on a hot summer day in england, i took a break from writing my dissertation and went to edgbaston to watch a cricket match. i got a beer and settled down to figure out the game. after watching the players all dressed in white for about ten minutes without understanding i decided to ask for help. as i was on my own, i turned to a guy sitting behind me and asked if he could please explain the rules.
he started in on wickets and batsmen, and scoring and after about three minutes i interrupted him. "i'm sorry,' i said. "first can i just ask, are there two teams, or one?"
[written 18 october; published 20 october]