But there is no hiding here in Dhaka when it comes to the start of the forthcoming ICC Cricket World Cup. When I got off the plane at the Hazrat Shahjalal Airport you were left in little doubt that the World Cup was going to be big news here in Bangladesh when the jet bridge linking the plane and the airport was decorated from top to bottom with official posters advertising the tournament.

Then on the journey from the airport into the city almost every other billboard was plastered with huge banners urging the Bangla Tigers to give of their best or smiling pictures of Tamim Iqbal and Shakib Al Hasan.

It's also difficult to avoid "Stumpy the elephant" the official 2011 Cricket World Cup mascot. The character is depicted on almost every roundabout in the city with a large inflated version adorning the Sher-e-Bangla Cricket Stadium which will host the opening game on Saturday.

Then on the approach into the city a gigantic cricket bat sits on the side of the road with locals encouraged to sign and offer their thoughts about the competition. This seems highly appropriate as it seems clear the people of Bangladesh want to make their mark on this World Cup.

The catchline for the tournament which features on most of the posters is "Welcome to the ICC Cricket World Cup - the Cup that counts".

I think this is a really interesting slogan chosen by the game's governing body.

Last year the slogan for the ICC World Twenty20 in the West Indies, "Bring It" , was seen as a reaction to the criticism received for the lacklustre Caribbean World Cup of 2007 when the confiscation of traditional musical instruments was used as a symbol of the competition not embracing the region where it was played.

Similarly the slogan this time around appears to be tackling head-on the criticism the ICC quite rightly received for the last two 50 over World Cups which have been bloated with too many matches played over too long a period and haunted by disappointing attendances and poor reviews.

It also challenges the opinion that the 50 over format has a short shelf life in the game.

Of course in one of the host countries, India,Twenty20 Cricket is very much de rigueur after the teams success in the inaugural World Twenty20 in South Africa and the growth of the Indian Premier League.

There is no doubt that the ICC really needs this World Cup to be a success - and certainly on first impression it is are not being let down by the enthusiasm here in Bangladesh at least.

I mention the poor crowds which have dogged recent tournaments - well this doesn't look like being a problem here in Dhaka.

One local resident Sadat told me that he had camped for two nights in a queue hoping to buy tickets for Thursday's opening ceremony and the opening match. Sadly, despite his efforts he didn't manage to get any.

When I arrived at the stadium early on Tuesday, the streets outside the ground were already crowded with traders selling Bangladesh flags and posters featuring some of the Tigers' star players.

The front page of the newspaper Dhaka Daily Star was emblazoned with the headline "Fanfare hits fever pitch" with stories of the excitement growing ahead of the tournament.

The moment I got out of the car taking me to the ground a microphone was thrust in front and I was surprised to find myself suddenly live on Bangladesh National Television being asked my opinion on the competition and what I thought of the facilities in Dhaka.

The authorities here are going to some extraordinary lengths to make the right impression. There has been a campaign to rid the Bangladesh World Cup venues of mosquitoes as organisers try and provide what they call a "bite-free experience" for the spectators coming to watch the cricket.

Dhaka health department chief Nasir Uddin described to reporters that hundreds of workers were spraying stadiums and draining stagnant waters as part of the drive.

Last week you may have read reports of the Bangladesh government trying to clear beggars from the streets.
Unfortunately this is a city of enormous poverty with begging a way of life, but the authorities are trying to take beggars to rehabilitation centres rather than have them hassling visitors to the World Cup.

Local papers have had reports of "a Rapid Action Battalion mobile court busting a printing press producing fake World Cup tickets".

And then there is the security. After the Mumbai terrorist attacks in 2008 and the awful incident with the Sri Lanka cricket team in Lahore a year later security is a massive issue across the Indian sub-continent and that is no exception here in Bangladesh.

All major hotels are operating airport style security with all your bags having to go through an x-ray machine and police checking all vehicles as they come in. But that is nothing compared to the security at the grounds. I can safely say I have seen nothing like the scene which greeted me when I went to try and pick up my accreditation.

The area just outside the ground is about the size of a football field and it was completely jam-packed full of army personnel and police officers all wearing a variety of uniforms.

I made a vague attempt to get close to the entrance where I had been told to come and collect my pass but was firmly told to stay clear.

