The Wizard and the Frog: an Ode to Tailenders
'Would you take the gamble?' James Anderson and Matt Horan sit together on a Zoom call. A Bristolian roll-up shoe salesman and England's greatest ever bowler are an unlikely pairing, but a pairing nonetheless. Also on the call are BBC Radio 1 presenter Greg James, and international rockstar Felix White of 'The Maccabees' fame. Across the world, thousands are hanging on their every word, desperate to know if Jimmy Anderson is content with his life, or whether he would risk it all to accept an offer from a wizard to be incredibly rich and have everlasting success, but spend the rest of his life being tracked down and hunted by a murderous frog. The following week, Anderson would play his role as England's frontline bowler in the Headingley test of the India series; the next week, it would be the test at the Oval. Much to the dismay of those who consider cricket a 'Proper' game, groups of people in fancy dress have infiltrated cricket audiences en masse...