I attended a test match some time ago in which the English team conceded 362 for 4 on the first day and everyone seemed a bit despondent. On the Monday morning, England won by nine wickets with time to spare. Just saying... 🌞🏏 @georgedobell.bsky.social @norcrosscricket.bsky.social

There was a very good event last evening hosted by @thecricketer.com at the Poppy & Pint pub to celebrate the life of a Nottinghamshire great. Here's a little puzzle on the same theme to complete during the first drinks break. 🏏🌞😀 @georgedobell.bsky.social @norcrosscricket.bsky.social

Celebrating our 4th LGBTQ+ inclusion tournament in Birmingham - featuring 8 sides from across the UK! A great day! Please fill in our survey to help shape the game 👇🏽 docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F... Instagram 👇🏽 www.instagram.com/out4cricket?... @norcrosscricket.bsky.social

I’m at breaking point with that sodding dog on the Vitality ads and we’re not even half way through June, yet.

I would increase the number of kids playing cricket every week by 4000%, and put all domestic and international matches on free to air television while maintaining the value of the current rights deals. Easy to do, but no one has dared to do it properly.

Last night I launched The Women in Whites: A History of Women's Cricket in England into the world. It was wonderful to celebrate the book with so many people who care about the women's game. THANK YOU to everyone who came 💛 PS You can buy the book here - www.waterstones.com/book/the-wom...

Well, that has unequivocally been England’s day.

Well, that has unequivocally been New Zealand’s day.

Still dry in Tooting. This match would be over by now if they played it in South London.

Right now. #movethematchtotooting

In fact, it’s moderately sunny. And the all weather strip on Tooting Bec Common is considerably more trustworthy than the Lord’s pitch.

As usual, it isn’t raining in Tooting.

County Cricket Matters magazine is here & will be winging its way to our wonderful subscribers over the next few days. Thank you as ever for all your support & I hope you enjoy edition 27. To subscribe - www.countycricketmatters.com/shop

Umpire’s call for impact seems wrong. There is no predictive element, is there? For the guesswork thereafter it makes sense, but you don’t get umpire’s call in tennis line decisions.

Good to see Surrey’s Smith brothers both starring in that session.

Switched over at tea to watch Surrey’s women v Essex and am now torn between staying with one prodigiously talented Surrey keeper batter (Jemima Spence) and another (Jamie Smith).

But unlike Australia, England have worked out that the best tactic is to be bundled out quickly second time.

England lead by 99 with 9 wickets in hand at lunch on day 2. The exact same position they were in at Perth in November. Uh oh.

Like Australia in last year’s WTC final, England have bowled their opponents out too quickly and will have to bat a second time on an awkward pitch before it becomes a road tomorrow.

There’s something of the Mohammed Asif about the way Ollie Robinson bowls. It’s beautiful, 79 mph devilishness.

Great to see the debutant at Boot Hill inside 8 balls of his fielding career.

I have just been asked if this is England’s worst first day of a test match summer. How quickly they forget Ireland bowling England out for 85 in 2019.

I’ve seen this before. Brook hooks and pulls the short ball when Stokes isn’t batting with him. The moment Stokes comes in, he ducks it. Then, once Stokes is out, he goes bonkers again. Like a child who thinks if they cover their eyes, no one can see them.

I think it might be time for a spot of Bazball with a view to getting out/declaring soon after tea.

Stopped raining in Tooting

Raining in Tooting

Still sunny in Tooting

After that first ball, I wonder if Gay might be a ‘lucky General’. Good quality to have.

If it’s not bad enough being statistically the second worst team (win/loss ratio) that has ever played over 75 matches in sanctioned T20 matches across the entire world, Middlesex has to play in a kit of the limpest pink which looks like it’s been run over by a delivery van.

In honour of Sam Curran’s birthday, a reminder that he scored 20 against Pakistan on his 20th birthday. Only one other man has scored his age on his birthday in Test match HISTORY. Geoff Pullar, who got 26.

"I became a detective in women’s cricket and found treasure in an old Lancashire cowshed." The Women in Whites is out on 1 June! www.waterstones.com/book/the-wom...

I’ve just realised what Blair Tickner’s action reminds me of; Michael Palin in Monty Python’s Fish Slapping Dance.

Ryana Macdonald-Gay is on a hat trick for the third time in this T20

The @nightwatchmanxi.bsky.social's Matt Thacker and his two daughters are embarking on a properly mad challenge: climb the highest peaks in England, Wales and Scotland in 24 hours. They're raising £5,000 for Chance to Shine and are nearly halfway there. Support them if you can.

Can Will Jacks now be put on the first flight back to London and play for Surrey against Hampshire on Friday, please.

The IPL game between MI and RR started at 11am. The London derby in the Blast started at noon. The IPL game has 6 overs to go. The Blast game has 5 overs to go.

My Tuesday night gift to you: do a search on TripAdvisor for the top restaurants in Pyongyang. The results are a hoot.

Celebrating the ten year anniversary of when Catherine and I bumped into a man in Salamanca who looked like a 50-50 cross between Ai Weiwei and Eugene Terreblanche. (He agreed to have his photo taken because we said he looked like Father Christmas.)

Before this game, 27 year old Ryan Hadley had scored 52 runs in 19 first class matches off 250 balls. In this one match he’s score 55 off 269 balls without getting out.

Courtesy of the great Andrew Samson, I wake to the alarming news that Nahid Rana has scored 4* from 23 balls; his longest first-class innings. The game’s gone.

Oh my. Bunting walking on in Liverpool. This could be the single most euphoric minute of the year. Encores guaranteed.

There’s a lad tearing up trees with the ball in div. 2 this season. Plays for Lancs. 21 wickets averaging 12.1. Good shout for the first test?

As the sun goes down on Tuesday 7th April at @HomeOfCricket who will triumph in the @CricketSociety / @MCCOfficial Book of The Year for 2026? All authors will be present so good luck @timwig @RWhitehead61 @swildecricket @deanbwilson #maxbonnell #vicmarks -fine books by all.

Matt Critchley currently averages 173 with the bat and 1.5 with the ball this season. Keep that up and he may get to carry the drinks for the Lions.

Meanwhile, Jack Leach is batting at 8 for Somerset.

Ben Foakes finally dismissed at Edgbaston, 302 runs after he was last dismissed there.

Here we go.

Where MEN’s cricket? The lamestream WOKE BBC CRICKET MEDIA, have been systematically DESTROYING CRICKET by WHINING that there is too much cricket. Under my ICC Presidencery THERE WOUKD BE CRICKET EVERY DAY. It’s been weeks? They MUST play MORE CRICKET.Thank you for your attention to this matter

Oh, it’s the Vernal Equinoxe today. Which means Hitler will die around 11am tomorrow and VE Day will follow just before midnight.

Meanwhile, one of the truly great pleasures of being home at last is to watch Bunting’s walk on live, on my sofa. With wine. And a fag. Pure joy. #titanium