When, in 1882, an Australian 11 beat an England 11 against all the odds, the incredulity was such that a sporting journalist, Reginald Brooks, published a tongue-in-cheek obituary lamenting the death of English cricket.

It read: "In affectionate remembrance of English cricket, which died at the Oval on August 29, 1882. Deeply lamented by a large circle of sorrowing friends and acquaintances. RIP. The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia."

Since then, all Test matches between England and Australia have been known as the Ashes.

But a far bleaker day for English cricket, which has been experiencing something of a revival in the past few years, came on Wednesday, December 15, 2004, when the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) sold its soul to Sky.

Removing live Test cricket from terrestrial television between 2006 and 2009 will prevent a large part of the population from watching the sport.

Channel 4 has invested hugely in its coverage since it won the rights from the BBC but has found itself out in the cold, despite innovations such as the Analyst and the Snickometer, which have helped make cricket more accessible.

Channel Five, which has been sold the rights to the highlights, has no such track record and cannot be received by a large section of the population, including many people in this area.

What about the pensioners who love to watch live Test cricket but cannot afford Sky? Even more worrying is the number of children who will be cut off from the game.

The ECB said without extra money it would have to significantly restructure English cricket. Given the excessive number of professional cricketers (many of them from overseas) employed by the counties, this might not have been a bad thing.

The ECB says the extra money from its deal with Sky will be ploughed back into the game, securing 20 central contracts for England players and allowing more investment in academies. Such investment is likely to benefit the few, not the many.

The ECB has tragically underestimated the role that well-presented cricket coverage with good commentary can play in explaining the sport to children, who may now never discover the game.

In a world where football takes precedence and little time can be found in school curriculums for sports, particularly such a complex one, this suicidal decision by the sport's own governing body could be another nail in the coffin of English cricket.

-Toby Chasseaud, Brighton