Langer joins forces with The Times

Walking back through the Lord's Long Room was fantastic, with the mystical and enchanting spirit of cricket's Mecca embracing me like a father embraces his prodigal son. For me, playing at Lord's - in fact just being at Lord's - is an awesome honour and privilege, which I never take lightly. I simply love it! There are few cricket experiences that rival the joys of Lord's for this cricket junkie.

Last summer the home-room balcony at Lord's acted solely as my favourite breakfast haunt and unrivalled viewing position of a county game. For the next six weeks, I will be adopting it as my makeshift office, as I embark upon writing my daily Internet articles for The Times during the World Cup. It may seem odd that I will be exchanging - or at least sharing - my daily routine of playing cricket for a writing job, but this is not a foreign occurrence for me. My kitbag for the last two years has included my trusty laptop computer and Kodak digital camera, along with my favoured piece of oiled willow, and either the green Australian or navy blue Middlesex cricket cap.

Never a computer wizard as a youngster, I am finding the world of digital communication almost as exciting as that of Test cricket. "Almost" being the operative word! As a professional cricket player and part-time computer addict, I am extremely fortunate to find myself living a lifestyle that grants me incredible opportunities to mix the two pleasures. As a result, I have been writing frequent articles on the Internet, sharing my experiences and insights on the 1997 Ashes tour, a diary of an Australian and English summer, as well as "postcards" from Pakistan and the recent West Indies tour.

Regularly asked what I do to relax when I am playing cricket 12 months of the year, the simple answer - besides spending time with my wonderful family - is "I like to write". For me writing is a tremendous escape from the rigours of professional cricket and it has been through writing that I have been able to share my experiences of the last few years. Through the Internet I have been amazed at the number of people who have been intrigued by the daily accounts of life on the road for a full-time cricketer.

It is a privileged position to be able to write from inside the changing room and to talk about characters and team-mates like Mike Gatting, Phil Tufnell, Steve Waugh, Shane Warne & Co. To write about the people and places I have met and visited in my journeys has been an inspired opportunity. From visiting Buckingham Palace, Trenchtown in Jamaica, and the shanty towns of Soweto, through to post-game celebrations and commiserations, the Internet has been an incredibly energizing stage. A stage that, in my view, is unquestionably the future of communications and entertainment for us all.

In the next six weeks I look forward to sharing more insights and views of this year's World Cup. Although this time it won't be from inside the Australian team set-up, I think I am going to enjoy the freedom of a universal viewpoint of what promises to be one of the most enthralling and spectacular events in the history of international cricket.

Can the batting assassins from Sri Lanka, who have names that leave your tongue twisted like a schoolgirl's plaits, retain the title of World Champions? I personally don't think so. While they are sure to provide electrifying entertainment with the bat, I feel they lack depth in the bowling department and will not take advantage of the English conditions with the ball. Time will tell.

The South Africans will be tough to beat in this tournament. Any side who boast the three leading all-rounders in the international one-day game will enjoy enormous depth. Whether they have the extra class to match their discipline and experience remains to be seen, but I think they are certainly one of the outright favourites.

With great players like Ambrose, Walsh, Lara, Akram, Saqlain, Malik, Azharruhdin and Tendulkar, the West Indies, Pakistan and India can never be written off. It is often the trump cards in a team who inspire great performances, and I won't be at all surprised to see any of these three sides lifting the trophy in the month of June. Along with my Australian buddies, who I know first-hand are fired up for the event, and the well-rounded New Zealanders, I think the competition is going to be extremely intense.

Finally, I believe it is crucial for the tournament - and, for that matter, for English cricket - that England play to the best of their ability. English cricket is crying out for heroes, and I can think of no better or bigger stage for these heroes to shine through. If ever the English cricket team has an opportunity to rise to a challenge, here it is in the next six weeks.

It may seem that I am sitting on the fence a little in not making any strong predictions. But I'll leave these for the Internet in the upcoming weeks.

See you on the Net.

This article appeared in The Times World Cup supplement published on Monday May 10.

E-mail Justin Langer

Back to current Personal View