Cricket's farewell to cucumber sandwiches

Cricket is saying a final goodbye to its upper class image. In the past it was viewed as the epitome of genteel English country life. Gentlemen in white flannels playing a match on a sunny village green, breaking for tea with cucumber sandwiches, scones and jam.

Although cricket has an elitest heritage, it has developed into a modern international sport that is drawing huge audiences and selling tickets to matches that are publicised, packaged, sponsored and played out in the word’s largest stadia.

A far cry from the days of old when matches dragged on for days and all too often ended in deadlock, games are now more about attacking and entertaining. The Australian influence has transformed the sport by blowing fresh air on the musty traditions and pioneering a new, more aggressive approach.

Internationals give a buzzing atmosphere as national teams clash in bright colours to fight their way to victory. The rise of the Twenty20 cup has brought a revolutionary format to the sport, with games played under floodlights and a new explosiveness that comes from it taking less than half the time to bat. The calm tranquillity of domestic cricket has been injected with an urgency that nostalgic traditionalists may lament, but which today’s demanding audiences find stimulating and refreshing.

The sport is in the midst of a renaissance and has more colour and dynamism than ever before. Rather than championing patience, perseverance, gentlemanly behaviour and sportsmanship, it is now a sport which reflects the values of society today – excellence, hard work, entertainment, profit and success.

Whether it is played by day or night, in India, Sri Lanka, Australia, New Zealand, the West Indies or the UK, cricket has left behind its institutional associations and - for better or worse - arrived in the 21st Century.

For all your cricket tickets including One Day Internationals, Twenty20 and county cricket, visit www.viagogo.co.uk