All text content on this website is the copyright of Channel 4 unless stated or indicated. All photographs are reproduced courtesy of Getty Images UK Ltd unless otherwise stated.

CRICKET ROADSHOWS

Week 14 Review - 11 Aug, Taunton Master Blaster looks to the future

Former Somerset hero Sir Viv Richards said he was willing to let bygones be bygones as he returned to the club which summarily sacked him after years of loyal (and highly successful) service.

The dismissal of Richards and his West Indian colleague Joel Garner sparked unprecedented internal strife at the west country club in the mid-1980s, leading to Ian Botham walking out in protest and marking the end of the county's most successful period in their entire history.

But Richards, who was back at Taunton for the Cricket Roadshow broadcast live before the C&G semi-final between Somerset and Warwickshire, said it was time to move on from previous rancour.

"I think whatever took place then is in the past and you can only look forward, and as I said I think I had some serious investment here, so most certainly I must come back and will come back," said the former West Indian captain.

He preferred instead to reflect on the attraction of playing at Taunton on big match days and offered advice to the club's current players as they strive to recapture the glory days.

"It's a very compact ground and I believe it's got a lot of passion. I think it's a great atmosphere. It's a day when you shouldn't put too much pressure on yourself, it's a day to be enjoyed. So long as you do the right things, make the right decisions and keep calm, that's the most important thing."

Meanwhile David Graveney, the chairman of Test selectors, hit out at the treadmill of England's first-class structure following their latest Ashes defeat.

Graveney, who also doubles up as chairman of the Professional Cricketers Association, said the non-stop routine of county cricketers prevented serious coaching once the season was underway.

"You get into a system of playing one day, have a rest, get into the car and drive to another game, so basically people are tending to make the same mistakes over and over again.

"In Australia and South Africa there are quite long gaps between playing first-class games and being able to practice. The quality of the practice facilities is also a key thing. That would probably be the area I would concentrate on, creating more time for people to improve their techniques," he said.

The inevitable result, added Graveney, was that emerging talents tended to stagnate in the county game rather than pushing on for Test honours. This was backed up by the fact only one of England's all-conquering under-19 side from 1997 – Chris Schofield - has been capped at Test level.

"Our main problem, so to speak, is to translate that talent from between 19-23 into viable Test match players. I'm not suggesting you have to be 23 to play but that's where we tend to lose a lot of people."

Nottinghamshire's Paul Franks, who was a member of that successful under-19 side, said more faith should invested in the country's best young players.

"We don't seem to be able to progress from 18 to become a Test match cricketer at 20 years old. Maybe that's got something to do with the domestic game, maybe it hasn't. I would like to see young players encouraged more and brought into Test cricket at an earlier age."

Richie Benaud suggested it wasn't necessarily the quantity of cricket that lets England down, but rather the quality.

"They play quite a bit of cricket in Australia but I think maybe it's more generally well sorted out than over here. I sense over here that some players won't play for a couple of weeks, which I don't think is good - I used to practice very hard and work hard at the game - and I think it could be planned better," said Benaud.

But Ian Smith urged caution in response to calls for new blood in the England squad for the Headingley Test.

"I think the Test environment is such a special and important occasion that you've got to be very, very careful when you talk about blooding people into a Test match. You've got to look at the character of the young man involved and you've got to assess if he does miss out will he have learnt anything from this.

"Will he go away thinking 'I can't play at this level because I can't play McGrath and Gillespie'? So you've got to weigh it up and think 'Will I do this kid damage?'"

Elsewhere on the show Andy Caddick talked about his fondness for playing at Taunton and Jason Ratcliffe expounded on his hopes for setting up a nation-wide system for monitoring cricket injuries.

That prompted Simon Hughes to reflect on his own playing days: "I'm not so sure it's as much as a problem now as it was when I started. If you go back to 1981 my first physio, who will remain nameless, actually had draws in his cupboards full of either bandages or empty gin bottles and there was a queue for the physio's room just to lie down and get some sleep. You didn't actually get much physiotherapy or treatment of injuries at all. I think now injuries are treated fairly well."

Mail the Cricket Show team at cricketshow@cricket4.com

Click to return to C4 cricket shows