callmemadam | Cricket, lovely cricket... (Reply)

…at Lords where I heard it. Heard being the operative word, as of course I couldn’t watch it, thanks to the ECB’s extraordinary decision to sell the rights to Rupert Murdoch, a man for whom there aren’t enough bad words. So, in spite of being confined to the house for what feels like days and days and thus having the rare opportunity of following the match closely, I have had to listen via longwave on my old Roberts Rambler (can be crackly) or via the BBC website (tendency to cut out inexplicably at crucial moments). I really miss Channel 4’s excellent coverage and think nostalgically of last summer, when I was on the edge of the sofa biting my nails.

This match was extraordinary and fascinating as usual. When England declared at 551 for six you probably couldn’t have got odds on there being any play at all today (Monday). That’s the joy of cricket but Oh, England! Butterfingers.