Being backward in coming forward with his opinions is one charge you could never level at Geoffrey Boycott. In the Daily Telegraph he pours forth his opinions on life, the universe and everything… almost. First in his sights is Darrell Hair’s return to umpiring for the first time since Ovalgate in 2006:

The best umpires have a rapport with the players, but Hair's bullying tactics were never going to earn him any respect. Without wishing to rake over old coals, I thought Hair was wrong at the Oval. He was too hasty and too inflexible. Now he has had time to sit down and reflect, I hope he will come back as a better umpire and a better communicator. I have no dislike of the man, nor do I want to see him hounded out of the game.

Here is a sample of his thoughts on another comeback, Andrew Flintoff’s potential return for England:

Flintoff can't be Roy of the Rovers all the time. And let's face it, do we really need him in the side to beat these New Zealanders?

And he pours forth on a hot topic - Twenty20:

There has been plenty of cobblers spoken and written about Twenty20 overtaking Test cricket - a format that has been around for 130 years, and survived wars, revolutions and match-fixing scandals. For me, it's not going to happen. Or, at least, it shouldn't, as long as the people who run the game get their act together.