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Thursday 19 January will not go down as a great day for the England cricket team - and it wasn't the easiest in the Test Match Special commentary box.

While England's batsman were struggling against the skills of Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal, we were battling to stay on the air.

The TMS team are not always known for our technical prowess - it is true that Christopher Martin-Jenkins once tried to make a phone call with a television remote control - but on this day the programme was forced to be at the cutting edge of technology.

As regular readers of my blog will know, producing Test Match Special overseas can provide some very difficult technical challenges - but actually here in Dubai it had been fairly straightforward.

Jonathan Agnew (right) and Geoffrey Boycott commentating for Test Match Special during England's defeat in Dubai. Photo: Getty

In most countries I rarely get any of our broadcasting lines working until the day before the match.

But the team at the Dubai International Stadium had them ready for me to test a week before the game began.

All had worked smoothly on the first two days until around 0750 UK time when suddenly, for no apparent reason, all the radio broadcast lines in the building failed.

Henry Blofeld was in full flight describing England's reply when I had the phone call I dread from the TMS studio in Salford: "Adam your line has gone down, we can't hear you".

Reporters Alison Mitchell from Radio 5 live and Sukhi Hayer from the Asian Network dashed in to tell me they had also gone off air.

In Salford, Kevin Howells sprang into action commentating via a monitor before Jonathan Agnew was able to describe the last few balls of the session on the phone.

Meanwhile I was frantically trying to get the lines working. This involved a combination of rather desperate and hopeful dialling while rallying the local telephone engineers to sort the problem urgently.

Fortunately Kevin in the studio was able to host our lunch interval feature so I had 40 minutes to get us back on air.

But as the clock ticked on it became apparent that this was not going to be a short-term problem.

As 10 engineers worked feverishly in the bowels of the stadium, I was trying to work out whether there was any way of broadcasting other than the old-fashioned phone.

Fortunately while CMJ may be technologically challenged, correspondent Jonathan Agnew is a real gadget man. If there is something new out there, he wants to try it out.

In the corner of the commentary box I spotted his iPad and asked him whether he thought we could have a bash at broadcasting using it.

We occasionally do some short pieces using Skype on the internet - but we have never attempted a full TMS commentary.

But as our normal lines were still not working, we had to try something.

The studio in Salford tried out the signal and said it sounded OK - so I gathered together Aggers and Michael Vaughan to usher in a new era on TMS.

Then we witnessed the bizarre sight of the two commentators passing a small tablet computer between them while describing the action in the middle.

Unfortunately we were unable to pick up much in the way of crowd noise, but the quality of our signal was remarkably good.

I was still working hard to get our normal broadcast lines re-established - so the tablet then got passed to our next commentators CMJ and Geoff Boycott.

Boycs may know about batting technique .. but he knows nothing about technology. "What do I do with it? I have never had one of these," he said, before asking: "Just talk normally, do I?"

Then Aggers glanced nervously as the accident prone CMJ grabbed the device. "Don't worry, I'll hold it as carefully as the holy grail," promised CMJ.

There were a few glitches here and there but we managed to continue this improvised broadcast until just before tea when I finally succeeded in getting some lines working in another part of the stadium and frantically relocated all our equipment in time to resume normal service.

So we were able to describe England's disastrous denouement in perfect broadcast quality - although given the nature of England's defeat, some England fans may wonder why we bothered.

But I will leave the final word to Blowers who at the height of the technological dramas enthusiastically exclaimed: "Skype, iPad and goodness knows what. It's rather exciting isn't it?!"

Well Henry Blofeld may struggle to find many buses to talk about in Dubai, but he'll have no shortage of cranes to describe when the first Test gets under way here on Tuesday.

This is my first visit to the most populated of the United Arab Emirates - and my first impressions are of a city dominated by imposing skyscrapers, but more recently by unfinished construction work.

England will play their first ever Test on neutral soil in an area known as Dubai Sports City, a £4bn development on the outskirts of the city.

The cricket stadium, nicknamed "The ring of fire", is an impressive 25,000-seater arena with state of the art facilities for players, spectators and the media.

The name derives from the innovative lighting system installed into the rim of the roof which we'll see in action when the day/night one day matches begin at the end of the test series. The posters advertising the games use the tagline "Temperatures are rising at the ring of fire".

But although the stadium looks impressive, the setting is bizarre. All around Dubai Sports City there are hundreds of half built buildings surrounded by idle cranes.
It's all rather eerie - a sort of construction site version of the Marie Celeste. The worldwide recession has caused work on many of the projects in the area to cease and who knows if the building work will ever be finished.

England warmed up for the Test series at the ICC Global Cricket academy just a short distance from the cricket stadium. Again the facilities are impressive, but throughout the matches the playing fields were shrouded with dust blowing from the building sites nearby. While alongside the cricket facility lies an unfinished football academy which was meant to be the first purpose-built Manchester United soccer school in the world.

View from the press box

The headquarters of Cricket's world governing body, the ICC, are also located in Dubai Sports City. Again in theory their offices occupy an impressive location - but the proposed canal basin nearby looks a long way from completion so employees are forced to pass the day with views of dusty trenches and scaffolding rather than the tree-lined waterway they will have seen on the initial plans for the area.

