On the same site, $200 will get you a ceramic cricket ball, which under the terms of the Fair Trading Act should really come with a warning along the lines of “will break into a thousand pieces if used on a hard surface”

A few minutes on the site will uncover a myriad of magically commercialised moments of cricket history to invest your hard earned dollars, pounds or rupees in.

I have never bought a piece of memorabilia despite the constant stream of messages during Tests and one-dayers encouraging me to do so. I wouldn’t get any enjoyment from them and I would be far too embarrassed to show them off to friends or family and having to confess to the price I paid. I would expect sniggers in return.

My own prized possessions are a collection of photos from games I have been to and the memories they conjure when I look at them. Cost = “minimal”……..Value = “priceless”.

The closest I came to buying memorablia is when I bought two replica India ODI T- shirts. The first one was when Pepsi had this promotion going on to exchange n bottle caps for a T-shirt. I paid Rs. 150 (just under USD 4, by current rates) to a Pepsi wholesaler that a friend knew. This was just before/during WC 99. I bought the second one online for a similar price after the Natwest Series in 2002. And wore it through out WC 2003 games that I watched at univ! But I don't ever think I will pay that much, as much as I'd love a keepsake!