Video recording of this now available on our YouTube channel: "Building Leadership in English Cricket"

Fascinating conversation, yesterday. Thanks to the panellists, and to @rafnicholson.bsky.social for hosting. Much to ponder, but ultimately frustrating — lots of leadership _potential_ within the game (yes), if only leaders at the top (ECB) would relinquish control.

Leadership will shape the future of English cricket: 🏏 Join us on 21 May, 2pm BST, for a webinar on Building Leadership in English Cricket 🏏 Featuring John Swannick, former Leicestershire CEO Sean Jarvis, & John Neal 🏏 We’ll discuss governance, investment & sustainable growth. DM for the link!

IYCMI - here is a recording of this week's Cricket Research Network webinar on Cricket and Sustainability. Lots of interesting discussion about various aspects of this very important topic! www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDp0...

🏏🌍 WEBINAR: How can cricket become more sustainable? Join us on 13 May at 7pm BST for a panel on Cricket and Sustainability, organised with PASIC and The Centre for Sustainable Design® at UCA. DM us for the link!

We're excited to invite you to TWO webinars this May 🏏👇 📅 13 May, 7pm BST 🌍 Cricket and Sustainability Circular design, bamboo cricket bats & sustainable cricket clothing. #Cricket #SportsResearch #Sustainability #Leadership

New investigation from @jackkerr.bsky.social and myself on how shady offshore betting operators linked to porn are exploiting women’s cricket for @playthegame-org.bsky.social @cricketacademic.bsky.social www.playthegame.org/news/from-po...

Thank you Tanya Aldred for a lovely write-up of our Cambridge conference in @theguardian.com This gives a great taste of what went on last week and what the Network is all about 🏏👏

Our latest episode is now live, thanks to the amazing team over at @cricketacademic.bsky.social who held their highly successful conference over the weekend at Hughes Hall in Cambridge. You can listen via the link below & on all podcast platforms ⬇️ open.spotify.com/episode/4sVF...

The Keynote from #CRN2026 has now been released on the @sportinhistorypod.bsky.social #podcast! Happy listening! @sportinhistory.bsky.social @bssh.bsky.social @icshc.bsky.social @rafnicholson.bsky.social @tjaldred.bsky.social @crickether.com 📌 linktr.ee/sportinhisto...

Today I was at Hughes Hall, Cambridge by the iconic Fenner’s Ground at the 3rd Cricket Research Network conference. My head is buzzing from information overload & a fabulous mix of talks & people. Thank you to Raf Nicholson & Jeremy Lonsdale & others for all their brilliant work 🙌

And that’s a wrap on #CRN2026 I’m shattered but my brain is buzzing with thoughts and ideas after so many great presentations today! Safe journey home, everyone, and hope to see you all next year 🏏

#Panel5, the last of this year, brings to the conversation to improtant topics of governance and sustainability, chaired by @rafnicholson.bsky.social @bournemouthuni.bsky.social @theguardian.com #CRN2026

@shubhamjain224.bsky.social argues that cricket's "South Asian Paradox" - whereby players do not want to speak out because competition for places is so strong - is having a negative impact on player welfare. Nobody wants to complain about poor air quality or other environmental issues. #CRN2026

Our final #CRN2026 panel is focused on Governance and Sustainability. @stevemenary.bsky.social shares worrying findings about illegal betting sponsorship, which doubled between 2021 and 2025. Harry Brook, Steve argues, is (inadvertently) helping to promote illegal betting in the screenshot below.

Remember this? Hannah Thompson-Radford at #CRN2026 gives us food for thought about whether Katy Perry performing at the T20 World Cup final was empowering, or whether this kind of 'hyperfeminisation' was actually just reductive / ‘gimmicky’.

#Panel4 is devoted to representations of cricket, chaired by Dominic Malcolm @lborouniversity.bsky.social #CRN2026

Some quite depressing findings from Richard Jones about cricket’s place in the sports news agenda, showing its decline. His analysis of regional press, national radio & X posts suggests cricket is disappearing from some commercial media, and is heavily reliant on the BBC for prominence. #CRN2026

And Kieran Holly talks about Irish cricket fandom. His key conclusion is Irish men's cricket lacks a distinctive fan identity, partly b/c there is no permanent stadium & limited fixtures v major Test nations. Would be fascinating to see an equivalent study of Irish women's cricket fandom. #CRN2026

Following a delicious lunch, we've moved onto a panel about Inclusion. Ross Ensor presents data showing that ethnically diverse volunteers face issues with racialised stereotypes ("they don't volunteer"), and cultures which force players to adopt a "white mask" to negotiate inclusion. #CRN2026

#Panel3 focuses on cricket and inclusion, chaired by Tom Fletcher @leedsbeckett.bsky.social #CRN2026

The Q&A was recorded and will be made available as a podcast via the @bssh.bsky.social podcast, so keep an eye out for that in the coming days! #CRN2026

Our Keynote panel focused on the #ICC Women's #T20WC2026, involving Laura Entwistle, Laura MacLeod & @rafnicholson.bsky.social moderated by Tanya Aldred. Fantastic conversation touching on legacy, pathways, counties, media, governance and hope for the game! @sportinhistorypod.bsky.social #CRN2026

#Panel2 focuses on cricket from a historical perspective, chaired by @jeremylonsdale.bsky.social #CRN2026

Panel 2 at #CRN2026 starts with Anand Rampersad (University of West Indies), who is working on the history of West Indies women’s cricket (hurrah!) Same old story in terms of the "merger" of women's & men's boards in 2008. Men very reluctant to accept responsibility, women's autonomy lost. Sigh.