Dubai is currently a city of contrasts - in one part of town there is the tallest building in the world, the incredible Burj Khalifa. At 828 metres high it is the ultimate symbol of opulence. But throughout the city you then have these hundreds of unfinished buildings - a symbol of the financial troubles which, despite its apparent wealth, even Dubai has not managed to escape.

In recent months England's Test team have certainly scaled heights as impressive as some of the skyscrapers which dominate the heart of the city - but like the derelict building sites they will feel they still have unfinished business.

England may start the Test series as the number one side in the world, but they have still much to prove when it comes to winning in the sort of conditions they will expect to face here. They may not be playing in the subcontinent itself, but we expect pitches both here and in Abu Dhabi to be subcontinent in nature.

Construction work in Dubai

Plus the Pakistan side England will be facing have put together an impressive run of results despite the many off the field distractions they have had to deal with. Captain Misbah-Ul-Haq has managed to galvanise his team to become an impressive force with a good blend of youth and experience.

The make-up of the England side for the first Test will be interesting. Normally the Test team is straightforward to predict, but performances in the warm-up matches will make the selectors at least think a little harder.

The Test Match Special team selected for the series is led by Jonathan Agnew with Christopher Martin Jenkins and the aforementioned Henry Blofeld. Michael Vaughan, Geoff Boycott, Vic Marks and Ramiz Raja will provide expert summaries. Alison Mitchell will bring extensive coverage on Radio 5 Live, Joe Wilson will report for BBC TV, plus there will be updates and features on the BBC Asian Network.

The TMS coverage gets under way on 5 live Sports Extra and Radio 4 longwave at 0545 GMT on Tuesday. If you miss any of the action, or want a full review of the day's play, catch our TMS Highlights show which runs throughout the afternoon from 1400 on Sports Extra.

And of course they will be lots to enjoy online including the TMS text commentary. Jonathan Agnew's column, behind the scenes photos and regular blogs.

I have been persuaded that a radical shake-up of county cricket is needed.

After talking to several people involved at ECB and county level, I have decided to write down what I think should happen to the County Championship.

To accept this idea you do have to either agree that there are too many matches played at present or you are at least as fed up as I am about the number of times changes are discussed.

I don't like the idea that the Championship should be reduced to create space in the schedule, but I do concede that whilst protecting the first-class game one cannot ignore the money which the shorter formats - most notably T20 - brings in.

What is wrong with two divisions? Not a lot in my opinion and the most recent seasons have created some terrific stories.

However, those of us who like to think of the Championship as being more than just a set of trial matches need to lead the debate and not follow it.

So here goes with my solution.

Glen Chapple's Lancashire would have had to play off for the County Championship title under Kevin Howells's plan to revamp the domestic first-class game (Getty Images).

Have three divisions of six teams (not conferences and not regional). Each team would play a minimum of 11 matches and a maximum of 12.

Matches 1-10 would be played home and away for league points.

Matches 11 and 12 would be play-offs and drawn matches, when the teams have the same points, would be decided by super overs.

In terms of the play-offs, firstly, the teams finishing second and third in each division would play one another. The winner would go on to play the side finishing top for the right to be crowned Champions.

In Divisions Two and Three the sides involved in match 12 would both be promoted.

At the other end of the table, those in fifth and sixth would play one another, the winner of which would then play the team in fourth. The winner of match 12 would stay up and the two losing sides from matches 11 and 12 would be relegated.

Those bottom three clubs in Division Three would be different. The bottom club would play twice, against the teams in fifth and fourth, needing to win both to avoid the wooden spoon.

Overcomplicated it may be but other sports work with even more complicated systems and they make them a success.

Are play-offs fair and good for the integrity of the competition? No. But most other professional sports have taken them on and the majority of supporters have bought into the entertainment and interest which they bring.

Of course the weather is a factor which most other sports don't have to contend with but this promotes entertainment and skills.

It may be tough on what might amount to the same teams in Division Three, but already in the current format promotion from the Second Division is seemingly unattainable for them.

However, this suggestion creates a new sense of challenge which should act as a good incentive.

As I wrote at the outset, if you don't see the need for change and you don't think the lobby for fewer matches will ever win their case, fair enough.

But also be certain that the lobby to remove two county teams from the 18 will not prevail. Fewer matches, in my mind, is the lesser evil.

If you do see the game losing its place even further at the table in the national media and in sporting awareness then at least give the idea some thought.

During the writing of this piece I spoke to someone on the phone on an unrelated matter.

I explained what I was doing and I could hear their despair, and he is someone who has followed and given a lot to the game for many years.

We will not fall out over it because he and I know that we both want what is best for county cricket.

I hope you have read it and think about it in the same spirit.

Changes will take place, I am sure, so let's grasp the issue now.

"My message to the followers of cricket is keep following, keep loving this wonderful game."

This was the rallying call from Sir Ronnie Flanagan, the head of the ICC's anti-corruption unit, despite the jailing of three Pakistan cricketers and the agent Mazhar Majeed.

The message is great in theory - but in practice, just how easy is it going to be to convince cricket supporters that they are always watching sportsmen trying their very best?

