tournament has generated some thrilling cricket, with 10 of the 28 matches being decided in the last over. Australia has been dominant, beating its own previous record run chase when amassing 280 to