Cricket Season is Here!

For those of us who, for financial, work or family commitments, were unable to travel to the Windies for the recent tour, cricket season is finally here. The traditional curtain-raiser to the English cricket season (current champions vs MCC) started on Thursday, although the weather allowed no play today.

Durham shape up without Steve Harmison, Paul Collingwood or even little bro Harmy, but the MCC on the other hand have lined up a crowd-inducing side. Michael Vaughan, Ian Bell, Tim Bresnan, Jamie Foster, Sajid Mahmood and Adil Rashid (who played last year, and I tramped along, paid £20 to the MCC, all in the hope of watching him bowl, only to be distracted by wine. To be fair, it was the only worthwhile distraction given the atrocious weather.)

I will be rolling up to Lord's again tomorrow, keeping faith that the start of the cricket season means the start of summer, which means Tractor is able to get the bikinis out and start swapping fake tan for the real thing. Bliss. But it's almost like the gods don't fancy cricket. Or maybe just not during Holy Week.

Speaking of which, it's hard to help thinking dear old KP has some sort of Jesus complex: I come among you, hitting centuries and healing English cricket; but the authorities decide to get rid of me, and the public largely agree to 'crucify' me in the press and Harriet Harman's Court of Public Opinion; I preach about England players needing to hit more boundaries, but it does little use, the public only turn against me. Will I be resurrected as Twenty20 captain? Or will that new prophet, Rob Key (he seems to resemble the Buddha actually) take over?

Apologies to any who may have been offended by that little tangent - none was intended.

I am hoping to see Vaughan bat tomorrow at the home of cricket, and do think there is room for him in an Ashes-winning England side, if he is able to return to the form he struck in 2003. I think he did a cracking job with England, although I think he stepped back at the right time in the knowledge that he was dropping out of form.

I'm desperately hoping for a resurgent England team that might just be able to win in South Africa and heal some of the wounds I still bear from 2005.

Here's hoping the gods forgive us cricket fans tomorrow and let us get some play in, even if it's freezing. Lord knows we'll need it after paying a fortune for the privilege of being among the 30 spectators in the ground.