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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Andy Bull

County cricket’s long-form stories offer something IPL just can’t match

(from top left) Marnus Labuschagne, Daryl Mitchell, Steve Smith, Cheteshwar Pujara and Jonny Bairstow.
County attractions: (from top left) Marnus Labuschagne, Daryl Mitchell, Steve Smith, Cheteshwar Pujara and Jonny Bairstow. Composite: Getty, Shutterstock

Psst. This bit is between just us, please. It isn’t something I’d want to get out in public, especially not when I’m in this line of business, but I need to get it off my chest. I don’t much like the Indian Premier League. There, I said it.

This, like an acceptance you will never play the Dane, is the sort of self-knowledge you acquire in middle age, but admitting it here exposes me to youthful titters on Twitter, marks me out as the sort of man who probably quite likes gardening, sighs when he settles into a chair, someone who, yes, you may well find at a county ground on a free weekday.

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