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Test Match Special scorer Andy Zaltzman volition not lone get successful Pakistan with each the statistic listeners need, helium is carrying thing possibly adjacent much important – England wicketkeeper Jamie Smith’s pads.
Smith, connected his archetypal circuit arsenic England’s Test keeper, was owed to instrumentality a transportation of pads from instrumentality shaper Gray-Nicolls.
But the 24-year-old's kit whitethorn not get to Multan from India earlier Wednesday - aft the archetypal Test begins connected Monday.
So Gray-Nicolls looked astatine different ways of getting the instrumentality to Pakistan and noticed the announcement of the TMS commentary team connected societal media.
With the assistance of erstwhile England skipper Sir Alastair Cook, a TMS pundit and idiosyncratic of Gray-Nicolls gear, the commentators were contacted and Zaltzman entrusted with the captious cargo.
“When you get a telephone similar that, you person a sacred, beatified work to measurement up to the plate,” said Zaltzman, who is besides a stand-up comedian and presenter of The News Quiz connected BBC Radio 4.
“It’s a immense value of work I’m not definite I’m wholly acceptable for. Destiny deals you the cards and you person to play the manus you’re given.
“I’ll bash my champion to look aft the pads successful transit. You can’t crook down an invitation to instrumentality an England wicketkeeper’s pads a 3rd of the mode astir the world.”
Zaltzman took transportation of a brace of keeping pads for Smith connected Friday and volition alert to Pakistan aboriginal successful the day.
TMS volition person ball-by-ball commentary connected each of the 3 Tests, opening connected Monday astatine 06:00 BST.
And Zaltzman feels helium is repaying a indebtedness to Smith, dating backmost to a fixture involving his region Surrey a fig of years ago.
“I’ve not met Jamie personally, but I went to a Surrey T20 crippled a fewer years ago,” Zaltzman explained.
“We had seats successful beforehand of the dressing country and Jamie was 12th man, inactive a truly young player.
“My lad had his autograph publication and got each subordinate that came up and down the stairs. He got Jamie’s signature 3 times successful astir 8 minutes. Jamie precise patiently signed his book, adjacent though by the 3rd clip I could spot him looking astatine my lad reasoning ‘come connected kid, you person to enactment successful much effort than this’. I consciousness I beryllium him a motion of generosity.”
Zaltzman is simply a cricketer himself, turning retired for Penshurst Park adjacent Tonbridge. He is simply a gritty, left-handed opener who, by his ain admission, “wouldn’t acceptable into the Bazball regime”.
A regular keeper successful his younger days, Zaltzman present takes the gloves “sporadically” and is “quite a atrocious wicketkeeper”.
“I could person taken my ain pads and lent them to him, but I find erstwhile I deterioration them, I driblet a batch of balls, truthful I wouldn’t privation him to deterioration those,” said Zaltzman. “I similar to deliberation if I win successful this position, I volition beryllium the archetypal larboard of telephone for bringing immoderate spare kit aboriginal touring teams whitethorn request taking.
“I volition massage statistic into the pads to marque definite helium takes 100% of the chances and lets done nary byes. That is each I tin do.”
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