Then a huge armoured tank appeared with what looked like a fairly serious gun at the front. It was the kind of sight you'd expect on the front line at Basra rather than at a sporting venue.

It is a real shame that this is what is required , but the authorities are clearly taking no chances.

I was also told that steps had been taken to improve the traffic here in Dhaka with what are described as "old cars" taken off the road for the duration of the tournament.

Dhaka is known as the rickshaw capital of the world and I was pleased to see that the colourful two wheel carts have not been banned. However the measures seem to have had little effect with journeys around the city still taking an infuriating amount of time to travel even a small distance.

But even the appalling traffic is not dampening the spirits of the locals. There will be a five day holiday in Dhaka organised to coincide with the opening ceremony and first match.

Thousands turned out on Tuesday to see the World Cup trophy paraded around the streets accompanied by a huge rally with bikes, truckloads of dancers and cheering, drum-beating fans and numerous cultural events have been organised to show the city at its most colourful.

And it is clearly an event the authorities hope will bring people together.

A huge poster of Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan had the headline "Nothing unites a country like 11 common rivals".

At a news conference, Shakib echoed this when he said: "Cricket is the only sport we play a World Cup in. Moreover, this is the first time Bangladesh is hosting a World Cup. It's special to every citizen. It's special to all of us,"

The ICC will be hoping that the 2011 World Cup will be remembered as being special.

The last pair scenario certainly didn't look at all possible for most of the day as wickets fell with regularity, but thanks to a heroic innings from Paul Collingwood and the desperate efforts of James Anderson and Monty Panesar England somehow held on to give Cardiff the memorable debut Test match they must have dreamed off.

"I could go out - I would have a better day if I went out but I won't go out - I will stay in and listen to the cricket and by doing so commit myself to a day of stress, false hope and frustration. In addition my girlfriend and I split yesterday and if that's not enough my cat died last week... they owe me, they owe me."

Well at least Andrew now has something to cheer himself up with and we have a Test which sets up the series perfectly. For most of the last five days the spirit of the 2005 Ashes victory seemed a long way away from south Wales - but it was back in bucket loads on Sunday as a capacity crowd created an atmosphere more common at the Millennium stadium down the road.

The game began with a emotive opening ceremony full of glorious Welsh singing while in the Test Match Special box Christopher Martin-Jenkins decided to greet the new venue with the purchase of a new laptop and excitedly arrived with the machine on the first morning. CMJ's travails with technology are well documented - he famously once attempted to make a mobile telephone call with a television remote control - so to be honest we greeted this news with a mixture of anxiety and dread.

Sure enough, he spent much of the opening morning battling with loading software onto his laptop with various degrees of success. CMJ then surprised all of us by announcing he was keen to join the Twitter generation after admiring the following Jonathan Agnew was attracting on the website. Who knows which technological advance he'll be embracing in time for the second Test?

An amazing cake was delivered to the Test Match Special box on Saturday morning. Carefully crafted by TMS listeners Sarah and Guy, it featured amazingly detailed marzipan sculptures of Aggers and Henry Blofeld, including copies of their books and even an Ashes urn. We are exceptionally fortunate to be presented with some amazing cakes over a summer, but this one really was something special.

So onto Lord's where the 2005 series started also started in dramatic style four years ago. Describing the action this time around at the home of cricket will be Aggers, Henry, CMJ and Jim Maxwell, with Phil Tufnell among our expert summarisers.

I believe Tuffers is the first TMS summariser to release a single during an Ashes series - and if you are brave enough look out for his Ashes Anthem set to the tune of the Rolf Harris classic Two Little Boys released to raise money for the charity Cricket for Change.

Alongside Phil will be a man who also knows this ground especially well - the former England bowler Angus Fraser who is now of course the managing director at Middlesex - while the Australian viewpoint comes again from former captain Ian Chappell plus the former Australian wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist will be back for this Test. We hope he'll be popping into the TMS box to offer his thoughts on the game.

Comedian and huge cricket fan David Mitchell is featured in "View from the Boundary" on Saturday. David, of course, stars in "Peep Show" and "That Mitchell and Webb Look" currently on BBC television. He also writes a sports column for the Guardian.

To help celebrate the launch of the Test Match Special Ashes Archive, we are also going to speak to Enid Todd, the daughter of Harold Larwood, who was the architect of England's controversial Bodyline series success down under.

