There was a report not long ago that the ECB are looking into artificial pitches for T20 cricket.

Immediately following the report, my Twitter and Facebook feeds were brimming with outrage and fury from England fans.

“How dare the ECB ruin cricket?” was the general consensus. And this report was not the first to fall to internet outrage. Only very recently a scheme by the ECB to bring the game to more 5–8 year olds was also attacked on several fronts.

The merits of these schemes can be debated, but there is a larger problem that has become obvious in the last couple of years. This problem, if left unchecked, is far more harmful for your cricket than any scheme.

The fog of outrage

You see, the internet outrage that brews up is a fog.

Every time a suggestion is made to make a change there is screaming to destroy it. So much so that actual debate and rational consideration is thrown out. Ideas grow not from facts and analysis but from who can shout the loudest.

Let’s take artificial pitches as an example.

Despite the idea only being “considered” by the ECB, critics attacked the governing body of English cricket for being crazy and out of touch. Others mocked, asking if bowling machines were going to replace bowlers next. Finally, people came in saying the real solution would be bringing cricket back to free-to-air TV. Forget this artificial pitch nonsense.

Whether these comments are correct or incorrect is besides the point. The opportunity to consider the idea rationally was blown away by the shouting of thousands of voices. And this was just a suggestion!

Most worryingly for cricketers and coaches at club, school and academy level, this way of making decisions is moving out of Twitter and into the real world. If Britain can Brexit and Trump can President thanks to the fog of outrage, what chance have we got at grass-roots to resist?

Take a moment

There is a lesson here for all of us.

When faced with the opportunity for change, take a moment to step away from the emotion, outrage and fear of the unknown. Become rational away from the baying dogs and consider all the possibilities.

It’s too easy to add your voice to “that will not work”, or, “all we need to do is get back to the good old days”. In the worst case you might even say “there is no problem here, this is fine.”

Resist it.

These words come from emotions, not facts.

Instead, consider changes, see what you can contribute to them and only resist if you genuinely can be sure it’s a bad move after detached reflection.

Maybe then you will think artificial pitches are a reasonable idea after or. Maybe you will disagree. At least it will be considered opinion from all the facts you can gather.

And certainly, avoid ranting too often on socil media, when taking positive, thoughtful action is far more likely to have an effect.

For more on dealing with changes in cricket, click here for an article.