The judge at Southwark Crown Court, Mr Justice Cooke, expressed his fear that cricket could be forever tainted by the scandal.

"Whenever in the future there are surprising events or results, followers of the game who have paid good money to watch it live or watch it on television will be left to wonder whether there has been fixing and whether what they have been watching is a genuine contest between bat and ball," he said.

Events at Southwark Crown Court have rocked the world of cricket. Picture: Reuters

I remember very clearly getting a call at around eight o'clock on the evening of Saturday, 28 August 2010 from one of my contacts telling me a big story was about to break in the News of the World.

I immediately called to warn correspondent Jonathan Agnew, but neither of us had any inclination just how shocking the revelations would prove to be. The BBC news that night was difficult to believe as the secret recordings were played alongside footage from the Test match.

I feel incredibly fortunate to have a job where I really look forward to going to work each day. But the following morning I remember turning up at Lord's with the overriding feeling of "what's the point?".

The atmosphere in the Test Match Special box was really strange that morning with commentators having no real idea of what to say. There were even debates about whether we should attempt a "normal" ball-by-ball commentary in the context of what was being alleged. The reason for this lack of enthusiasm was the feeling that if the cricketers weren't really trying - why should we?

It was such a shame because the day before had been one of my favourites as Test Match Special producer. On the face of it, the cricket had been highly dramatic with Jonathan Trott and Stuart Broad breaking numerous batting records before England's bowlers tore through Pakistan taking 14 wickets inside two sessions.

The TMS box was a lively and vibrant place that day with lots of visitors enjoying the cricket. At one point in the afternoon we had our "View from the Boundary" guest, dancer Anton Du Beke listening to pop group Scouting for Girls playing live, while Oscar-nominated actress Imelda Staunton arrived with a cake she had baked specially for the TMS team.

We had an eclectic mix of guests united by their love of the game. Innocently we thought they had fortuitously chosen a dramatic Test to watch. Little did we know that the match would be remembered for very different reasons.

For me it is this loss of innocence which is one of the saddest aspects of this whole story. What I love about sport is the drama and the unpredictability. When I turn up at a cricket match I love the feeling that anything can happen that day.

Teams can fight back from seemingly impossible positions or collapse when looking impregnable. But will we now always believe it? Already, broadcasters are becoming more and more suspicious.

In the TMS commentary box, I normally sit at a desk behind the broadcasters and I admit that more than a few times I have shared a knowing glance with a commentator when a "surprising" incident occurs. It is more than likely that such moments are not at all suspicious, but what is so sad is that we now have to question them.

And then there are the most important people - the supporters. I was talking in my last blog about the worrying trend of attendances falling at some international matches. I raised such issues as too much cricket, ticket prices and scheduling.

But could a factor be that fans want to be sure what they see is genuine? I am not suggesting for a moment that recent games are in question - but it is the perception which is the problem.

I want to keep loving this wonderful game - but the game may take some time to recover.

The one-day international series may be well and truly over as a contest, but we still have the garden of Eden to tempt us.

After another Indian victory in Mumbai on Sunday night, England's players head to Kolkata for two games at the iconic Eden Gardens Cricket Stadium.

It will be the first international match England will have played at India's most famous ground since 2002 after the scheduled World Cup game earlier this year had to be moved because redevelopment work was not finished in time.

Despite the travails of the tour, many of England's players have expressed their excitement at playing at a ground which is sometimes described as cricket's answer to the Coliseum.

The gardens of Eden can be a dangerous place for a man called Adam, but I must admit I am really excited to be visiting the stadium for the first time.

I have always been fascinated with stories of famous matches played in front of raucous crowds as cricketers made their pilgrimage to Kolkata's cricketing centre.

Despite India's success, the crowds have stayed away from the series against England

Tales of Douglas Jardine leading England to a series victory in 1934, games where the passion of the crowd spilled over such as the riots which disrupted matches against the West Indies and Australia in the 1960s or the World Cup semi-final in 1996.

Then there is the game recently voted on Test Match Special as the best Test match of all time when Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman led India to an amazing Test win over Australia in 2001.

It is always the size of the Kolkata crowd that has seemed the most remarkable part of these stories. You hear figures of 130,000-plus people crammed into the ground on some occasions giving their Indian heroes vigorous support.

I asked India legend and TMS commentator Sunil Gavaskar what it is like to play at a packed Eden Gardens. "Scary," he told me, "even for the home side."

But will it be packed when England play in the fifth ODI on Tuesday or the Twenty20 international on Saturday?

So far, the attendance figures at the first four matches have been really disappointing. I cannot remember seeing a single empty seat on my previous visits to India when the home team have played a one-day international, but on Sunday the Wankhede Stadium was less than half full, even though it was India's first match at the ground since winning the World Cup final in April.

It has been a similar story in Hyderabad, Delhi and Mohali with many tickets left unsold.

So what is keeping the crowds away?

There have been plenty of theories offered by some of the Indians I have met in my three weeks here.

The absence of India's "galacticos" must be a factor with the likes of Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and especially Sachin Tendulkar missing through injury.

The nature of India's defeat in England must have put off some looking to buy tickets in advance whilst conversely the one-sided nature of this series may have put off some hoping for a contest.

