This book investigates the declining status of cricket within British society after England's Ashes victory in 2005. It considers the deep roots of the game within national life as well as its ever-changing nature, reflecting upon the significance and relevance of a sport that many still perceive as deeply traditional and conservative.
Russell Holden is a lecturer, writer, researcher and broadcaster having written and taught widely on the sociology of sport, with a particular interest in the role and value of cricket in contemporary life. He launched In the Zone Sport and Politics Consultancy, an organization based in Wales, working both in the UK and overseas, which is dedicated to exploring the many and varied interconnections between sport and politics, straddling issues of identity, nationalism, human rights, gender and reconciliation.
1. Introduction and framework for discussion, 2. The depths of 1999 and the rehabilitation of cricket, 3. Impact of the 2005 Ashes victory, 4. Cricket and identity: some geographical reflections, 5. Cricket and the British Afro-Caribbean community: Losing the heritage, 6. Realizing the power of the South Asian community, 7. Twenty20: cricket's 21st-century revolution, 8. Comparing the British cricketing experience, 9. The advance of women's cricket, 10. Concluding remarks