Anger at Cricket's Move From Free Tv Channel

Record television audiences for the thrilling climax to the Old Trafford Ashes Test match between England and Australia led to calls yesterday for a review of the decision that means live cricket will disappear from terrestrial screens next summer.

Channel 4 achieved its best figures in seven years of cricket coverage with an audience peaking at 7.7 million viewers on Monday evening - 42% of all people watching TV at the time - as England failed to capture the last Australian wicket to win the Test.

But as the broadcaster lauded the figures as "amazing and sensational", and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said nothing was more marketable than a successful England team, there was criticism of the new television arrangements which begin next year.

Sky Sports begins a four-year £220m deal with the ECB, giving the station exclusive live rights to all home Test matches and one-day internationals. Five is to broadcast a 45-minute peak-time highlights package.

Critics fear that the new contract, which the ECB says is essential for funding cricket at the grassroots and encouraging youngsters to start playing, will lead to a reduction of exposure for a game that has suddenly captured the public imagination. On Monday more than 10,000 spectators had to be turned away from Old Trafford as the "full house" signs went up 30 minutes before play began.

David Collier, chief executive of the ECB, defended the Sky deal, but called on terrestrial broadcasters to bid in 2009.

"A number of terrestrial broadcasters have already stated that they didn't bid for these rights and clearly with what's happened this summer, I'm sure everyone will be bidding for cricket because it has captured the imagination of the general public," he told Radio 5 Live.

He said of the Five highlights package: "We've done an awful lot of research which shows that the majority of children and the majority of families watch TV between 7.15pm and 8pm ... that's particularly important to us."

An ECB spokesman insisted: "It was the best deal for cricket when it was done."

Test cricket is no longer one of TV's protected listed events - the so-called "crown jewels", which include the FA Cup final, the Grand National and Wimbledon finals - which are guaranteed free-to-air coverage. In 1998 it was put on a B-list of events which ensure that highlights are shown on terrestrial channels.

Last night Don Foster, the Liberal Democrats' sports spokesman, called for an urgent review. "It is frankly appalling that cricket is not on the list - I wrote to the secretary of state before the Old Trafford Test urging a review and the latest success demonstrates the need for a rethink even more clearly."

Jonathan Agnew, the BBC's cricket correspondent, conceded that the new contract was a "done deal", but added: "While they are being very bullish about the 45 minutes highlight programme on Channel 5, that is the time when most TV sets are tuned to Coronation Street and EastEnders."

He said the passion and excitment of the current series had shown the worth of cricket to terrestrial broadcasters. "It is incalculable and cannot be measured in pounds, shillings and pence. Cricket has to seize the moment and it is more difficult to seize the moment if it is off terrestrial screens."

As accusations flew around between the ECB and rival broadcasters, Channel 4 said it was unfair to question its commitment to the sport. "We bid seriously and we wanted to retain it," a spokesman said. "But this is an exceptional Indian summer or Australian summer - we were losing a significant amount of money on cricket."

It is understood Channel 4's current bid was £19m a year for six Test matches - just over £3m each. The unsuccessful bid for the 2006-09 contract is believed to have been £13.5m a year for four Tests (the second half of the summer cricket programme). Although the money per Test was roughly equivalent, it was easily trumped by Sky.

In addition to the £19m a year for rights, production costs of up to £10m a year meant Channel 4 was spending about £30m a year, while revenue was under £20m. For a commercial channel, broadcasting Countdown and Richard and Judy makes better economic sense.

The BBC, which broadcast cricket for 61 years before being usurped by Channel 4, was criticised for not bidding. A BBC spokeswoman said: "When we lost cricket we had huge gaping holes in the schedules and had to buy sports to fill the gaps. When the new contract came up we went to the ECB to see how we could schedule cricket properly next year when it clashes with Wimbledon and the World Cup. They could not help."

The Department of Culutre, Media and Sport, said the listed events would be kept under review, but there were no immediate plans to revise cricket's status. It said the ECB had to make the judgment between wider TV audiences and achieving higher revenues to support grassroots cricket.

Sell-out matches

· Cricket fans hoping to get to Trent Bridge and the Oval for the fourth and fifth Test matches are unlikely to be lucky - unless they secured their tickets last autumn.

· Trent Bridge, in Nottingham, where the fourth Test begins next Thursday, sold 16,000 tickets for each of the first four days within 48 hours of going on sale. A final batch of 7,000 for the fifth day were expected to sell out yesterday.

· At the Oval, which holds 23,000 people, all tickets for the Test which begins on September 8 were sold by the end of last year.

· Ground authorities are planning a crackdown on touts at Trent Bridge and warn that tickets bought on internet sites such as eBay may not be valid for admission. Last night a pair of £50 tickets for the third day at Trent Bridge had attracted a bid of £310.

· Bookmakers will have to pay out £3m if England win the Ashes.

· Replica cricket shirts are outselling football kits at stores around Britain.