But as I arrived at the ground on Sunday morning I had a chat with Mumbai Cricket Association managing commitee member Vinod Deshpande, who had no doubt what was stopping people coming to the games.

"It is simple," Deshpande told me. "There is just too much cricket."

That argument seems pretty strong when you look at the schedule of India's players over the past few months. February to April had the World Cup with the emotional victory for Mahendra Dhoni and his team.

The Indian Premier League followed, just a handful of days after the World Cup was lifted, with the little matter of 74 matches before India headed to England for the ill-fated Test and ODI series.

India then hosted the Champions League which finished just days before this ODI series got under way. And that is not the end of it! India are about to welcome West Indies for Tests and ODI's before touring Australia.

The Mumbai official told me that there is a danger of the Indian sporting public turning its back on the game. "People want something new," he told me.

In the Times of India newspaper this morning there was a full page advert with the headline "One Nation. One Soul. One Indian Team."

But this had nothing to do with Dhoni and his side. The team in question was the Force India Formula 1 team.

Throughout the tour we have seen Formula 1 cars on display in shopping centres and airports with excitement growing ahead of the inaugural Indian Grand Prix taking place in Delhi at the weekend.

I don't think anyone is suggesting that Formula 1 is suddenly going to replace cricket as the most popular sport in India, but there is a sense that the cricketing authorities can't afford to be complacent.

Already there have been complaints that ticket prices have been too high during the India-England series, with not enough reasonably priced tickets available to buy.

One Indian fan, Yugam Sharma, tweeted me: "They have priced out the average fan. I went to get the tickets on Thursday, but the cheapest (1000 rupees) were sold out in two hours."

It's not just this series which has seen disappointing crowds in recent weeks.

The Champions League final in Chennai featured two Indian sides and yet despite the television commentators constantly going on about the amazing attendance, there were whole stands empty.

There is no real evidence that Indian passion for the game is diminishing. When I visited the famous Maidan playing fields in Mumbai, cricket was still far and away the most popular game among the thousands gathered.

There were a few small football matches breaking out on the edge of the fields and you do see plenty of replica Chelsea or Manchester United shirts.

But despite such examples you sense it is still cricket which, if properly handled, should remain the dominant force in Indian sport.

Although if the lesson from the Garden of Eden was not to eat the forbidden fruit, perhaps the lesson for those running Indian cricket is not to kill the goose which has laid the golden egg.

The first thing I noticed when I opened my copy of the Hyderabad Times this morning was a full page advert promoting the forthcoming one-day series with England. The headline was "Time for Vengeance - The war between India and England resumes from 14 October."

This was accompanied by a picture of several members of the India side dressed in army combat gear holding bats and stumps as if they were guns and other weapons. The sponsors of the ODIs are describing the forthcoming matches as "the Payback Series".

I think you can safely say that the Indian public were hurt by what took place in England over the summer - and they are looking for revenge.

Captain Mahendra Dhoni (second right, wearing cap) will lead India into battle in the one-day series

Last night on one of the numerous Indian television channels dedicated to cricket, a discussion was taking place with the headline "the Grudge Matches". Former India captain Sourav Ganguly was the special guest and he was in typically combative form.

The topic of discussion was whether current captain Mahendra Dhoni should have been allowed to miss the England series after reportedly asking the selectors for a break from the game. Dhoni has apparently played 112 days of cricket over the last 12 months - all of them as captain, wicketkeeper and batsman. This does not include all the days he has been practising or training.

Anyway, the presenter asked Ganguly for his thoughts, arguing that perhaps England look after their players better by pointing out that James Anderson had been rested for this tour.

But Ganguly came straight back at the presenter. "I would say that Anderson has not been rested," he said, "more likely dropped. Did you see how badly he bowled in the World Cup over here? He's OK at the start if the innings when the ball is swinging, but during the death overs he goes all over the park. That is the real reason he is not here!"

As he showed throughout his career as a player, Ganguly is not a man worried about ruffling a few feathers. But it is another example of how it appears India want to be up for the fight over the next few weeks to show England why they won the World Cup in such thrilling style only a few months ago.

Talking about ruffling feathers, the main topic of conversation amongst the press pack at England training today centred around the revelations expected in the forthcoming serialisation of Graeme Swann's autobiography, The Breaks Are Off. We expect excerpts to reveal that Swann did not believe that Kevin Pietersen was the right choice as England captain and, unlike Andrew Strauss, is not a "natural leader of men". We also believe Swann will be critical of Pietersen's tactics during his short reign in charge.

However, an England team spokesman played down talk of any possible rift in the camp caused by the book, saying that the England management received a copy of the manuscript before publication and had no problems with it.

He added that Swann and Pietersen had been laughing and joking all tour with no problems. It was said that Swann is merely expressing an opinion - and he is a man with plenty of those!

From what I have seen, there is no evidence of any disharmony in the England squad. Instead, there seems a steely determination to succeed in the 50-over form of the game.

I spoke to Ravi Bopara, who began his tour with a crucial knock of 73 in England's first warm-up match. He said that he was excited by the "fierce competition for places" and that the team were focusing on trying to build a World Cup winning side.

