Yes you are right to think this is a nonsense heading but “bear with, bear with”. We are talking about cricket. The summer is around the corner and the cricket season is now underway. In so many ways it is the strangest of sports. You go out to bat so that you can be in.

The origins of the game are steeped in mystery. Some claim it was played in Saxon times. Others claim it was invented in Belgium. Yet others claim it was first played by children in the woods of France. Cricket as a name comes from the Flemish work ‘Krick ‘ meaning stick. What we do know is that the first record is listed in 1597. The MCC first set up the current rules in 1788. In 1962 the last game between gentlemen and players took place at Lords. It ironically ended in a wash out.

The game has strange idiosyncratic rules. A bowler can bowl to you but it can be a no ball. Over the years there have been many famous commentators, the best of whom was Richie Benaud. The game has attracted many spoof commentaries. The following two are well-known.

‘The weather here at Lords is rather damp. You can tell it is Dennis Compton batting because there is a patch of Brycream on the surface of the water.’

Another favourite concerns the fast bowler Fred Trueman.

‘Trueman roars past Umpire Langridge like an express train. He bowls and Harvey flicks that away nonchalantly with his chest.’

‘Trueman bowls and Subba Row watches that go past like a man watching a train fly past Kings Cross station’. That Kings Cross station is a terminus does not seem to matter.

The game has produced many colourful characters. Umpire David Shepherd would always hop on the spot if the score was 111. Dickie Bird remains a larger than life character whose dramatic on-field antics amused everyone.

When it comes to naming great players of the game the choice is very much down to individual taste. My selection will not be met with universal approval but here it is.

For bowlers my top three are Shane Warne, Dennis Lillie and James Anderson.

For batsmen my top three are Don Bradman, Ricky Pontin and Brian Lara.

For all-rounders my selection is Ian Botham, Gary Sobers and Ben Stokes.

Cricket was first thought to have been played by children before moving onto the village green. The picture of white clad players on the green is the ideal of a typical rural setting.

The game has clearly moved on with commercial interests. The limited over game of 20 overs and the one-day game have been introduced to attract a wider audience. Women’s cricket is now well-established at international level.

These new forms of the game bring much-needed revenue into the county grounds. Test Cricket remains the key contest. The Ashes series against Australia is the one that really matters above everything.