The Oval - I know it is a sweeping generalisation but from my experience South Africans are not known for being shy and retiring types.
Which is why I was pretty confident Cape Town-born Jonathan Trott would not look like the proverbial rabbit in the headlights when he stepped out at The Oval for his England Test match debut. And so it proved.
He has made a hugely impressive debut by scoring a maiden Test century - becoming the 18th England player to do so and only the third at The Oval behind and WG Grace.
And we must not forget his great catch in the first innings when he snaffled Australia dangerman Michael Clarke at short extra cover to augment England's chances of regaining the Ashes urn....
Read the rest of this entry
In the past when Test Match Special was talking about a Lillee it would have been Dennis, the former Australia fast bowler who terrorised opposing batsmen in the 70s and early 80s.
But there was a new Lily hogging the airwaves during lunch in the fifth Ashes Test at The Oval on Saturday - to be precise.
The singer had revealed to the nation through her prolific output that she was a fan of the game - and in particular (she was presented on air with a cricket book signed by him).
Fellow tweeter Jonathan Agnew got in touch with her and invited her on to the programme and she replied she "couldn't think of anything she would more like to do".
So after an overnight rock star-esque bus journey from a festival in the Netherlands (where one of her roadie crew managed to find TMS on the internet and wired it up to a speaker), Lily stopped off at The Oval en route to the in Essex.
Read the rest of this entry
Before my own blog was launched, I contributed to the Test Match Special blog. Here are some of those entries:
Injuries take their toll on England's lionheart
Andrew Flintoff's announcement he would be retiring from Test cricket was about as shocking as Cristiano Ronaldo's summer move from Manchester United to Real Madrid in its timing.
New-look Aussies out to take Ashes chance
It's finally here. After England's early summer curtain-raiser Test series against West Indies and the entertaining two-week ICC World Twenty20 to whet the appetite of cricket lovers, there are only two words in town now - the Ashes.
Read the rest of this entry
Hi, I'm a senior broadcast journalist covering all sports, but have a particular passion for winter sports. Anything fast and furious like skiing and bobsleigh, and at the other end of the spectrum, the genteel world of cricket and curling. You can also follow me on .