He added: "We've won the World Twenty20, we are the number one Test side but the one thing we really want to get right now is the 50-over game. We have a fantastic opportunity to win the World Cup in 2015... probably our best chance in years."

Well, a good start to showing that 50-over focus would be by beating the current world champions in their own back yard. I'll have updates on BBC Radio 5 live and via Twitter @tmsproducer from England's final warm-up match on Tuesday. Then we will start our winter Test Match Special coverage from 0945 BST on Friday for the first of five one-day internationals, with commentary on BBC 5 live sports extra, BBC Radio 4 Long Wave and via the BBC Sport website in the UK.

"England have won ... they are the top ranking Test nation in the world and for English supporters, hallelujah to that"

This is how TMS commentator Henry Blofeld described the moment at Edgbaston when Tim Bresnan took the winning wicket to confirm England as the official number one Test side for the first time in their history.

The beginning of England's reign as number one is perhaps the most obvious "champagne moment" of a summer which finally drew to a close at The Oval on Sunday evening.

I say summer - 2011 will also be remembered as a year where rain of a different kind often tested the patience of players, spectators and broadcasters alike.

Geoff Boycott revealed he was a big Katy Perry fan Photo: AP

There has rarely been a TMS match this summer without some sort of weather interruption.

It was summed up for me when, after working on six successive one-day games either abandoned or decided by Duckworth Lewis, I left my house to play a game of cricket with my daughter last weekend only for the heavens to open just as I'd closed the front door!

The season started with Sri Lanka which proved a challenge with lots of bad weather around. But as TMS stalwarts will know, when the rain starts TMS doesn't necessarily stop. Some of this year's on-air highlights have actually come when play has not been going on.

There was certainly an eclectic mix during one long rain delay at Lord's.
Jonathan Agnew seamlessly moved from hosting a lively debate on the future of Test cricket to an interview with leading sports barrister, the Honourable Michael Beloff QC, to a chat with celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal about the secret of cooking the perfect roast potato!

Blumenthal is just one of the celebrity guests we have welcomed to the TMS box this summer. Formula 1 driver Mark Webber, author Sebastian Faulks and a certain David Cameron MP made appearances on the programme.

The Prime Minister spoke to Aggers during the Oval Test match against India and revealed he had been on the phone to United States President Barack Obama that day boasting about England having the best cricket team in the world and told Jonathan that he'd just starting playing "Boycott Bingo" when he listens to TMS!

Talking of Sir Geoffrey, he has given us plenty of champagne moments on the air this summer.

During the Trent Bridge Test against India, Boycott surprised TMS listeners with his interest in an American singer.

"I like that Katy Perry. . 'Firework' - that was a good record that... She's tops for me. She just has something about her voice".

He also uttered the words we never thought we'd hear him say - "I'm sorry". Boycott chose Yorkshire Day to apologise to Aggers for being "too forceful" in his comments about the Ian Bell run-out controversy.

The sportsmanship shown by India is a firm contender for the summer's champagne moment as is another highlight from that Trent Bridge Test, Stuart Broad's hat-trick in front of his home crowd in Nottingham.

It was Blowers at the microphone for that occasion too - and he almost exploded with excitement.

Henry revealed afterwards it was the first hat-trick he'd ever commentated on in his long career.

That moment also led to some amazing e-mails from listeners who told us how they had followed the drama.

Ben Smith contacted the programme to tell us that his wife was in labour during the hat trick, but that didn't stop him tuning in.

He wrote: "When Broady got his second I couldn't bear it anymore and rushed through to the radio to hear that magic final delivery and Blowers' wonderful commentary "it's straight and true what a delivery!"

"My cheers doubled when I went back through to the bedroom to find that I had a baby boy."

Then Dave Goodman in Newbury told us he was at a wedding listening to TMS via his mobile.

"At the crucial point in the rite of marriage 'If anyone know of any impediment etc..... forward I thrust a short fist in my own world with a quiet but positive 'yes' as Broad took his hat-trick. Two or three aisles turned to look and glared at me at which point my precious phone was confiscated by my wife."

Other possible contenders for champagne moment of the summer include Samit Patel's bat falling apart at Old Trafford, Matt Prior and the windowgate controversy at Lords, Paul Nixon's magic catch on Twenty20 finals day and of course Lancashire winning that elusive county title.

But the TMS moment I have been asked most about this summer was when Aggers almost lost it in the commentary box - 20 years after the famous "leg-over" incident where he and Brian Johnston collapsed in hysterics.

Jonathan was on air with Michael Vaughan when he innocently commented on Kevin Pietersen making an adjustment to his bat.

"Pietersen needed a new bat rubber on his handle and as we know ... it's not easy to do that...You've got to roll it on, down the stick and make sure it's all in place and no floppy stuff on the end ... Michael Vaughan's beside me, it's not easy putting a rubber on, is it?".

Michael responded: "No it's not. .... Shall we move on."

Cue lots of laughter - before Aggers just about manages to say "You know what I meant!"

So what was your champagne moment?

And I'm sure they'll be plenty more this winter. TMS is back on air on 14 October for the first one-day international between India and England in Hyderabad. Coverage details of that and the rest of the winter to follow.

