Geoff Boycott still speaking his mind
Alvin Sallay chats with English batting great, who is as forthright as ever on a Hong Kong visit, as he shares views on the game - old and modern
It has always been about batting for Geoffrey Boycott.
It is this aspect of cricket which the former England captain says will be the key to winning the Ashes which get under way in Brisbane on Thursday, and he will be savouring every minute of it, albeit voyeuristically in his role as a commentator for BBC Radio's Test Match Special.
"The batting will decide the fate of the Ashes. And yes, on paper England have the better batsmen, but sport is never won on paper. It's won when you get out in the middle," says Boycott with the characteristic keenness that made him one of England's most successful batsmen.
We cricketers are very lucky. We have a job we can't really call work. Can you?
The burning passion the famous son of Yorkshire has for the art of batting is palpable - even though it has been more than three decades since he held a bat in the test arena - as we sit in the Mandarin Hotel talking about all things great and small about "the English game".
Boycott, 73, was in town last week at the invitation of Tim Murphy, chief executive of IP Global, a property investment company, and it is an opportunity for a trip down memory lane as he remembers his previous visits and the time he spent, yes, you guessed it, at the crease.
"I have been through Hong Kong a couple of times, but my last visit was around 20 years ago. I have played at both the Hong Kong Cricket Club and the Kowloon Cricket Club, where I remember getting a 100 for the MCC, back in 1966," says Boycott.
"I have also played at the old Hong Kong Cricket Club, the one just outside the Hilton Hotel. I still remember rolling out of bed, putting on my whites and walking across the road to the ground [Chater Road] and going straight in to bat. There are not many places in the world where you could do that. It is nice to be back."