When the pandemic began gathering pace in April, there were fears that this would be the first summer in England since the end of the Secon...
When the pandemic began gathering pace in April, there were fears that this would be the first summer in England since the end of the Second World War in which no cricket would be played. Fortunately, it has turned out otherwise. Conditions improved enough for there to be six Test matches, three against the West Indies and three against Pakistan, played in oddly empty stadiums but telecast live around the world.
With millions of other cricket fans, I partook of an intense spell of binge-watching in this time of panic and suffering, seeking refuge and consolation in my favourite sport. Although in the end, England won both series comfortably, the matches were not without competitive interest. And the summer ended, cricketing-wise, on the happiest of notes, with the great Jimmy Anderson getting his six hundredth Test wicket, the first new-ball bowler to join a club hitherto reserved for spinners alone.
Among the joys of following Test cricket in England is that one can do so without guilt. I am a morning person anyway, so can get in several hours of focused reading or writing before the cricket begins at 3.30 pm. The 40-minute lunch break can be used for work as well, and...
