I don't like Cricket

Jimmy's Diary - Raring to go

I am sat waiting for our innings to start in a friendly game we are playing against Rajasthan.

The boys have put in a good performance but I was gutted not to have a chance to bat. The lads have been asking why I bowl right-handed but bat left handed. I explained that like the golfer Phil Mickelsen I learned to bat by standing across from my dad and mirroring his right-handed batting technique. Back then I wanted to be a proper all rounder - like Chris Lewis - and I would spend all my time practicing my batting stroke in the mirror. Chris Read said that KP spends a lot of time practicing in front of the mirror and all the lads laughed. I didn't really get it. Belly looked confused too.

It can be quite frustrating sitting waiting for a bat. I'm reading the Frank Lampard autobiography, which is really good. He's a very good writer. KP recommended it to me because he sees parallels between the stick that Lampard used to get at West Ham as the assistant manager's son and the hard time that he got when he left South Africa. Apparently KP sent Frank a good luck message before the football boys played last night, but he hasn't heard back from him yet. Some of the other lads are reading the Da Vinci Code, but Belly says that the film is much better and I've got Steven Gerrard's book to get through next.

I'm looking forward to having a bowl this afternoon. I'll probably post again before our first game on Sunday.

Jim Anderson, Jaipur, India (as imagined by the I don't like Cricket collective)

posted by cov @ 10:54 am