3 days ago
Will Ben Stokes be fit for the Ashes?
What a marvellous summer this has been for Test cricket, which is sadly at risk of becoming an endangered species. The dramatic world of the T20 franchise, fuelled by the outrageous success of the Indian Premier League (IPL), has pushed traditional Test cricket uncomfortably close to the margins. The Test matches began with South Africa's remarkable win over Australia at Lord's in the World Test Championship final in June. This has been followed by a thrilling drawn series against India. These matches have perfectly illustrated the greater variety and more exciting possibilities the two-innings game has to offer. In two-innings cricket a side can be bowled out for 40 in the first innings and go on to win the match. If the side batting first is bowled out for 40 in a one-innings game, we all must find something else to do after lunch. These Tests have also underlined the huge importance of the delicate balance between bat and ball. With apologies to the IPL, cricket at its best is not a game of four sixes an over. The T20 franchise's decision to shorten the boundaries has effectively turned the world's best bowlers into nothing more than cannon fodder.
Unfortunately, the matches with India have brought with them a murky historical legacy. To say the least, tempers have become frayed. England claim that the Indians have become unpleasantly entitled while the Indians complain that the attitude of their opponents is one of arrogant colonialism. It was as though the two sides were being captained not by Ben Stokes and Shubman Gill, but by Robert Clive and Siraj-ud-Daulah, the team captains at the battle of Plassey in 1757. India now rules the cricketing world and produces 85 per cent of the game's worldwide television income. England and Australia ruled the game for many years, so who can blame India for relishing the fact that their turn has come? Memories of patronising treatment by England in the past remain. But England also now play in a more aggressive, Bazball style, as Stokes and England's head coach, Brendon McCullum, arrange the game in their own uncompromising way. It is an explosive mix.
On an altogether lighter note, my wife Valeria and I entertained that impeccably dressed doyen of The Antiques Roadshow, John Bly, to lunch the other day at the Chelsea Arts Club. Some years ago, Bly and I took our stage show to the Edinburgh Festival. It was The Antiques Roadshow vs Test Match Special: Arthur Negus bowling to John Arlott. As dapper as ever, Bly still presides with his son, James, over the family antique business in Tring that was founded in 1891. During lunch, he told me that earlier this year he had been rung up by a friend who was organising a conference at a posh London hotel. His principal speaker had pulled out with two days to go. Would John fill the gap? He said cheerfully that he would do his best, but his enthusiasm was dampened when he heard that the subject to be discussed was 'Breastfeeding in Africa'. However, he was able to pick the brains of a friend who was a nutritionist in a London children's hospital. Two days later, John arrived at the venue confident he would not let his friend down. He pushed his way through the crowd to the ballroom where he was surprised to see a big notice proclaiming: 'JOHN BLY ON PRESS FREEDOM IN AFRICA.'
English cricket's main imponderable at the moment is of course Stokes's torn shoulder muscle, which kept him out of the fifth Test at the Oval. Will he be fit for the Ashes, which are up for grabs in Australia this winter? England without a fully fit Stokes brings to mind Samson after Delilah had got to work with the scissors. Will we ever bowl them out and then will we make enough runs? And all of that before it comes to bowling changes and field placings, let alone the prevailing mood in the dressing room. Stokes will go to Australia, but will he be firing on all cylinders?
Finally, back to Norfolk. Our bees have enjoyed this summer's weather just as much as Test cricket's aficionados. The buddleia on our terrace, which has also thrived in the constant sun, has been full of bees. I have been reminded of the old beekeepers' proverb about the decreasing value of honeybee swarms as the summer moves on:
