Something for Mahmood, Sami, Tait, Edwards and the rest to ponder....Cricinfo Magazine

Alec might want to ponder about covered and improved pitches as well.

Thats before I even move on to video coaching, batting protection, bats with sweetspots 10 times bigger than back then, grounds getting roped in, helmuts, body padding, player diets, weight workouts, physio's at call, fitness conditioners, good bowling machines, consistancy in balls, lights, specialist coaches and assistants.

All good points Acker. Maybe you missed the most important one. Sightscreens. Could you imagine batting without a sightscreen. They did in the past at many grounds.

It's an interesting article, but as others have rightly pointed out there's huge differences between then and now - the games moved on significantly. That's not to denigrate his achievements, but it's a different game now.

The most salient comment he made was this -

"I just had to keep trying because if you didn't perform you weren't picked. Now you play four, five, six matches and hardly get a wicket and you still play. You have a contract system now and you get paid whether you play or not. During our time we had match money along with a small basic wage. "

There's a lot in that.

We've seen since the IPL and the ICL that Cricket is all about money now and that's just going to make these pampered over-paid cricketers even worse. Look at how Pietersen literally drools and salivates at the money on offer at the IPL, he's straining at a leash to get in amongst that Indian money.

I don't have a problem with them earning those kinds of sums, I do have a problem with it when in my opinion many of them are not earning it by performance. And therein lies the problem, todays players almost expect to be paid huge sums of money and in my opinion good luck to them if they earn it by performance, but most of the time they do not.

Performance management now virtually governs workplace motivation, if that system is seen to be effective for your average employee to work harder and achieve objectives, why is it not seen as being an effective motivator for sportsmen?

I'm an advocate of the central contract system, but only because that places those players under the direct control of the ECB and England management setup, where they can coach and control what games those players play. I'm not an advocate for the hugh sums of money those players earn under contract regardless of whether they play or not and regardless of how they perform. That does not motivate those players to excel, if they know they'll get paid pretty much the same amount win draw or lose. They get 'some' match money, but it's peanuts compared to what they get under contract.

Do away with all of the central contract money, put them all on a small 50k retainer and put them all on performance related pay, if you win you earn, if you lose or draw you don't. If they want to earn large sums of money - make them earn it.

It works for everyone else - why not them?

I agree with Alec Bedser - that fundamental of bowling hasn't changed, covered or uncovered wickets. a good bowler can put the ball where he wants it, and save for extreme conditions adverse to his style of bowling, that chap is always going to get wickets...