Key stakeholders get together to thrash out the issues after waterlogged abandonment

FRED RAMSBOTTOM, LANCASHIRE CCC: These players are a bloody disgrace. In my day, we dreamed of playing on run-ups like that. I remember Brian Statham bowling 95 overs off the reel in a bog at Southport and he were entirely under water in his delivery stride. He was fatally drowned just before tea but that didn’t stop Brian, he just kept running in all day.

KEITH ‘KEITHY’ KEITH, PLAYERS’ UNION REPRESENTATIVE: With respect, Fred, the modern player cannot afford to risk injury in a packed schedule. These lads would be kicking themselves if they missed out at a chance on the IPL big one for the sake of a few overs in a freezing midwinter night up here. Have you seen some of the conditions out there? It’s a miracle nobody was killed, and nobody wants to see them have to put one of those green tents round Ryan Sidebottom like at the Grand National and put him out of his misery down at third man. Imagine poor old Knighty having to commentate on that: “Ooooh, on the one hand, ooh, you just feel, don’t you, that it’s sad to see a professional sportsman shot to death on the outfield, but I’m just thinking, you know, maybe, possibly, something good could come of it?” It’s not fair on anyone; especially Knighty.

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