Joke blazers, and the height of difference
What do you do when rain interrupts play for most of the day? Read the newspaper like never before, take photos, and enjoy the MCC hospitality

When at Lord's, buy a "rain stopped play" umbrella or five • AFP
I was at the game because I watch as much cricket at Lord's as I can, and love watching England. I had thought day three would be the last day and that Bangladesh would probably lose by an innings.
I was supporting England and in particular the three Middlesex players: Andrew Strauss, Eoin Morgan and Steve Finn.
For me, it's got to be a camera with a long lens. I love photographing sport. I also like to see what's going on around me and like to photograph it.
Well, two really. The rain and the farcical on-off play at the end of the day, when they went off for bad light two or three times. At one point a period of play lasted only two deliveries.
After a couple of quick wickets, Finn was bowling at Mushfiqur Rahim and was taken for a couple of boundaries. I decided that this was a fight back and not poor bowling getting punished. It showed the kind of spirit that we wanted to see. Other than Tamim Iqbal, the Bangladeshis seem a bit meek. You feel it in the way they walk around; their heads are down, as if they don't want to be seen.
I had about four hours to fill when I got there. I had brought my iPod as back-up but didn't need it. I met some friends and we chatted over coffee for a while and then I went for a walk around the ground to see what was going on, whether there was anything to photograph and whether there was anybody I knew. I didn't bother going in the Lord's shop because I don't want any more replica clothing or a "rain stopped play" umbrella.
The rebound catch taken by Strauss off Finn. The ball bounced out of Matt Prior's gloves and Strauss just managed to grab it. There was a cheer when the catch was taken and a bigger one when the replay was shown.
Mushfiqur's drive off Finn. The ball was pitched up and Mushfiqur punched an on-drive for four. Later in the over, there was another boundary through third man. I think that was a thick outside edge, but I'm pretending the little wicketkeeper wanted to take on the giant bowler.
The ground was fairly packed although the pavilion had cleared. Most of the day, people were sheltering under cover. It was pretty clear that by the time play started a lot of time had been spent in the bars. Someone in the Grand Stand debenture seats tried to start the Barmy Army chant but got nowhere, and later there were attempts to start a Mexican wave under the Mound Stand boxes but that came to nothing as well. The most cheers erupted when the umpires went out for inspections and the most boos when Billy Bowden brought out the light meter and halted play.
Test cricket is the measure of a team. It's the form of the game that counts and the form that will last after all the limited-over formats have been reorganised and turned into meaningless advertising opportunities. I like 50-over games and my son will watch Twenty20 but it's Tests that count.
Fancy dress doesn't get seen at Lord's unless there's a Twenty20. In fact, being allowed to wear fancy dress is one of the features advertised for those games. The real fancy dress at Lord's is to be found in the pavilion, particularly in the form of an MCC blazer. When one of my friends tried to go into the pavilion at the MCG (I think) wearing his MCC blazer, he was told "no joke blazers". Members also tend to wear ties that show they are a bit more special than the average MCC member. So if they can wear something that's not the ordinary bacon and egg, they will. I Zingari ties are popular, so are the Free Foresters, the playing members' ties, and anything you would otherwise think people were wearing for a dare. I was wearing the MCC/Middlesex tie which is a vile combination of broad red, yellow, blue and silver stripes. My wife said she would leave me if I bought the MCC blazer.
I saw Finn standing close to Mushfiqur as they went out through the Long Room. There must be about 18 inches' difference between those two.
Entertainment at lunch usually takes the form of quick cricket or a band. Because of the wet outfield, the band that came along played its set somewhere at the Nursery End. I could hear the music but couldn't see the musicians. There is also a small jazz band made up of MCC members, which plays behind the pavilion. They always get a crowd, and were in fine form. I could hear them from my seat too.
The quality of the cricket was good. It was more a first-division team playing the one at the bottom of the second division. The England outcricket was an improvement on day two and putting Finn on to bowl at his preferred end also worked. The atmosphere in the pavilion, though, was pretty flat. I sat in the concourse, which was nearly empty.
2. All that rain and the messing about with bad light.
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