Chuckles in the room as Max He (Xi’an Jiaotong University) explains the Chinese women's team is institutionally prioritised over men’s, and a female cricketer in an interview told him she felt better after a loss when "a teammate told me, 'it’s alright, men cannot win a single game'". #CRN2026

Our 1st panel at #CRN2026 is on Gender. Two brilliant presentations first up centring on lived experience of female cricketers in franchise comps, including The Hundred. Huge contrast between hype of "equality" & persistent disparities in Georgia Norman's interviews with players. I gasped at this!

#Panel1: our first panel is dedicated to gender and cricket chaired by @pvelija.bsky.social who is introducing the panellists #CRN2026 @RoehamptonUni

We are at the #CRN2026 Conference today at @hugheshall.bsky.social Starting the conference now with a welcome address by our chair @rafnicholson.bsky.social @crickether.com

Great piece by Steve. We are looking forward to his presentation on this topic at our conference in 2 weeks time. #CRN2026

We are so excited about our conference, at Hughes Hall, Cambridge on 26 February - see full programme below. There are still a few tickets remaining - grab one while you can: www.cricketsociety.org.uk/events/crick... And thank you to @bssh.bsky.social for your support 😊

Our next webinar is TODAY at 1pm GMT: Media Coverage, Marketing and Sponsorship in Cricket: Rights, Revenue and Governance - Archit Vyas (Gujarat National Law University) DM us for the link!

Great article in @theguardian.com today focused on CRN committee member Michael Collins’s work into Windrush cricket:

There are still some tickets left for our conference in February in Cambridge. We'd love to see you there - you can register here: www.cricketsociety.org.uk/events/crick...

For anyone wanting to follow today’s Westminster Hall Debate “Government support for grassroots cricket clubs”, the streaming link appears to be here: parliamentlive.tv/event/index/... @cricketacademic.bsky.social

Thanks to @pvelija.bsky.social for her work in convening our webinar series, which continues to feature brilliant, cutting-edge research. In our latest webinar, Ross Ensor from @lborouniversity.bsky.social discusses his research into the use of the Rooney Rule within English cricket:

2/2 The bursaries for RM coaches will only help when the system produces more qualified coaches. Level 3 (which only reaches "Pathway" without significant additional playing & coaching experience) is very limited, unless you are a former player. Level 4 (pro game) is even further away.

Shame we ran out of time earlier. The biggest challenge to the application of the Rooney Rule in English cricket is surely the bottleneck of "appropriately qualified" candidates in the coach "development" pathway. How many "racially minoritised" level 4s, not already in a senior post, are there? 1/2

🏏 A reminder that our latest webinar is TODAY at 2pm. 🏏 Ross Ensor (Loughborough University) will be speaking on 'A retreat from the radical: An analysis of the existence, implementation, and effectiveness of the Rooney Rule within English cricket’. 🏏 DM us for the Teams link.

Full programme for our 2026 conference now available! Hughes Hall, Cambridge, 26 Feb 9am to 5pm Register here: www.cricketsociety.org.uk/events/crick...

We’ve opened registration for our annual conference! 🥳 📅 26 Feb 2026 ⏰ 9.30am to 5pm 🏫 Hughes Hall, Cambridge 🏏 We’re looking forward to a day of presentations & discussion, plus a Q&A on the 2026 ICC World Cup. Book your place now:

Here’s the recording of our latest webinar panel - The Men’s Ashes and the Future of Test Cricket. Tim Wigmore and @jarrodkimber.bsky.social covered a LOT of ground - and the event was expertly chaired by @russinthezone.bsky.social 👏 www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtt6...

The Ashes is nearly here, but what’s next for Test cricket? 🏏 Join @jarrodkimber.bsky.social & Tim Wigmore as they talk the Ashes, historic rivalries & future pressures. Chaired by @russinthezone.bsky.social 💻 Free Zoom panel | 4 Nov, 7pm GMT | 🔗DM for the link

Interested in finding out more about Scottish Women’s cricket? @cricketacademic.bsky.social @crickether.com Register for Open Forum here: swagcrn.eventbrite.co.uk

PANEL: Cricket, Gambling and Match-Fixing 29 October 2025 5pm-6pm (London time - GMT) Chair: @stevemenary.bsky.social Panelists: Dr Minhyeok Tak – Loughborough University, Anca-Maria Ghergel – Sheffield Hallam University, Will Gunn – Sporting Solutions Open to all. DM us for the Teams link!

Important new research from Steve Menary on the increase in relationships between betting companies and leading cricket teams, tournaments & players post-Covid. Have a read below ⬇️⬇️

Excellent work by Miriam Walker-Khan & the team at #SkyCricket. Important discussions on whistleblower protection, institutional responsibility, talent pathways, governance, accountability, systemic change & intersectionality in #Cricket! @cricketacademic.bsky.social www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrrf...

This is a really lovely piece on the history of Wisden, and why it matters to people.

A new paper from @rlwjones.bsky.social has just been published about coverage of county cricket, based on interviews with current journalists & content producers. Richard first presented this at our conference in Feb so it's great to see it out in the world! journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

CRN member Pamela Jabbar wants to hear about your experiences of belonging and unbelonging in sport. Details below: