Despite the Test falling in the middle of summer, and very reasonable ticket prices, there was not a full house at Old Trafford. Worse than the 2,000 empty seats was how easy it was to understand why fans would stay away.
The underwhelming spectacle, at least until 70s from de Silva and Milan Rathnayake orchestrated a partial recovery, was not really Sri Lanka’s fault. The side who lined up at Old Trafford was adorned with six men averaging over 40 in Test cricket; all were denied a proper chance of maintaining their records in unfamiliar climes.
Every two years, England welcome India or Australia for five-Test summers. However captivating these contests, they leave the question of who England play against every other year. Since the power grab at the International Cricket Council in 2014, Australia, England and India have hollowed out the financial resources enjoyed by their rivals. This would make a certain sense for a Premier League football team. But in international sport, the entire business model rests upon enough compelling opponents for fans to watch at grounds or on TV.
Enlightened self-interest, if nothing else, demands that England’s opponents are given more scope than West Indies and Sri Lanka this summer to show their best. Ultimately, this should take the form of changes to revenue distribution at the International Cricket Council – perhaps a restoration of the Test cricket fund, to help opponents fund more matches. Such funding could mean that, like Pakistan in 2018, tourists play a Test in Ireland before meeting England. Hardened, Pakistan then crushed England in the series opener.
More A teams from countries outside the big three could be welcomed, especially in the two years preceding a Test tour. Tourists should also be offered a couple of high-quality first-class games in preparation for the Tests, perhaps even at the grounds that they will subsequently play against England on.
Strengthening opponents would mean more arduous days at home, and perhaps even more defeats. Yet the risk of not doing so is greater: fans left put-off by Tests that aren’t against Australia or India, and less willing to pay for the match tickets and television subscriptions that sustain English cricket.