Former England captain David Gower does not wholly subscribe to the belief the Cricket World Cup triumph will drastically alter the state of the game in the country as some are anticipating.
Eoin Morgan's side captured the attention of the nation with a dramatic victory over New Zealand at Lord's on Sunday – the hosts prevailing due to its superior boundary count after the scores were level at the end of both regulation play and a Super Over.
The success was England's first triumph in the men's 50-over World Cup, while the final being shown on free-to-air television in the UK ensured the thrilling contest was available to a wider audience with millions of viewers tuning in.
In the aftermath, several members of the cricketing fraternity suggested the win would have a positive impact on the game up and down the country but Gower – who played a combined 231 Tests and ODIs across a 14-year international career – is not so sure.
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"A lot of people will be jumping up and down saying this will change the whole face of English cricket. I think that's a bit over optimistic," he told Omnisport.
"I think it is brilliant for cricket to have the team on the front pages, it is brilliant for [captain] Eoin Morgan, who deserves every bit of kudos coming his way. It is brilliant for all the players involved, likewise, and for a week or so we will have cricket on the front pages.
"The honest truth underneath it all is for the next generation of potential cricketers to be inspired and given the chance to learn the game and be part of the game, there are a lot of things that need fixing at the lower levels of the game. And schools that don't play cricket are not going to give kids a chance to play cricket.
"Put it this way, from my very special, privileged outlook, I had a father and mother who both bowled to me in the garden, I had schools – admittedly, private schools – where the game was important, therefore without having to bust a gut I had everything there for me to learn and get better at the game.
"If your school literally does not play cricket, then you have to get dad to take you to a club, the club has to have facilities and volunteers. There are two sides to this. There's a lot of very good stuff happening out there and a lot of very passionate people trying to promote the game of cricket amongst younger people.
"There's Chance to Shine, but Chance to Shine is in very little danger of producing a Test cricketer in the next two years. There's a lot of effort going in but there are a lot of things that need fixing too."
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Asked if the expected pressure for change in light of England's win would pay dividends, Gower replied: "Pressure is one thing, but results are another.
"There are schools who used to play cricket that have given up on it. I'd love to bang the drum for the sport that has given me my life, really, and I'm happy to say very hopeful things, but it cannot change a lot of other things, like funding for schools, land.
"You know, if you've sold off your land, the land that might be a cricket pitch, then that's rather it, isn't it?"
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