Cricket makes a comeback in Britain

"England versus Australia is the biggest thing in cricket - it's like the US vs. Russia at ice hockey," says Graham Thorpe, a former English star who played 100 times for his country.

Mr. Thorpe says the reason for England's surprising revival is a simple administrative one. Five years ago, the best players were given special contracts to play for England, ending a system whereby they had onerous dual loyalties to club and country.

"It enabled players to be able to prepare properly," he says.

Although buoyant, the cricket revival faces numerous threats. Despite its 300-year tradition here, cricket has long struggled to inspire the young.

Unlike soccer, cricket requires expensive equipment and considerable organization to play properly. Many schools don't bother any more, and many children are not exposed to the sport.

Matthew Engel, editor of Wisden, the authoritative cricketers' almanac, says the danger is that the sudden burst of enthusiasm will taper off, particularly if authorities do not capitalize on their window of opportunity. "Remember the 2003 Rugby world cup," he says, recalling England's victory. "After that, rugby was supposed to take over from [soccer] as the No. 1 sport, with the entire population playing rugby within a short space of time. But it fades fairly quickly."

Thorpe says it is essential that authorities channel the lucrative financial gains from an exceptional summer into the game's grass roots. "It's most important that cricket is played in [public] schools," he says.

Another danger to cricket comes from the lifeblood that sustains it - television. This summer's dramatic international action has played out on live broadcasts to millions day after day, with more plots and character twists than a gripping soap opera.

But all that is about to change. With its long, unpredictable hours, cricket doesn't work well for TV schedulers. Beginning next summer, England's matches will be carried on a Rupert Murdoch-owned satellite channel, Sky. Millions of people will have no access to live cricket as a result.

• To learn more about cricket, go to

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/cricket

Dolly - An easy catch

Grubber - A ball that hardly bounces.

Nurdle - To score runs by nudging the ball into vacant areas of the field.

Sledging - Trash talk, frowned upon.

Sandshoe crusher - A full-pitched delivery aimed at the batsman's toes.

The Ashes - Series between England and Australia.

Sources: cricinfo.com, cricketinf.hollosite.com

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