C'mon England Lets Win ( great series )

[Whisperer]

It’s the England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 & Wales 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 cricket 🏏 board.

Watching the cricket is is no different to watching the Lions isn’t it ?

If it wasn’t for Test Cricket being played in Cardiff, Glamorgan could well have folded.

What a load of rubbish…I never see Wales included in the scoreboard during a test, if there’s negative headlines then we’re named. and it’s nothing like the Lions.

[jon1959]

Interesting debate going on.
I have to admit that I have been rooting for India in this series.

Always supported England as a kid but this has waned over the years, particularly since Sky got in on the act.

Barring a few players who just could not be ignored, success in the game here has been for the privileged few and that galls me.

Could never want the Aussies to win a test mind.

I have been rooting for India too. I didn’t intend to - started watching as a neutral but just drifted into backing the side not called England with three lions on their front, and all the other symbols of Engerland that come with the package.

It may say England & Wales Cricket Board in the small print on the letterhead, and a few Welsh players may get a look in (with the Irish, Zimbabweans and South Africans) but the team is still England. I never felt I had my own national cricket team to support - it is an emotional not rational response - but the way it is.

I always support West Indies when they play but have had as often spot for India since going to watch them against England in a one day match at Headingly about 5 years ago. Their team were much more likeable than England’s and that was even more true of the fans.

National identity and sport is a funny old game!

[Divine Wright]

So who won then ?

[Harry Paget Flashman]

It’s the England �������������� & Wales �������������� cricket �� board.

Watching the cricket is is no different to watching the Lions isn’t it ?

If it wasn’t for Test Cricket being played in Cardiff, Glamorgan could well have folded.

The Lions is a load of bollocks too.

[the other bob wilson]

No doubt someone will correct if I'm wrong here, but there hasn't been one Welsh cricketer ever who has turned down the opportunity of playing for England's senior team as a matter of principle along the lines argued by some in this thread.

What would their attitude be if a Welsh son/daughter or grandson/granddaughter, of theirs who was not qualified to play for any other country and were clearly good enough to play senior level international cricket, was selected in an England squad? Would they try to talk them out of accepting the invite to play, would they disown them, would they ban them from doing so?

The fact of the matter is that for a Welsh cricketer not qualified to play for anyone else, there is only one way they can play top level international cricket and that is by playing for team known as England.

It's far from an ideal situation, but it's the one that's been around for more than a hundred years and, although I'd be looking to try and force some changes to current rituals (e.g. the playing Jerusalem before the start of every day's play in home tests) if I was good enough for the selectors to want me to play for them, I would definitely do so because what is the alternative if I said no - a career like someone like Barry Richards who only played four tests despite being rated as one of the truly great batsmen of the last fifty years.

That's the thing, what is the alternative to the current system that offers a better future for Welsh cricket and Glamorgan county cricket club? In fact, forget a better future, what alternative would secure the future of the game in this country? A test team for Wales perhaps, but, unless there could also be an improvement in playing standards to go with such an event, we'd be a laughing stock on the international stage and it could definitely be argued that this would do the game in Wales more harm than good.

[Optimistic Nick]

The Lions is a load of bollocks too.

No it isn't. It's an institution enjoyed and followed by millions.

[Harry Paget Flashman]

No it isn't. It's an institution enjoyed and followed by millions.

So is religion, the monarchy and the ECB*.

*Note the silent W.