Well, the living room was where it all started for me in the early 2000s.

Facing up to my dad with a plastic bat on a 9-yard strip of carpet as he fired (and spun) down a sponge ball.

The TV would be leg slip. Our entryway would be the slip cordon. Different sofas would man the covers, short leg, and mid-wicket. The first step of the staircase would be mid-on. And the doorway to the kitchen? That would be mid-off.

But I needed to find a way to play when my dad was, you know, working.

So I would begin simulating my own Test matches in the living room. One plastic bat, multiple sponge balls, one wall, and a ton of Tests…all of which I miraculously won.

Pretty damn cool if you ask me.

Thanks to my mum, I later joined my first cricket club. This eventually led me to play more formal competitive cricket for my school and club teams (youth and Men’s), as well as turn out for a few youth minor county and sub-county games here and there.

To those who have stumbled onto this blog today, I ask you the following. Have you ever wanted to…

• find someone who, as a kid, grew up simulating make-believe Test matches in their living room with a plastic bat and sponge ball, chasing down 475 on an imaginary Day 5 bunsen to win with 1 wicket in hand and an over to spare?

• find someone who, also as a kid, grew up conducting their own post-match interviews and in-game commentary in questionable Ian Chappell, Mark Taylor, Michael Holding, and Ravi Shastri accents?

• find someone who eventually realised that a more conventional job may be needed because their living room exploits as a kid were not as astounding as they once thought?

Sound a little too good to be true? Well, all I will say is if any of the above reminds you even a little of your childhood then you have found the right place to hang out: ‘Living Room Cricket‘! 

One of the main reasons for starting this blog was to promote and “big up” Test cricket for all nations.

To me, this format represents the best of what cricket can be. So on my journey here I hope I cross paths with fellow fans who also champion Test cricket.

But regardless of whether it is Tests, ODIs, or T20s, I usually find myself having thoughts on them all.

This blog will publish features and shorter form content which analyse and discuss various topics, including:

1. Team selections
2. Team and player legacies
3. On-field performances
4. Game strategy and tactics
5. Administrative decisions
6. Preserving the game
7. Fantasy XIs