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With how desperately we want to see the conclusion of ICC World Cup 2019, there are more than just a couple of loose ends yet to be determined. Unfortunately, they don’t appear to be in the greatest shape right now. Back in 1992 when they managed to claim the big title, they were a force to be reckoned with. But fast forward to 2019, we have a different cast and a different mindset. Do the new faces have the experience needed to attain their former glory?

Consistency appears to be their missing element

Here what’s going to be at the forefront of ICC World Cup 2019: Pakistan must chase consistency to challenge. Only by doing so can they hope to achieve what they set out to do. But given that unpredictability is one of their most promising tricks up their sleeve, the story simply isn’t over until the final match. To get a better glimpse into the team’s inner workings and predict this year’s outcome, let’s examine how they performed in one of the recent events.

Pakistan at the World Cup 2015

Looking at the their performance in 2015, it’s hard to pick the right words. Most, however, would agree it was a bit underwhelming. Although they managed to win the lesser matches they played against UAE and Zimbabwe, they lost the crucial matches against West Indies and India. This is what ultimately sunk them in the end.

Will 2019 be the year for them to shine?

Comparing their current roster against the one from 4 years ago, the differences are obvious – and it’s in the right way for sure. Not only that; when these exact players enter the battlefield and act as a like-minded group on the path to victory, almost none can withstand the power they can generate. For an example of this, just look at the 2017 ICC Champions victory in England, and you’ll quickly see where things are going.

The team’s beginnings

When the team first entered the green battlefield as a whole, one team member was virtually a stranger to another. But once they got to know each other’s play-style more and more, what followed was nothing less than a cricket symphony.

The most crucial players

Mohammad Amir, without a doubt, will be a force to be reckoned with once more. Then, we have Wahab Riaz, a sensational performer in the last World Cup, and the hero who managed to pick up 16 wickets in as little as 7 matches. Next, don’t forget Imam-ul-Haq, the man with a powerful average of 57.79. Looking at his record of 568 runs from 12 matches, he is the highest scoring member of the team. Last but not least, there is Mr. Shaheen Afridi, the unknown contender who is full of surprises. In less than a year’s worth of time, he managed to pick up 24 wickets in as little as 14 matches.

Conclusion

In terms of sheer power, Pakistan is not to be underestimated. The real question is, can they keep it consistent enough to bring their A-game all the way to the top?

I play cricket each week on a ground where the game has been played since 1743. A couple of weeks ago, a group of local children came past the ground. We are used to hearing comments shouted out, but on this occasion something particularly struck me. One teenage girl turned to her friends and said:

‘What game even is that?’

Think cricket is boring? I understand that.

Shouting ‘You’re s**t arrghh’. No big problem.

But this girl did not even recognise what sport was being played.

Not even registering

Last week we saw England make a great start in the opening World Cup match v South Africa. It was half-term, so lots of kids were knocking about with little to do. In so many ways this was a dream opportunity for the game to connect with the whole country.

But how many young people actually got to see the win and Ben Stokes’ incredible catch? Sadly, hardly any.

Let’s be honest, if England do win the World Cup in a few weeks-time or the Ashes in a few months, it will probably not even register with a huge number of people in the UK.

As I have written before, the worst decision ever made by English Cricket was to switch from free-to-air TV and take Sky’s cash.

This is the key moment which shifted cricket from the nation’s summer game to an increasingly elitist sport. Those running English cricket saw the price of the contract but ignored the value of what they lost.

Public profile

In the era when cricket was on free-to-air TV, players had a national public profile far greater than the superstars of today. In 2005, I was one of thousands in a packed Trafalgar Square when England celebrated the epic Ashes win. It was national event because millions had been gripped by the spectacle of a great contest.

But this was the last summer like that because every series since has only been broadcast on Sky. England won the Ashes in 2009 but hardly anyone noticed.

Cricket’s popularity will never be equal to the passion for football.  But it has a very strong latent form of support which is awoken by great contests or characters like Ian Botham, Viv Richards or Andrew Flintoff who capture people’s imaginations.  It requires a platform which understands this.

Engaging younger players

One of the key reasons is that public profile is important is because it is directly linked to local involvement.

My school hardly played much cricket, but England’s win in the 1985 Ashes series helped inspire me, along with a group of school mates, to join the local cricket club, Addiscombe CC, in Surrey. In 1987 we won our league and ended up playing at The Oval, the same ground where we had seen David Gower lift the Ashes urn on the TV just two years before.

Thirty-two years later I am back at the same club I joined as a 14 year old. I manage a youth side and last year this team won the same league as I did as a player. I also Captain the 4^th XI and central to this role is to encourage young players to make the step into adult cricket.

Challenges and opportunities

For generations, cricket has tinkered with its rules and formats to make it more interesting. In 1919, for example, the County Championship trialled 2 day matches to make the game more exciting.

I think the growth of t20 and innovations such as powerplays has been very positive. Also initiative like Chance to Shine, Street Cricket and All Stars have given kids some more opportunities to play the game.

But more significant than any of these initiatives, are two factors which will really secure the future of cricket. One is national and one local:

Firstly, we need a better national profile for the sport – and this means having tournaments like the World Cup and Ashes back on free-to-air TV. When the ECB selects the best deal, it should factor in the ability of millions to watch it, not just the thousands who access Sky. No clever marketing can beat the value of millions of people seeing Ben Stokes’ catch live in the context of a match.

But secondly, we need clubs which are relentlessly welcoming and friendly to new players.  We need clubs who are prepared to embody cricket’s unique potential as a force for social inclusion.

Social inclusion

More so than many sports, cricket can be genuinely inter-generational and kids can play competitively alongside people old enough to be their grandparents. This week, I had the great experience of opening the batting with my 14 year old son. It was fantastic – until I ran him out.

Also, cricket is uniquely inter-cultural with a huge number of black and minority ethnic people heavily involved. I have learnt more about Islam and Ramadan from playing cricket than from anywhere else. Where else do so many Muslims, Hindus, Christians and people of no faith come together?

Also, it’s a sport where women can play alongside men. Youth teams are frequently mixed and in my first league match this season I played against a young woman playing for her club’s 3^rd XI. A Surrey player, Bryony Smith, has also played for our club’s 1^st XI.

And it’s also a sport which can include people with disabilities. Already this season, I played a match against a skilful bowler with a physical disability and a regular player in our 4^th XI is a young man with learning difficulties. His passion and enthusiasm for cricket is contagious. On Saturday he got his first league wicket helped by a brilliant boundary catch by a 14 year old colt. Even though we lost the match, this single moment made everyone’s day. It embodied what cricket can offer.

‘What game even is that?’

This will be an amazing summer for cricket with a home World Cup followed by The Ashes. Plus England have a genuinely exciting team we can be proud of.

‘What game even is that?’ is a question that needs to be answered.

And this is the job of both those who run the game nationally and those who run local clubs. We need both national profile to inspire young people and local clubs which welcome and include them. This is how young people will come to experience this great game for themselves and secure cricket’s future.

Jon Kuhrt