Leading article: 'Owzat!
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Only viewers with hearts of stone could have failed to feel a surge of emotion in the closing stages of the Test at Trent Bridge, where England gained its knife-edge victory over Australia.
It is not simply the fact that by trouncing its old rival, this triumph brought the possibility of winning the Ashes at the fourth, final Test at the Oval within unbearably close reach. It was also the sight of the raw joy gripping the faces of the thousands of spectators when England took its final two runs, and which was clearly a reflection of the feelings of the millions of others watching the match at home on television.
Whether this remarkable Test has been the cause, or just the symptom, we seem to be in the throes of a renaissance of cricket - a once universally loved but now neglected national sport. For years it has been a poor relation to football, its decline symbolised by the falling number of children playing cricket at school. If the sport the English invented is at last reviving in the land of its origins, that can only be good thing.
There are certainly plenty of encouraging signs, from the sell-out crowds at the Test itself to the impressive television viewing figures and the rise in sales of cricket bats and other equipment in shops.
No doubt this renaissance will inspire cerebral discussions about what lies behind it and whether it constitutes a part of a wider revival of interest in all things English. We suspect it is less complicated. Cricket has become popular again because the English cricket team has rediscovered the formula for success. Quite simply, everyone loves a winner.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments