I don't like Cricket

Jimmy’s Diary – Good to be back in an England shirt.

I was pleased with how it went in our warm-up game against Rajasthan. I was itching to get back bowling in an England shirt and it was good to pick up a couple of wickets so early on.

Two good catches by Ready as well. “Well done Manuel [see 11 October entry for explanation of Jimmy’s nickname]”, he said when I took my second wicket, “the girdle is obviously working”. This really annoyed me. He and Alistair had started a rumour when we were at Loughborough preparing for the Tour that before he left to go back to Australia, Troy Cooley had got me to start wearing a girdle and corset to help re-model my bowling action. This really annoyed me, especially because it was Liam Plunkett that was wearing them.

I did ache a bit the next day and Duncan insisted that everyone who bowled in the game should have an ice bath after nets. Saj Mahmood is really scared of snakes and when he was in the bath Ed Joyce and Michael Yardy hid in the undergrowth and started hissing at him. Then they started chasing him with a length of hosepipe and all the boys laughed.

Everyone is in good spirits going into the game with India on Sunday, except KP. He has been moping around because he was annoyed to not score more runs in the warm-up game and also because he is missing Jessica. Apparently the plan was that she would be coming out to Australia, but she has been offered good money to appear in Panto at the Doncaster Civic Theatre, and she may not be able to come over now. Kevin says he understands that it will be good exposure for her career but I think he’d like her to turn it down, especially as she is only a last minute replacement for Emma Bunton, who is doing Celebrity Big Brother instead.

When he’s in that kind of mood KP always talks about how hard it was for him leaving South Africa and playing for England. When KP wasn’t listening Chris Read said he would sound more English if he lost the ‘I’ in his surname and spelt it Peterson. Quick as a flash Gilo said, “Don’t be silly. There’s no ‘I’ in team, but there is one in Pietersen.” KP asked what we were all laughing about but no one would tell him.

Jimmy A, Jaipur, India (as imagined by the I don’t like Cricket Collective.)

posted by cov @ 10:46 am