Thou shalt not get caught!

It's the first game of the season and the men of the Wick are as excited as a group of people with a very special reason to be excited. It is, however, only a warm up game.

For those of you that were not aware, apparently according to Rob Key, the Kent skipper, normal cricketing rules do not apply in warm up games.

Key was snapped by a freelance photographer in Kent's warm up game against Notts this week, liberally applying a piece of sandpaper to the ball in an attempt to get the ball to reverse swing.

Key said:

"My conscience is clear. I won't be going out and scratching the ball the way I have in this game in a first-class match but these games are used for practice and are a good opportunity to see where people are... Maybe I've been a bit naive but it didn't really occur to me that this might develop into a match-fixing scandal."

No Bob it just didn't occur to you that you might get caught at a low key, pre-season friendly, where there would be little media coverage, and now your chubby rosy cheeks have been left redder than normal.

Key is a role model - or is that a roly-model. So does that mean we can all now turn up with a DIY store in our pockets to help us get reverse swing? Trip to Wickes on the way to Long Ditton tomorrow anyone?

Also completely un-related, but why do the England selectors continue to ignore Owais Shah? I saw him play his debut in Mumbai, and he was the best England batsman on show that day, and by far and away the best player of the turning ball. John Emburey, Shah's coach at Middlesex, claimed that "his face didn't fit" with the England set up. If anyone, preferably the England selectors, could explain to me why he continues to be ignored, and what Embers meant by his comment Gaaa would be extremely grateful. Maybe he should start carrying sandpaper in his pocket.