While the focus of attention will be on India and the launch of the IPL, back in England the County Championship begins on Wednesday. The domestic game comes in for more than it's fair share of criticism, but the Championship has developed into a keenly fought competition where the quality has improved with two divisions. In The Sunday Telegraph, Steve James welcomes the new season by saying there is plenty of interest in what will happen.

At least the championship has the excuse of being mostly played on working days. So it has a mystifying multitude of hidden fans. They include the scourers of newspaper scorecards on the train to work; the Ceefax addicts ensconced on the sofa at home, and more recently, of course, the internet browsers sneaking a look in the workplace. Cricinfo, the leading cricket website, says that its county cricket site recorded a remarkable 26-million page views during the 2007 season.