We'll be joined by two legends of the game in Richie Benaud and Derek Underwood to tell us about a special challenge launched by the English and Australian branches of the Primary Club.

As well as ball-by-ball commentary on Test Match Special there will be extensive coverage on other BBC outlets. Mark Pougatch will be on duty for Five Live throughout the game alongside Pat Murphy, Geoff Boycott, Jason Gillespie and Alec Stewart.

On Saturday morning from 11am tune in for Five Live's new cricket comedy show "Yes it's the Ashes", presented by stand-up Andy Zaltzman. On Saturday and Sunday evening look out for the "Ashes 606" phone-in whilst you'll be able to listen to Aggers and Geoff Boycott's review of the day which will then be able to download at bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket

But for now the Ashes of 2009 are underway - and I for one cannot wait for Thursday for the next instalment.

But if you can't wait until then for Ashes action don't forget the Women's Ashes which conclude on Monday at New Road with ball-by-ball commentary on Five Live Sports Extra from 1045 BST.

Cricket's greatest rivalry always seems to bring about something special - and if you'd like to relive some of those magical moments well now you can with the launch of the "Test Match Special Ashes Archive."

If you log onto www.bbc.co.uk/ashesarchive you can find moments stretching back to the infamous Bodyline tour of 1932/33. As well as great commentary the archive will also include some classic TMS moments from Arlott to Aggers as well as memories from the current Test Match Special team.

A top 40 of great Ashes moments has been selected from Don Bradman's last Test 100 to Jim Laker's 19 wickets at Old Trafford, from TMS summariser Geoff Boycott's 100th 100 at Headingley in 1977 to Ian Botham's 1981 heroics.

There are plenty of more recent moments including another TMS expert Phil Tufnell bowling England to victory at the Oval, the incredible two-run win at Edgbaston in 2005 and even Steve Harmison's horror ball at the start of the Ashes two years ago.

During the lunch interval on Wednesday we'll be hearing some of these moments and discussing why the Ashes is so special. As always we want to hear from you.
E-mail tms@bbc.co.uk or contribute to this blog with your favourite Ashes memories and tell us why you think this series is so magical.

And don't forget to join us on 5 Live Sports Extra, Radio Four longwave and online from 1025 BST on Wednesday morning for the start of the 2009 vintage. 2005 Ashes winner and local favourite Simon Jones will be one of our special guests on the first morning of the game.

I can't wait !

There are some fantastic cricket contests played around the world but for some reason the Ashes always seems to be the most magical and the 2009 vintage promises to be something special again partly because the outcome is so difficult to predict.

We may be without some of the game's legends after the retirement of the likes of Warne, McGrath, Gilchrist and most recently Michael Vaughan - but there is plenty of fascination to see how the new breed perform.

How will the new Aussie wonder kid Philip Hughes do? Can Ravi Bopara repeat his recent great form against the old enemy? Will it be Swann and Panesar trying to spin England to victory?

Then of course, the unpredictable nature of this series is given an extra twist with the opening match played at a brand new Test venue in Cardiff.

Whatever happens over the next seven weeks BBC Radio will bring you all the drama with ball by ball commentary on Test Match Special, extensive coverage on Five Live and plenty more here at bbc.co.uk/cricket - but before that you will be able to hear news of England's squad for the first npower Test at 1000am on Sunday morning on Five Live during a specially extended Sportsweek programme.

Our commentary team for Cardiff will be led by our cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew, who will be joined by TMS stalwarts Christopher Martin-Jenkins and Henry Blofeld and ABC radio's Jim Maxwell, who is with us from now until the end of the summer.

Our expert summarisers include the irrepressible Geoff Boycott, who played in 10 Ashes series, and TMS favourite Vic Marks - with the Australian viewpoint coming from former captain Ian Chappell and ex-fast bowler Jason Gillespie, who played for Glamorgan last season and was part of the team beaten by England in 2005.

Test Match Special will be on air on Five Live Sports Extra and Radio Four Long Wave at the earlier time of 10.25 on Wednesday so that we can bring you the all important toss live as well as the special opening ceremony in Cardiff.

Five Live's extensive Ashes coverage gets underway on Saturday 4th July from 11.00am with a new programme "Yes it's the Ashes" presented by stand-up comedian and cricket fanatic Andy Zaltzman. After that, get your calls in for England's most capped player Alec Stewart as he hosts an Ashes 606 from 7.00pm.