This job I hate. Whoever I pick in a County XI will upset somebody and I'm sure they will let me know.

It is a difficult job when you factor in how many games each player played, on what surfaces and what sort of form their respective sides were in.

I have little opportunity to watch Division Two cricket, so that had to be taken into account. This was the XI I first drew up. Can I stick with it?

1) Marcus Trescothick (Somerset): He's about the only one I think I can get away with without anyone coming back at me. More than 1,600 runs with six hundreds. Moving along now...

2) Michael Carberry (Hampshire): Played in only nine games because of his well-doumented health scare, but look at his three hundreds and the team's turn-around in form after his return, which roughly coincides with that amazing late run they embarked on. I acknowledge it was more the Hampshire middle order and bowling, rather than the top order which didn't fire early in the season. Carberry also has a presence in the field and I don't think there is a better opener, aside from Trescothick, turning out in the county game.

Jonathan Bairstow topped Yorkshire's County Championship averages, scoring 1,015 runs at 46.13 (Getty Images)

3) Alex Hales (Nottinghamshire): Averaged 51 with three hundreds, and has been elevated to open with Nottinghamshire. Exciting talent and he's in at three for me.

4) Dale Benkenstein (Durham): Gets the No.4 position based on averages and reliability. Four centuries and an average of 61 will do me. A terrific performer and bloke. I love watching him go about his cricket. James Taylor ran him close. The Leicestershire batsman struck only one hundred and averaged 38 in Division Two, but he's a good character with a bit of spirit to him. I think he is the best No.4 playing in county cricket and I would have selected him for his performances for the England Lions more than Leicestershire, so he just misses out. Samit Patel, of Notts, also has a case. His stats are good - a couple of hundreds and an average of 42. His bowling can be useful too.

5) Jonathan Bairstow (Yorkshire): Won the Cricket Writers’ Club Young Cricketer of the Year award for 2011 with an average of 46 and 1,000 runs. He's not blameless for Yorkshire's relegation this year but he is a powerful and entertaining player. His only possible danger is getting ahead of himself but futher good guidance will stop that. With that, there will be years of fun cricket to come from him.

6) Ben Stokes (Durham): He's in because those who know him best say we won't see too much more of him in county cricket. So much of his season was lost to injury but the way he started the campaign was exceptional, including the episode of five sixes in one over at Southampton. His inclusion in the England one-day team was poor timing. His confidence was still returning after a serious finger injury and he should have stayed where he was, with Durham. Jos Buttler, of Somerset, didn't fire throughout the whole season so he misses out and he's in need of a full year of consistent performances.

7) Phil Mustard (Durham, wkt): Scored good runs and a very good keeper. He and Chris Read are the best in the country but Mustard gets the nod because of his runs - the Durham man averaged 51 this season, compared to 37 for the Notts captain. Maybe Read's record would be the same at Chester-le-Street but I don't know. Lancashire's Gareth Cross and Ben Scott at Worcestershire are good players but I stick with the Colonel.

8) Chris Woakes (Warwickshire): Reported to have an extra yard of pace this season and capable of match-winning bowling and both match-saving and match-winning batting. He has some impressive figures to show off, taking 56 wickets and averaging 48 with the bat. He couldn't help finish it all off for Warwickshire this season but I know they're concerned about how much work he has had to get through over the last 12 months. Let's hope he gets a break. Watch pigs fly at a cinema near you. Can I find a place for Gloucestershire's Will Gidman for his 1,000 runs and 50 wickets? He had an outstanding season but I can't be certain he is better than those chosen. However, he is a name that is generating a great deal of interest.

9) Glen Chapple (Lancashire, capt): Led Lancashire to their first outright County Championship title since 1934, taking 55 wickets and scoring vital runs late on with the bat. One of the game's most naturally gifted match-changers. Nobody works harder on a cricket field. The other candidate was Nottinghamshire's Andre Adams after another year of wicket taking - 67 for the season and seven five-wicket hauls. Another very close call.

10) Ryan Sidebottom (Yorkshire): Finished with 62 wickets for a relegated side. He is still one of the country's most skillful bowlers and would enhance any of the teams that were succesful this year. My attack is short of a big bruiser but, on the sort of pitches we've seen this year, does that matter? Warwickshire all-rounder Rikki Clarke is a story of vast improvement, while Nottinghamshire's Luke Fletcher has a big winter ahead of him. Whatever shape we find him in next April will tell us if he has what it takes to be a top performer. James Anyon of Sussex couldn't sufficiently build on a fantastic performance in front the TV cameras early in the season against Notts. Kyle Hogg had an excellent season for Lancashire and I would love to have found a place for Durham's Graham Onions. Worcestershire's Alan Richardson and David Masters of Essex deserve mentions. With so many wickets between them, how can I leave them out? It's very difficult because both of them are match-winners but I can't pick either ahead of the ones I've chosen. I stick with Sidebottom.    

