How do you demonstrate the full potential of the IPL? Get a Kiwi bloke to smack 158* in 20 overs. Here are some highlights on Youtube of Brendon McCullum’s knock.

I’ve not dedicated any writings to the IPL recently because I’ve been busy. Simon Austin at BBC Sport has though, and has written a piece here on “the tournament that will change the face of cricket forever”.

The new Wisden is out. Kevin Pietersen (not naked) is on the front cover. Scyld Berry, the new editor, complains about ticket prices, violence on the pitch, Twenty20, the county championship and a whole host of other things. You can read Mr Berry’s full article here.

When The Full Monty was released in the mid-90s, it seemed to break some kind of social taboo for regular chaps getting their kit off. The WI’s nude calendar which followed soon after, seemingly made it more or less acceptable to flaunt flesh for charity, providing it is tastefully done and there are no bits on show.

So, in the spirit of openness, transparency, almost full-frontal nudity for the benefit of charity and a blatant attempt to boost the gay and female readership, The Village Cricketer is pleased to announce that it has obtained the naked cricketers photograph that appears in the May issue of ladies’ lifestyle bible Cosmopolitan magazine. Buy a copy for your Missus and she may become more interested in the great game, failing that she could learn to be a “sex genius”, where’s the catch?

England cricketers Stuart Broad, James Anderson and Alastair Cook posed for Cosmopolitan Centrefolds to raise awareness for the Everyman Campaign, the UK’s leading male cancer campaign. A marvellous effort that for a very worthy cause.

Another season is almost upon us. On Thursday the MCC take on Sussex in the annual curtain raiser. Am proud to say that I joined a number of other brave/foolhardy players for a fielding session on Sunday morning. The thermometer on the car read 5 degrees, and after a punishing couple of laps of the oval we took catches and did fielding drills for an hour. I still can’t feel my hands, but at least the sun was shining and we managed to finish before it snowed. Looking forward to the first pre-season games this weekend!

Not for the faint hearted this video. It features naked cricketers, in England of all places!

Emily Flitter at the Wall Street Journal seems to have been given the unenviable task of explaining cricket to Americans. The article, Cricket 101: A Primer, starts by comparing it with baseball, gets confused around the notion of wickets, and ends up with a wonderful quote from Simon Wardle (whom I presume is this Simon Wardle):

“It’s an extremely civilized way to spend six hours next to a chap chatting away — it’s like golf, only you don’t have to walk anywhere”

Apparently, Shiv Chanderpaul walked out of a first class game to go to an awards ceremony and didn’t come back. The wonderfully named Lockhart Sebastien said: “this is not a curry goat match“.

Tremendous, England won the test series. 2-1 represents a decent comeback against a Kiwi side which wasn’t consistent enough over 15 days of test cricket, and which (for one reason and another) fielded some fairly poor players. The loss of Fleming to NZ is huge, and makes the already big hole in their top order so big that it would take a dozen Jesse Ryders to fill. The Kiwis have some exciting players, but they can’t rely continually on Macullum, Oram and Vettori to carry the ship. Ross Taylor and Tim Southee look the real deal, but that is only half a side, and they’ll struggle in England. The Saffas will be a much bigger test this summer.

England on the other hand can take heart from coming from behind to win, and I am impressed that they were prepared to bin the woeful Harmison (possibly permanently) following the first test. He has underperformed for too long and I would rather England stuck with Broad rather than harking back to Harmy’s glory days in the West Indies. Hoggard could come back, he hasn’t continually been underprepared for the start of every series.

Apologies for a lack of blog activity of late. TVC has been enjoying a week away in South Wales and have been unable to watch cricket or get on a PC. And what a difference a week makes. England were dreadful in the first test and got a deserved drubbing. Glad to see the boys putting up a better show in the second. Unless the Kiwis pull a miracle out of the bag then the series will go to the final test a tie. Then class will tell, and I am still sticking to my guns that England has more class than the Kiwis. Mind you, I wouldn’t bet my house on England winning the series 2-1.