The Ashes returns this week, with England looking for an immediate response after losing the first test.
It feels like the sport has come crashing back down to earth with a bump after the amazing highs of the Cricket World Cup.
England’s dramatic victory in the infamous super over marked not only one of the greatest moments in cricket history but it also marked one of the finest moments in sport and reminded us all why we love it so much. The biggest story of the summer, the win made the nation, especially youngsters, fall in love with cricket again.
But many people are being stung by the cost of playing cricket with equipment amongst the most expensive in sport. Looking at leading cricket website Barrington Sports, a reasonable quality bat can set you back £100 and the shoes around the same - items vital to playing the sport. If you reach club level, some equipment like pads and helmets will be shared but there are added costs that must be considered.
If you have to buy your own, the whites will cost around £40, pads a further £90 and a decent helmet about £120. In fact, you are looking at well over £300 before you even take to the field and play for your club.
Of course, like cricket, other sports do come with membership fees and requirements for kit, but often these are much lower than that hefty fee. For example, in football and rugby, boots cost around £60, shin pads £10 and the kits often come provided by the club, making the sports more accessible to both adults and children.
From this, you can understand why often parents are more likely to steer their children to football or rugby - simply from a financial point of view. The other consideration to be made is accessibility. With cricket you cannot simply go down to the park with your mate and have a quick game, it is a much more rigid sport which requires a decent amount of numbers for a match.
The cost of cricket is - and has - always been high once you get to an adult level but progress is being made for the youngsters. Now, a basic cricket set coming with a small bat, stumps and a ball can be picked up for less than £15 online. If young people you know are interested in the sport you can always buy them one of these starter sets to get them going, and see how sustained their interest really is before investing more money as they get older.
Kids are not as likely to watch, join in or even recognise a game of cricket at a young age, such is the ubiquitous nature of football. Other sports, including cricket, need to do everything in their power to attract more interest and participation and the World Cup and the Ashes being held in England in the same year seems like a once in a generation opportunity that must be grasped.