11) Gary Keedy (Lancashire): How difficult is this one? Sussex's Monty Panesar took eight more wickets but having bowled many more overs. As batsmen and fielders they each have their moments of worth to a team, even if it's a supporting role. There are plenty of exciting spinners around, of which Lancashire's Simon Kerrigan is right up there. He took 24 wickets in just four matches, including two match-winning performances and one at Liverpool in the penultimate round which kept alive their title hopes. There is Durham's Scott Borthwick and Hampshire's Danny Briggs but I stick with Keedy for services already given and for being part of the Championship-winning side. He just, and I mean just, edges it for me.

So, that XI includes three players from teams relegated and only two from the county champions. Durham finished third, so picking three of their lads is fine, as is selecting Woakes from second-placed Warwickshire. I know Lancashire won the prized title but do any of their top six stand out above the men named above? I couldn't be certain that one does right now. 
 
Please post your own teams and I look forward to reading the arguments for and against. I'm especially keen on hearing your Division Two reviews.

Congratulations Lancashire. Writing the morning after they won the Championship, I'm thinking back to what took place at the end of their victory in Taunton.

Malcolm Lorimer, the club chaplain and historian, was bursting with pride and happiness. As he and I were standing on the Somerset ground surrounded by supporters, players and coaches celebrating he said: "Those 77 years are tangible". He was right. 

As the Blackpool and Bolton lads Steven Croft and Karl Brown saw them home, the players did all the expected things - singing,  jumping and hugging one another.

It was done with smiling faces but the eyes told a different story. One of shock.

Some were tearful, such as director of cricket Mike Watkinson and Gary Keedy. Several of them had tasted defeat and misery too often before and came across as dignified winners from whom the millstone was lifted.

Glen Chapple is a greatly talented all-round cricketer. He is also one of the hardest working. His performance in that final match with such a serious hamstring injury is beyond the understanding of an sidelines observer like myself.

Much is rightly made of the young nature of the side but that collective who have come through the ranks of the second XI together needed the experience of the skipper, along with Keedy, Saj Mahmood, Mark Chilton and, on occasions, James Anderson.

Sri Lankan Farveez Maharoof made himself a popular signing. Kyle Hogg showed us what we've missed through injury and was able to perform on surfaces and grounds which better suited him.

Stephen Moore is one very talented batsman who scored vital runs, none more so than in the last two weeks of the campaign.

Glen Chapple led Lancashire to their first outright County Championship win since 1934

This Championship-winning success owes something to playing away from Manchester but I only have to think back to the Roses match in Leeds and the sheer nerve and application they produced there to be convinced that the story does not belong to the outgrounds.

It belongs to a squad of players with good guidance who can progress from here and do it again.     

I can't feel too sorry for Warwickshire. Twelve months ago they were all but relegated. To enter the final day this year as the favourites to become champions deserves a trophy in itself.

They need another batsman and another spinner, but even accounting for the likely loss of Chris Woakes more often next season, to speak now of a developing squad of players is not paying lip service to their chances of being in the mix again next September.

Durham were too inconsistent in the later stages to be too miffed about their third position. Short of another good seam bowler and maybe some stronger batting long term, they are moving in the right direction and Mark Stoneman was encouraging this time.

If the pre-season pundits by and large failed to spot the eventual top two, then the predictions of Durham imploding in the north east were way off the mark.

It's pleasing to see a descending number wins from top to bottom as well. For the champions, 10 victories in 16 matches is good going.

Worcestershire can be excused if they fancy picking up a couple more draws next season, or they can continue to keep us all on our toes. They took the idea of crazy cricket to new extremes at times.

I wonder if they might look at Lancashire and believe they might turn their group of local lads into something similar. Some additions would be required but they were as competitive as most for all bar two or three hours in nearly every game they played.

It was a difficult year for Sussex, who like Worcestershire, can feel very satisfied with staying up.

Somerset missed Zander de Bruyn and this time they couldn't recover as well from a poor start as they they did in 2010. Supporters in the south west are concerned that unless a couple of experienced players, ideally all-rounders, are brought in next year it might be a struggle.

Outgoing champions Nottinghamshire need runs. Michael Lumb is signed and Alex Hales should be around for another season at least before he gets heavily involved with England.

If bowler Luke Fletcher gets his head down as, for example, Ben Stokes did last winter, 2012 could be the year for him to really move on.
 
Yorkshire's demise is something else. Their chairman Colin Graves, who having become the life support machine of the club, has every right to say what he wants and where he wants about it, and indeed he has.

I don't doubt the players have let them down but I wrote before the season began that international disruptions could be key and a good start was essential.

They didn't get it, and I agree with Ryan Sidebottom when he mentioned the early defeat by Nottinghamshire as being key.

As then champions Notts were tough opponents, but Yorkshire got into position to win that game in Leeds and the panic button was pressed.

They needed more 'know how' out on the park and they were short of a steady 'been there, done that' character when things started to fold. To underestimate the challenge to come back up will be an even bigger mistake.

Hampshire's end-of-season run in losing one match in eight must be a real sickner at The Rose Bowl.

I'm starting to see that the end of one season can have a big impact on the start of the next no matter the six months in between and they will come straight back up. Jimmy Adams looks a good captain in the making.

Lack of time means I get to see vey little second division cricket but I would imagine both Middlesex and Surrey will provide new tough opposition to the top flight, which in turn could mean an even closer, more unpredictable season. No, no, and please again, no. I can't take much more of this.  