On Tuesday, Mark Pougatch will present an Ashes preview from 7.00pm on Tuesday live from Cardiff with guests including 2005 Ashes winner Geraint Jones and former Australia and Glamorgan fast bowler Michael Kasprowicz, who you will probably remember was the man dismissed at Edgbaston when England completed a dramatic two-run victory.

On Wednesday, Victoria Derbyshire will present her programme live from the ground from 10.00am and Five Live Sport will also be live from Cardiff on Saturday and Sunday afternoons during the match - and Mark Pougatch will bring you an Ashes review at the end of each day's play with Jonathan Agnew and Geoff Boycott.

David Garrido will report live from the ground for Radio One during the Test, while Radio Wales and Radio Cymru will have extensive coverage with Oliver Hides, Steffan Garero and Rhodri Llywelyn all presenting programmes from Cardiff.

Throughout the Test we will be keeping you up to date with events at New Road as England's women defend their Ashes crown. Victory would complete an amazing hat-trick for Charlotte Edwards and her team after winning the World Cup and ICC World Twenty20. Five Live Sports Extra will then have ball by ball commentary on the climax of the match on Monday 13th July.

If you can't wait until next week for your fix of live cricket commentary tune into Five Live Sports Extra and Radio Four Long Wave on Sunday morning from 1030 for commentary on the semi-finals of the Friends Provident Trophy with Sussex against Gloucestershire and Lancashire versus Hampshire - Chris Adams, Jack Russell, Stuart Law and Shaun Udal are among our expert summarisers.

So after all the excitement of Wimbledon, prepare for a cricketing feast on BBC Radio - who knows how many new magical moments will be created.

BBC Radio will have ball-by-ball commentary on all the remaining six games starting with the first women's semi-final between New Zealand and India from Trent Bridge on Thursday with Five Live Sports Extra's coverage starting at 1245 BST.

Then join Jonathan Agnew and Arlo White on Five Live Sports Extra and Radio Four long wave from 1715 BST for commentary on Pakistan against the favourites South Africa.

Geoff Lawson, who coached Pakistan to the final of the competition two years ago, will be part of our team at Trent Bridge.

As you may have read in Alison Mitchell's blog - although England are still favourites to add the World Twenty20 title to their World Cup crown it could be a difficult semi-final for Charlotte Edwards and her team with England having lost their last three games against the old enemy.

England all-rounder Rosalie Birch will be part of our commentary team on Five Live Sports Extra from 1245.

Then it's the second men's semi-final with Sri Lanka taking on England's conquerors the West Indies with coverage on Five Live Sports Extra and Radio Four Long Wave from 1715 BST.

Jonathan Agnew and Tony Cozier will be providing commentary with summarisers including Phil Tufnell and Ian Bishop.

Then on Sunday it's finals day with our coverage getting under way from 1000 BST on Five Live Sports Extra and Radio Four long wave for the women's final.

Jonathan Agnew and Alison Mitchell lead our team for ball-by-ball commentary with former England women's captain Rachael Heyhoe-Flint one of our summarisers.

Then the men's final will be live over on Five Live as part of a fantastic day of sports coverage.

The World Twenty20 final follows commentary on the British Grand Prix from around 1500 BST with Jonathan Agnew and Arlo White leading our team.

BBC Two will have highlights on Thursday, Friday and Sunday evening with coverage of the final following the last episode of the excellent BBC documentary "The Empire of Cricket" from 2200 BST.

Let's hope the final lives up to the thrilling climax to the inaugural tournament with India defeating Pakistan in the last over of the match.

Of course we don't know yet who'll be featuring on Sunday. But for what it's worth, here is my uneducated prediction for you to disagree with.

I think Pakistan will spring a surprise at Trent Bridge on Thursday and defeat the favourites South Africa.

I know Graeme Smith's side have looked unstoppable so far but I just think they could be due for an off-day and if they are, then Pakistan could be the side to benefit.

They have such a varied bowling attack with the likes of Shahid Afridi and of course one of the bowlers of the tournament Umar Gul.

Then I think Sri Lanka will finally end the run of the West Indies at the Oval. Sri Lanka are also unbeaten but I think they have already had their off-day against Ireland but still managed to come through with a win.

