May 13, 2008	Tuesday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 7, 1429

LONDON, May 12: The commercial hub of cricket may have shifted to the Indian sub-continent, but is the game dying out in England, the home of cricket?

A new survey of parents suggests that only one on 10 children in England plays cricket at school. In short, competitive cricket has become a minority interest in schools here.

English parents believe that professional cricketers made far better role models than football stars, according to the survey by poll company YouGov.

”The YouGov survey is a reminder of what exactly cricket can uniquely offer, but also how much more needs to be done,” said Nick Gandon, director of the Cricket Foundation, which commissioned the study.

In the poll of nearly 1,000 parents, just nine per cent said their children received coaching or were part of school cricket teams.

More than half — 53 per cent — of parents of state school pupils believed sporting activities had an impact on children’s academic work.

Nearly 90 per cent thought playing cricket and other competitive sports boosted children’s confidence and helped them develop life-skills such as team-work, discipline and resilience.

But 84 per cent parents said their child did not receive cricket coaching or play in a school team.—Agencies