Life (and cricket) goes on

As we approached the stadium in Chennai on the morning of the first Test there was almost a sense of anticlimax. With the way people had been talking we had half been expecting a battalion at every corner, but outside the ground there was nothing unusual about any police or army presence. Could this really be the Test which had been under such threat?

Getting in the ground itself was something of an issue although we'd actually got past the bit where you buy tickets and show them to get in the grounds by this time. Then came the searches and the moment I knew was coming as they attempted to take my camera. I politely refused and sweet-talked someone into allowing me in although the original security guard was not impressed.

Apart from that, our presence here has been warmly received. One kid had gone to the effort of creating a banner to thank us and on the main scoreboard there were messages texted in appreciation of our attendance. In our hotel there was much excitement about the fact we had come over.

But now the cricket has started it is immediately obvious why this tour should have gone ahead. Instead of discussing recent events, today became about Paul Collingwood's rather questionable decision; about the performance of Andrew Strauss and everything cricket. In a world where life must move on, cricket helped it today.