Tour of Duty
We're here, despite all odds
It seems hard to believe after all the hype at home, the will-they, won't-they pontificating and the repeated inquiries into whether I was going to be here or not, I'm in Chennai looking forward to a day of Test cricket tomorrow
Paul Winslow
25-Feb-2013
It seems hard to believe after all the hype at home, the will-they, won't-they pontificating and the repeated inquiries into whether I was going to be here or not, I'm in Chennai looking forward to a day of Test cricket tomorrow. I'm sat with a dozen fellow fans in our hotel bar discussing this Test, this series and many others that have already gone by.
Security at the ground is heavy to say the least. The chances of getting anywhere near the training today was about as realistic as Jimmy Anderson scoring a Test century. But with a focus on tomorrow, we've found an area of the ground to congregate in.
The biggest discussion as I write surrounds what we'll be able to take into the ground. It seems like nearly everything will be confiscated, including cameras and mobile phones. That's not particularly handy if you want to take photos for the Barmy Army website or need your phone to chat to the media. I applied for media accreditation for this tour on behalf of the Barmy Army but we got refused because apparently websites don't count as media. That seems particularly ironic as I've now got my ramblings on Cricinfo as well.
Full postWe'll support England, but nerves abound
I'm in the process of rearranging everything to follow the series as planned
Paul Winslow
25-Feb-2013
My first post outlined my misgivings about Ahmedabad as a Test destination. If someone had intimated moving the Test to Chennai I'd have been hugely enthusiastic. My wish came true. And I feel fairly rotten about it because the circumstances surrounding the change are not what anyone would have wished for.
Writing about cricket still seems strange. Sambit Bal's excellent column on this site summed up more eloquently and empathetically than I ever could the strange situation we were all put in. Various media outlets were in touch with me in the immediate aftermath of the terrorist attacks asking whether the Barmy Army would still be going and what advice we would be giving. I understand full well the demands of rolling news, but it felt wrong to be talking about whether we would still tour as people were still being held in hotels in Mumbai.
I'm not sure at what point the balance tipped from this being a story about terrorism with a cricketing link to a story purely about cricket, but I reckon within three days that had happened. That in itself is a shame as the issue of sport soon eclipsed the pain and suffering of those involved. As it became the primary focus, attention turned again to whether we would still be going.
Full postWhat to do in times of terror?
At times like these there are more important things to think about than cricket, but for England fans Mumbai is not just the venue of terrorist attacks , but the place we're planning to visit soon in order to watch our favourite game
Paul Winslow
25-Feb-2013
At times like these there are more important things to think about than cricket, but for England fans Mumbai is not just the venue of terrorist attacks, but the place we're planning to visit soon in order to watch our favourite game. So whilst our thoughts go out to the people of Mumbai and anyone affected by last night's tragic events, my immediate social circle all want to know what I'm planning to do about my impending trip and we expect the phones at Barmy Army towers to go a bit crazy today with similar questions.
And the answer is...we don't know. If the tour goes ahead then you'll probably find most people will take the plunge and visit. All of which begs the bigger question of whether, indeed, the tour should go ahead. Everyone's going to have an opinion on this, so I'm already bracing myself for being told what I'm about to say is nonsense, but here goes.
Evidently safety is paramount and advice needs to be taken both from the Indian authorities and British Government. But there's something nagging at the back of my brain that says we should continue if at all possible. There are three reasons for this: firstly, if we don't tour the terrorists have won. They've disrupted the world yet again. Also, for the people of Mumbai having to deal with the aftermath of these events they could probably do with something to look forward to. While they're going about their daily lives in the city it would be a shame if this was enough to put the rest of the word off visiting.
Full postYou're never alone
Because even I am not fortunate enough to travel abroad for both the ODIs and the Test matches, I watch the former from the comfort of my couch
Paul Winslow
25-Feb-2013
Because even I am not fortunate enough to travel abroad for both the ODIs and the Test matches, I watch the former from the comfort of my couch. There's something vaguely reassuring about getting out of bed in the middle of the night (somehow a lot easier in order to watch cricket than for any other reason) to watch England playing abroad.
