With a spring in their steps and a song in their hearts the England team went off to do good works yesterday. It was heartening to see how willingly they took on their duties on what might have been a golfing or doss around the pool day. So, some might opine, they jolly well ought to as well-paid young role models (but spare us the sanctimony, please).
Graeme Swann and Ian Bell were dispatched to Hikkaduwa, where MCC were opening a Centre of Excellence and a new cricket ground, paid for out of funds raised in a tsunami match in 2005. This year’s MCC president, Mike Brearley, the former England captain, opened both and althoughribbon snipping might not be the cerebral Brearley’s cup of tea he obviously enjoyed both.
Bell and Swann played KwikCricket with 120 local youngsters and seemed to have signed autographs for half of them by the end. Swann, not in the Test team, confessed himself relieved to get a game.
Paul Collingwood led a contingent to the Galle ground as part of the Cricket Against Hunger campaign. The ECB formed a partnership with the UN World Food Programme last year to raise awareness about famine.
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