Plus the variety in Sri Lanka's bowling attack makes Pakistan's look almost predictable with two mystery spinners in Murali and Mendis, Malinga the slinger and the number one ranked one-day bowler in the world Nuwan Kulasekara.

Then I tip Sri Lanka to edge Pakistan at Lord's in the final.

But as I say my predictions are normally entirely wrong so I wouldn't rush down to the bookmakers on my recommendations!

I just hope we get some cracking matches to give the tournament an exciting conclusion - and I hope you'll join us for our coverage.

You may have read how "Botham's Ashes" was the series that converted me from being a casual cricket fan into a cricket obsessive - but, to be honest, for me it is the summer of 1985 for which I have the fondest memories.

At the cinema, it was the summer when Michael J Fox reigned with "Back to the Future" and "Teen Wolf".

And what a year it was in sport!

Seventeen-year-old Boris Becker won the Wimbledon title, Sandy Lyle ttriumphed in the Open golf at Royal St George's before helping Europe to claim their first Ryder Cup in 28 years at the Belfry and Dennis Taylor enthralled nearly 19m viewers in the early hours of the morning to win the World Snooker Championship.

But fantastic as all those events were, the Ashes was my main focus that summer.

Now you may wonder why I prefer the 1985 Ashes vintage to the more celebrated series of four years before and for me, it's mainly due to one man, David Ivon Gower.

Now don't get me wrong, like the rest of the nation I was enthralled by the efforts of Ian Botham in 1981 but I preferred the elegance of Gower to the muscle of Beefy.

Whereas Botham struck the ball to the boundary, Gower caressed it and that summer he was unstoppable. Another thing I liked about Gower was his vulnerability.

Sometimes you weren't quite sure whether one of those glorious cover drives was going to end up going for four or landing in the hands of second slip.

I remember at the start of that summer Gower could hardly score a run - but then he worked his way to a hundred in a one-day international against Australia and never looked back.

England won the first Test at Headingley with Tim Robinson's 175 the highlight - although oddly my main memory of that game is the crowd running on to the field as Allan Lamb top edged the winning runs and Geoff Lawson failing to take the catch among the spectators.

Then the Aussies came roaring back, winning at Lord's thanks to a masterly batting display from Allan Border, although I remember he was very fortunate to survive when Mike Gatting failed to hold on to a catch at short leg.

The series stayed level after draws at Trent Bridge and Old Trafford. Gower's 166 in Nottingham the highlight , before it really caught light in an amazing game at Edgbaston.

Australia seemed to be on top after finishing the second day on 335-8 before the game changed on the Saturday morning. Firstly, Gower ran out Geoff Lawson before Richard Ellison took his sixth wicket to finish off Australia's first innings.

But then the day belonged to a wonderful 300-plus partnership between Gower and Robinson. I was away in Wales on scout camp that weekend and I remember listening to Test Match Special while sitting in a bivouac which I had helped to assemble in the forest out of twigs and fern leaves.

It was a gloriously sunny afternoon and I didn't think life could get much better hearing about my hero Gower taking the Australian bowling attack apart.

Mike Gatting also scored a century to add to the Aussies misery before Botham struck his first ball for six as England pushed towards the declaration.

After Sunday's rest day I returned from scout camp and I remember making sure I was set up early in the living room with TV and radio on ready for the fourth day's play which ended in the most dramatic of fashions.

Ellison struck four times including crucially bowling Border to leave Australia 37-5 at the close of play - but I am pretty sure that BBC Television did not actually show the last half hour of that day because bad weather extended the game for so long they had to go to another programme and I recall taking my radio outside to so that I could listen to the action while continuing my battle against my older brother's fast bowling.

So, surely England were going to win and take the lead in the series - just five wickets to take on the final day.

I lived in Walsall at the time, only a few miles from Edgbaston, and I recall the massive dissapointment I felt when I drew back the curtains on the Tuesday morning to see torrential rain.

Sometimes I didn't mind the odd bad weather interuption during a Test match because it meant some entertaining banter on TMS and highlights of great matches on BBC TV, but on that day the last thing we needed was heavy rain.

I just couldn't see how they would get any play in that day, but somehow the rain stopped and the teams managed to get on.

For a while England's bowlers were frustrated before a freak dismissal of wicketkeeper Wayne Phillips caught by Gower off Allan Lamb's boot.

