Some pretty special bat handling to get that lift. Taking 45* off 16 takes some doing. PWI never in with a shout once half the team had run each other out.

IPL strong as ever. As Alec Stewart says, “The County Circuit provides for England”, but 20/20 Franchises are INEVITABLE. Aren’t they?

A few nights ago I opened a delightful present. The Ultimate Book of Sports The Essential Collection of Rules, Stats and Trivia for over 250 Sports, published by Chronicle Books. The author Scott McNeely has some chronic ‘Yankisms’ that made me chortle.

All was going swimmingly until I hit the line :

‘At the end of each over, a new bowler throws to the opposite bastman’.

Oh dear Mr McNelly, please come in to my study. Lowering half moon glasses and peering over the edges, across the oversized desk, as if looking into the Abyss……   Theeroooows Mr McNeely? Theeeroooows?

No.2

‘Unlike in American baseball, cricket balls are not replaced during the match unless absolutely necessary”… oh dear, what about the new ball after 90 overs on a non turning pitch Mr McNeely? I venture the ‘take up’ %  is high, despite as you say, ‘The wear-and-tear on the ball’ being ‘a key part of the bowler’s throwing strategy’.

And finally, ‘Scoring in cricket is confusing to outsiders’. I’ll grant you that. ‘A score of 209/6 means the batting team has scored 209 runs against six wickets’.

Back in the study please. FOR my dear chap. FOR not against!

How can you ever have the enjoyment of saying one two three for five?

Hearing Andrew Strauss waxing lyrical about running the Marathon with his wife, and seeing a picture of him in The Times at CMJ’s service at St. Pauls made me suddenly crack the knuckles and yawn my way out of Cricket Hibernation.

That said, ofcourse, for the somnambulists amongst us there were the early mornings over the Winter period. What could put anyone in a better mood than flicking on the radio in the dismal London Winter fog and hearing of those ‘typical stinking hot days’ in India? Then, the whizz bang tour of New Zealand. I generally lasted until lunchtime with TMS. Talk about getting away with it.

And so, whilst I, much like Andrew will be concentrating on alternative things to Captaining England this Summer, mainly, er.. the day job, I will be b..b..blogging on occasion about all things cricket. Feel free to comment now and again. If the site gets enough internet traffic jams here I might get a free bat out of it. Lord knows I need one, the Long Handle came in handy at the Middleton Stoney ground a few years ago, swotting a quick 50, huzzah, but seems to have had a hole in it for the past few years.

Roll on Summer.

How white are your whites?

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