Many cricket lovers mourn the passing of the English season and sigh wistfully as we descend into the dark evenings and frost encrusted mornings of inter. Whereas it is undoubtedly sad to see another English summer drift by, for those cricket lovers who prefer to watch their sport whilst slumped hopelessly on the sofa, it is merely a gateway to much better viewing.
This autumn, the much maligned ICC champions trophy ensured that we moved seemlessly from the turgid prodding of England in their near-whitewash efforts in the ODI's against Australia into much more fluent affairs.
I really mean no disrespect here but after an endless round of English PRO40 cricket, it is nice to swap journeymen county trundlers for the likes of Steyn, Gul and Bond. to exchange painful 60% batting strike rates for the fluency of Dilshan, Afridi and Sehwag.
And so, Tuesday the 22nd of September saw the first game between hosts South Africa and my own favourites Sri Lanka at Centurion.
With the game being billed around a core of players including Dilshan, Mendis, Murali, Smith, Parnell and De Villiers, Sri Lanka dominated. Batting first they notched 319-6 in their 50 overs and in reply South Africa stuttered to 206-7 in 37.4 before rain put an end to theirs and everyone else's misery.
But this isn't an attempt to report on cricket; I wouldn't begin to pretend I can do that. This is all about the simple joys that TV cricket provides: Inane commentators, spectators who invoke pity and ridicule and that satisfaction at the end of the day when you lever yourself off the sofa and view a perfect indentation where you had lain. A sort of 3d Turin Shroud.
And so on to Wednesday, Pakistan v West Indies. Afridi, Gul and Akmal up against Gayle, Sarwan and... what sorry... no Gayle or Sarwan? Dale Richards.. Floyd who? Well it will be fascinating nevertheless.
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