On a chilly, windy September night in Canterbury, there was little evidence to suggest that pink ball day/night cricket could boost audiences for the County Championship, but perhaps another step was taken towards the first ever day/night Test match.

As far as boosting attendances, there was nothing to suggest that the 500 or so spectators huddling in a sheltered stand or sipping hot coffee from behind the comfort of a glass window in the restaurant wouldn’t have turned out to watch Kent versus Glamorgan in their end of season dead rubber anyway, but it was intriguing to gauge how the pink ball, black sightscreen and free entry for the ‘night’ session for the England and Wales Cricket Board’s pink ball trial would go down with both players and supporters.

Floodlit, long form cricket is the brainchild of John Stephenson, the MCC’s Head of Cricket, who believes day/night Test matches could be the way to boost attendances in countries around the world who have struggled to fill their grounds in recent years.

It has been trialled in Abu Dhabi for the MCC v County Champions curtain raiser for the last two years, and a number of matches in the 2nd XI County Championship have also used a Kookaburra ball with a bright pink lacquer.

Kent and Glarmorgan were invited by the ECB to test the new pink ball with a view to introducing it during night matches. PHOTO: GETTY  

The experiment in Canterbury is being conducted by the ECB, but Stephenson was at the St Lawrence ground yesterday and was monitoring events closely.

This was the first time a pink ball had been used in a competitive First Class game in this country and there are plans for another floodlit First Class match involving the MCC in New Zealand in October, before potentially staging the first day/night Test as early as the New Year when New Zealand host Zimbabwe. 

As well as placating those who don’t wish to see the traditional timing of a Test or 4 day First Class game tampered with, the biggest stumbling block facing Stephenson remains the quality, durability and visibility of the cricket ball.

At Canterbury, pink Tiflex balls are being trialled for the first time whereupon the leather has been dyed, as opposed to the Kookaburra with its pink coating.

Only 12 balls have been specially manufactured for the game, which was one factor concerning Kent and former England wicket keeper Geraint Jones.

He was unhappy that the match had been thrust upon the players at the last minute and that they would be playing with balls which were totally untried and untested, with umpires directed not to change balls unless absolutely necessary because there were so few replacements.

It was then hastily agreed before the start that the teams would use the pink Tiflex for the 1st innings only, reverting to the Kookaburra for the 2nd. As it turned out, the stitching on the ball split early on in the match and the players just had to get on with it; far from ideal in a First Class match, albeit one which has no bearing on Division Two promotion. 

The performance of the ball got mixed reactions. The days play was quite unremarkable in itself, however a new red Tiflex is renown for its swing and seam whereas the pink Tiflex offered nothing and Glamorgan, asked to bowl first, turned to spin after just 7 overs.

The pitch didn’t help matters though, as it was slow and tired with little carry. Spin accounted for the first 3 wickets to fall but when the 2nd new ball was taken around 8pm, after 82 overs and under lights, it did just a little bit, nothing untoward, and Glamorgan seamers John Glover and Graham Wagg quickly finished off the Kent innings; 18 year old Glover finished with 4-49 off 18 overs as Kent lost 3-22 in 6.1 overs of the new ball and were all out for 237. 

“We got the spinners on very early,” said Glamorgan’s bowling coach Steve Watkins. “But we’re not sure if the wicket had an effect or the ball itself. The feeling from the bowlers is that the ball got soft very quickly and in the twilight zone, it didn’t really do too much.

“We mopped up the tail and it just swung a little bit like you’d expect from any normal ball. You have to judge these things over two or three games though and the wicket was a bit slow.

“In terms of visibility, the feedback from the dressing room was that when the lights came on it was easy to see the ball, but it came at you a little quicker than you expected.” 

“It wasn’t too bad,” said Kent’s Geraint Jones who batted carefully to make 48 and then kept wicket for 5 overs as Glamorgan closed on 2/0.

“Because the seam split, you didn’t get your value off the bat I felt. But also it was a very slow wicket so perhaps not an ideal way to judge the ball because of the slowness. 

“One suggestion would be to get the ball a bit brighter. Once it scuffed up a bit it almost went white, so that was a bit of an issue. And the ball didn’t shine like a red one. It didn’t really seam or swing so that’s maybe an area they need to look at."

There was a mixed reaction from Kent supporters, some of whom were proud that their club was taking part in an historical match, which could have an impact on the future direction of the game; others could not see the need to change the timings of 4 day cricket and felt that the credibility of the Championship and the professionalism of the players was being undermined by them taking part in such an experiment. 

Whether or not the ECB press ahead with further pink ball trials in County Cricket, John Stephenson maintains that the MCC’s trials have always been with Tests in mind, and probably outside of the UK.

“Whether it would be good to stimulate attendances in County Cricket, I don’t know, it might be. But I’ve always talked about Test cricket being the main beneficiary of it. It’s an experiment that is worth trying. 

“From what I’ve seen, this form of the game is viable; 4 day cricket under lights, with a pink ball, white clothing. It works. You can play a game of cricket. There are different nuances of the game that you have to get used to, but it’s interesting. It’s worth trying.”