Afghanistan and pink balls

Radio 4’s What’s the Point of…the MCC didn’t start too promisingly, with presenter Quentin Letts referring to the club’s ‘famous egg and tomato tie’. Really? Tomato?

However, if you stuck with it, the programme turned into a interesting, and sometimes revealing, study of the relevance of the body which looks after Lord’s, guards the laws of the game, and promotes cricket to young people.

My highlight was Mike Marqusee, always worth listening to (or reading), who suggested that the development of the game in the US was actually hindered by the MCC. The Yanks just couldn’t bring themselves to play something so English.

The Australians of course chose a different route, and one of their own, former Tasmanian batsman Keith Bradshaw, is now the MCC’s chief executive. Bradshaw even confirmed at one point that the MCC came close to buying into an IPL franchise.

But it all came back to that original question – just what’s the point? The programme’s conclusion seemed to be that, despite all the talk of Afghanistan and pink balls, there is no longer much point in the MCC. Slightly pointless, but completely wonderful.

You can hear the programme on the BBC website until August 1st – just go to http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00k8fmc