A day at the Basin Reserve

Once inside there's a feeling of contentment and peace. A sense of cricket-islanded by the stands, the scoreboards, the bank with its trees, and the high fence, surrounded by the city yet never overwhelmed.

There's a taxi driver relaxing, a financier loosening his tie and reaching for a book, and a grocer dozing. Some give themselves up to the yielding curve of a chair, others to a more primary sprawl on a blanket. It's sharing the day and making friends on the embankment in the hot sleepy air.