A celebration on a damp day,

Rain and bad light throughout the day took the gloss away from the opening day of the Test series between England and West Indies at Lords. The Windies having won the toss and opting to bowl failed to capitalise on the favourable bowling conditions. The bowlers looked rusty after having hardly any practice coming into the game. One feels that the English bowlers would have made better use of the conditions, with Harmison and Hoggard coming back after a long rest and showing form in County cricket.

The highlight was Alastair Cook making his fifth hundred before bad light stopped play. England need to capitalise on the overnight score of 203 and build a big total to put pressure on the rusty Windies.

The highlight for me was listening to the vintage Test Match Special commentary on the radio, celebrating 50 years of broadcasting. You don't even have to be a cricket fan to enjoy the commentary as it veers on to a variety of subjects, sometimes unconnected to cricket. It is like listening to a group of men enjoying a day out watching cricket. The camaraderie and banter is infectious and it almost makes the breaks in play more enjoyable than the play, on days such as yesterday, when the play was rather low key. The chat in between play famously veer on to subjects such as cakes, buses , trains, pigeons flying over the ground and funny costumes of the day.

The last 50 years have brought many vintage moments, and have become a welcome fixture, in England and abroad. It brings something that TV commentary cannot match as it has to be more descriptive and form a picture for the listener. As it is off camera, it seems less formal and more relaxed, which adds to its attraction. Many a time when I have decided to switch of the TV and listen to the radio and that is testimony to how good it is.

Here's to the next 50 years of excellent commentary, with maybe an addition of a female to the otherwise male dominated team.