It isn't cricket as we know it Allen
Last updated 11/3/2008 1:01:26 PM
It isnt cricket as we know it Allen
Let's get a few things straight right from the start I don't like cricket – I love it! Antigua?
One of my favourite destinations in the world, a sun drenched island with blue waters lapping golden sands, super hotels, different restaurants and locals, once you get to know them, friends for life.
I wrote the autobiography of Antigua's favourite son, Sir Viv Richards, which makes me even more welcomed than most - and they don't mind that I also wrote Sir Garfield Sobers book, although he comes from another island, and an Australian called Dennis Lillee who caused their cricketers much pain.
I even took a cricket team to play in Antigua way back in the 70's where we, The English Press Cricket Association, accepted our thrashings with good grace along with a glass or several of dark rum and still remained eternally optimistic.
I watched them build the ground by the airport, small, pretty but I never thought I would see England playing there, never mind for $20 million dollars.
Mind you I never thought I would see an American acting as ring master to some of the world's top cricketers, and their wives, but there he is, Allen Stanford, taking centre stage in an event which has increasingly become toe curlingly embarrassing.
There are other things wrong. Apart from the quaint ground not being big enough, the lights are not tall enough(because of the aircraft landing and taking off next door); the pitch(with a distinct ridge) is not conducive to this sort of cricket; these great players are made to look like ordinary mortals as they scratch about for runs and particularly boundaries.