England's Root & Bairstow partly restore faith in the game: Ian Chappell

Just when cricket like global warming appears to be dangerously close to a tipping point following the latest spot fixing scandal two young players unveil themselves and partly restore faith in the game The IPL scandal still has a long way to run and generally ldquoa situationrdquo has to hit rock bottom before the journey to recovery can commence Consequently itrsquos to be hoped this latest fixing issue is the one to jolt cricket out of itrsquos complacency complex and cause the officials to take major steps towards rectifying what is potentially a terminal problem I39ve made it Englandrsquos Joe Root celebrates his century during Day Two of the Leeds Testu00a0against New Zealand on May 25 PicGetty Images At the moment when the clouds hanging over the game were at their darkest Headingley not noted for hosting warm weather provided a muchneeded ray of sunshine The first innings partnership between Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow in the second Test was a timely reminder of many enticing aspects of the game of cricket The batting of Root and Bairstow was enthralling as they hit and ran like a couple of kids playing in the schoolyard at lunchtime Their ultimate priority was a simple premise that should drive most innings to score off virtually every ball Their intent was there for all to see as they looked to play attacking shots and when that wasnrsquot feasible they pushed and ran Boy how aggressively and shrewdly they ran It reminded me of the days when Javed Miandad and Asif Iqbal two turbocharged Pakistan batsmen considered a quick single to be a firm push to silly midon Winning is important The urgency in the partnership of the two young Yorkies was a further reminder that therersquos only one valid reason to play the game at the highest level to win the match and eventually the series Their partnership when paired with the glorious stroke play of Cheteshwar Pujara and Murali Vijay in an earlier series between India and Australia was also confirmation that the game keeps on evolving While fans lament the passing from the game of such glorious batting talents as Brian Lara and Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkarrsquos gradual fade along come these young vibrant players who justify the saying ldquoNobody is irreplaceablerdquo Itrsquos not that Pujara and Vijay or Root and Bairstow or even Virat Kohli can directly replace any of that trio of star batsmen but they are a reminder that all good players have a charm that when coupled with intent is well worth watching And what is also worth noting in an era where there are all sorts of weird and not so wonderful theories on batting these young players are succeeding by relying heavily on the principle that batting is mainly about scoring runs and putting the onus on the bowlers The rise of these young batsmen is timely Not only does cricket desperately need positive news to help dilute the unsavoury stuff but the art of batting is also in serious need of a fillip If any further proof was required that itrsquos crucial the game has a constant influx of daring young strokemakers these players provided a definitive answer Jonny Bairstow The enthusiasm and boldness of young players excites fans and draws them to the cricket ground as surely as the smell of hops attract hotel customers Boost the attendances The reliance on older more conservative batsmen in international teams may temporarily solidify a lineup but it does little to boost attendances If the England selectors think itrsquos a tough choice deciding between Nick Compton and Bairstow on Kevin Pietersenrsquos return they should watch a rerun of that Headingley partnership If that doesnrsquot convince them the choice is simple then England has the wrong selectors The rise of exciting young talents is crucial to the survival and prosperity of the game However prodigious talent needs t0o be supported by good governance and strong offfield leadership Surely after watching some of the recent exciting batting from these rising stars the officials must be inspired to work harder in ldquothe best interests of the gamerdquou00a0