It's a separate post/debate to talk about how to address the exposure and recognition of cricket but one of the ways really ought to be to highlight its success stories, such as that in the World T20 in India today against South Africa.
(Yes, that's England playing in a world cup that most people probably don't know about.)
Not only did England chase down an eye-watering 230 runs to overcome South Africa - a side that had beaten them twice on home soil recently - but the nation's best player came to the fore for a starring role.
In other sports we build up star players - Rooney, for example - and then knock them down when they fail to deliver on the high hopes we've pinned upon them. While Joe Root certainly has a big reputation within the game, there seems to be very little recognition of his talent among the wider public.
Today's performance saw a genuinely world class English sportsman deliver a world class performance at a world cup. That alone is worth shouting about.
Root was far from alone - Jason Roy in particular deserves praise - but he was, and so often is, the focal point of the sensational innings. He smashed the balls to all parts with a brilliant collection of conventional cricket strokes and innovative shots, plundering 83 runs off 44 balls.
For one of his six sixes he played an outrageous 'reverse scoop' over third man that is the most jaw dropping thing I've seen an England player do since Kevin Pietersen reverse slogged Murali for six. I had to watch Root's shot three or four more times just to comprehend what I'd just seen.
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) March 18, 2016While we shouldn't put too much pressure on his shoulders, it's about time cricket fans extolled the virtues of Root. He's got a cheeky personality that helps to endear him beyond his mere talent. But, make no mistake, Root is a genuine star who is easily among the best three/four British sportsmen around. At just 25 he's already amassed 3,400 tests runs and nine hundreds as well as 2,500 ODI runs and eight hundreds.
I don't care if Root wins Sports Personality of the Year in 2016 but I do hope that he gets the recognition he deserves for performances such as this. Talented performers such as him are rare, we're lucky to be able to say we're seeing him and shouldn't take him for granted.
So, on a day in which England have pulled off the second biggest run chase in T20 International history, let's give some praise for the England cricket team and Joe Root, the world class matchwinner.
