I’ll be honest, cricket must be the only sport we play in Scotland that I never tried when I was growing up.
Rounders, yes! Cricket, nope.
But any sport that can build to the sort of crescendo that the last day of the first Ashes test match reached will catch my attention on the TV.
I don’t think you can downplay the significance of the impact Ben Stokes has had on the game as a whole.
The five-day discipline of cricket was still the pinnacle for plenty of people who had a real passion for the sport but its crossover impact was on the decline.
And you were starting to see top players prioritise the shorter formats for the money they could earn and the enjoyment factor of the actual games.
That’s why Tuesday’s last day and what it represents was so significant.
When you hear the English players talks about how much they’re loving being part of a team that puts an emphasis on entertaining and being attacking and bold, it speaks volumes.
Maybe England would have won if they’d been a bit more conservative at certain points and kept the traditionalists happy.
Three reds, Steve Smith is GONE! 🟥
Ben Stokes with a HUGE wicket for England! 💪 pic.twitter.com/MetJpqAVlH
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 17, 2023
But Stokes sees the bigger picture for his team and his sport.
You can bet England won’t back down in the second match – if anything, they’ll probably be even more aggressive.
‘Bazball’ is here to stay. When sport advances like this, it never goes back.
Look at the likes of snooker, and curling even, where safety first mindsets are history.
Players and fans will want to see more of this type of cricket.
And they might actually convert me!
I definitely felt sorry for Moeen Ali more than the rest of the England lads.
That blister on his finger looked a really nippy one!
And to make matters worse, he got fined for using a spray to dry it.
Talk about rubbing salt in a wound!
Injured fingers will be pretty standard for spin bowlers, I would imagine.
In curling, even though we use our hands a lot (sweepers in particular) it’s usually feet that cause the annoying small injuries.
The type of shoes we wear take a while to soften up and the blisters they create can be pretty bad.
So bad that in one tournament I was competing in there was a curler who had to go to hospital with an infected one.
There’s a good reason we hold on to a comfy pair of shoes for as long as we can, even if they’re falling part!
I’m looking forward to getting back into a Team GB bubble for a few days.
I’ve had a few months getting to grips with the demands of my role as Chef de Mission for the Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympics.
And the next part of learning the job is heading to Krakow to see what goes on behind the scenes at the European Games.
Olympic champion Eve Muirhead chosen as Team GB Chef de Mission for Gangwon 2024 Winter Youth Olympic Games https://t.co/cUgHwFCJUt pic.twitter.com/yF90658AR8
— The Courier Sport (@thecouriersport) March 13, 2023
I’m intrigued to see how close to an Olympic-type team camp it will feel like.
I do like the concept – becoming a European champion is a massive thing whatever you’re competing in.
And bringing different sports under the banner of one big event can only help to bridge the gap to the Olympics.
Being part of Team GB was always the pinnacle for me and I’m really excited to be back in the middle of it again.