While the good people of India go about their daily business, I'm guessing an immense percentage of the population is either trying to watch the game or constantly asking for updates. In England there's no sense of the whole country watching events unfold. Instead you know that across the country a bunch of dedicated, or slightly bonkers, fans are watching the game alone as the non-cricket lovers in their households continue to sleep.
But while I might have been watching the game in solitude, the wonders of modern technology mean you are never truly alone. Whilst watching the game this morning I had a chat online to a friend in Mumbai, another to a fellow Barmy Army fan 50 miles away from me and read the comments of both English and India fans on Cricinfo's live commentary. So thank you, internet, for bringing the cricket community across the globe together... now if you could just do something about England's batting line up.
Full postThanks, BCCI. What about the fans?
Whether you thought my last little missive was purely the rantings of an extremely selfish man, or someone who had a very valid point about the Test venues we are due to visit in India, I'd like to think most people will have some sympathy today
Paul Winslow
25-Feb-2013
Whether you thought my last little missive was purely the rantings of an extremely selfish man, or someone who had a very valid point about the Test venues we are due to visit in India, I'd like to think most people will have some sympathy today. Because it's safe to say I was less than impressed to see that the BCCI has asked the ECB to move the dates of the first Test match in Ahmedabad. That's a Test match that starts in, oh, three weeks' time.
Apparently it's because MS Dhoni might be playing in the Champions League final the day before. I can see why this might be something of an issue, but perhaps one they might have wanted to consider when the dates first materialised. Because what no-one seems to have given a second's thought is that some of us have made plans around those dates.
I mentioned in my last dispatch that I wasn't overly enthusiastic about going to Ahmedabad. I'm sorry if I offended anyone there and look forward to being proved wrong, but the fact is I, along with many of my fellow fans, have a flight the day before the Test and a flight out the day after. I can handle a day before – nothing like a bit of exploring – but if they change the dates of the Test I'm going to end up with a flight on the fifth day of the game. Some would say that won't be an issue the way we're playing in the ODIs, but I'd like the opportunity to see the end of the Test if it does go that far.
Full postWest of Eden
If Lord's is indeed the cathedral of cricket, the home of cricket or any other moniker it is deserving of, there is one pilgrimage the hardcore travelling cricket fan wants to make and that is to Eden Gardens in Kolkata
Paul Winslow
25-Feb-2013
If Lord's is indeed the cathedral of cricket, the home of cricket or any other moniker it is deserving of, there is one pilgrimage the hardcore travelling cricket fan wants to make and that is to Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Lord's is on our doorstep but this holy grail seems ever elusive – England's last appearance there in a Test was 15 years ago before the Barmy Army came into existence. All of which makes our trip to Ahmedabad seem more galling.
Those of us who are fortunate enough to embark on every cricket tour that England play don't have to make the difficult decision of which tour to go on with limited time and money available. Some save years just for one tour, others have to choose between one or the other winter tour. And this winter that choice comes down to India v Caribbean. The average supporter is going to head for the sun-drenched beaches of the West Indies every time, which is understandable, but that choice was made a lot easier by the choice of host venues in India.
India is an incredible country – diverse, manic, culturally thrilling – and it's also one of the few Test playing nations with a wide variety of Test venues. Yet sadly no-one's getting too excited about either of the winter destinations. I'm trying my best to keep an open mind on Ahmedabad, but as Scyld Berry is quoted on this very site describing it as "without doubt the most unpopular venue on the whole international cricket circuit" it's difficult to get excited about it. It is not just purely because Ahmedabad is a dry state that there will not be a huge Barmy Army presence at that Test, but the fact it has little else to offer. Mumbai is certainly a more attractive option, but means returning to a venue we were at just a couple of years ago.
Full post