Richie Benaud insisted on the TV that he could not tell if the ball had hit the ground or not - it seemed perfectly clear to me as I'm sure it did to most England fans.

The other Australian wickets fell to guarantee England arrived at the Oval , as they did in 2005, needing to avoid defeat to regain the Ashes.

But while in 2005 the result was still unsure until late afternoon on the fifth day, in 1985 a thrilling 300-run partnership between Gower and Graham Gooch secured the series for England on the first day.

I remember it was another gloriously sunny day and I was away on a family holiday listening to the commentary on the beach.

Before play started I recall hearing Rory Bremner's satirical version of Paul Hardcastle's hit record "19" on the radio, "N . N..N Nineteen not out".

His version of the song was based on Gower's batting average in the series against the West Indies the previous summer and included some brilliant impressions of the likes of Benaud, Fred Trueman and Brian Johnston.

Fortunately Gower's average in the summer of 1985 was much more healthy and five days later he was being presented with the Ashes urn on the balcolny at the Oval.

Although the win was based on the performances of the likes of Gower, Gatting, Botham and Embury - England also used the likes of Arnie Sidebottom , Les Taylor and even our own Jonathan Agnew in the series and it was Taylor who held the catch to secure the Ashes.

Two years later Gladstone Small did the same at the MCG as an unfancied England retained the Ashes down under with Gatting as captain.

At that time England winning the Ashes seemed almost routine - yet of course we had to wait 18 years before Michael Vaughan managed to wrestle the urn back.

(YOU CAN HEAR HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 1985 AND 1986/87 ASHES AS PART OF "THE ASHES YEARS", TUESDAY 16 JUNE AT 2100 BST)

You see my older brother was supporting England and therefore of course I had to go for the opposition. After the opening Test matches at Trent Bridge and Lord's it appeared my faith in Kim Hughes's side was well-placed and when England were forced to follow on in Leeds, I felt sure that bragging rights in the Mountford household would at last belong to me.

What followed of course has now gone down in sporting history as England's incredible fightback at Headingley, dramatic victory in Birmingham and subsequent Ashes-clinching success at Old Trafford turned me, as I'm sure it did many other nine-year-olds, from being a casual cricket watcher to being a cricket obsessive.

Although many of my memories from that year come from watching the drama unfold on BBC Television, who can forget for example Richie Benaud's description of yet another Botham six: "It's gone straight into the confectionery stall and out again".

This was also the summer where I first discovered the magic of Test Match Special. I can still recall the very words Henry Blofeld used when describing the end of that sensational third Test: "Bright's bowled, the middle stump's out of the ground, England have won".

I remember that afternoon when Willis produced his 8-43. I was forced by my inconsiderate mother to accompany her on a shopping trip. All I wanted to do was keep in touch in whatever way I could to the drama unfolding at Headingley . Whenever we were in the car I forced her to tune the radio to TMS, at any opportunity I would sneak off to the nearest television shop to take a glance of the action and I even remember forcing a sales assistant in one shop to let me look at Ceefax so I could check out the latest scorecard.

I was totally gripped by that cricketing summer. Although the recent BBC time travel drama 'Ashes to Ashes'set in 1981 takes its name from the early eighties David Bowie record, as far as I was concerned there was only one Ashes on my mind that year.

There was quite a lot going on I seem to recall that summer - the shooting of Pope John Paul II , the start of the Toxteth riots, 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' was on at the cinema and of course the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana took place a few days after the Headingley Test. But for me July 29 was marked not by getting ready for a Royal street party, but by getting prepared for the Edgbaston Test which began next day.

By the fourth Test of that series my aim was not to miss a single ball of the game, so I carried a portable radio with me on the rare occasion when I was forced to leave the sitting-room. Then come close of play I would be straight outside where my brother would be Bob Willis thundering in from the garden fence end and I would be Kim Hughes trying to repel him. I was always a big fan of Kim Hughes but to this day I have no idea why.

As I grew to understand the game more I realised that his captaincy in this series was open to a lot of criticism especially when compared with that of Mike Brearley who returned to the side at the age of 39 to mastermind one of sport's great comebacks.

As a series, 1981 seemed to have everything and until the Ashes of 2005 I thought it may never be surpassed as a cricketing event. There was personal triumph after adversity with Ian Botham both resigning and being sacked following his pair in the second Test at Lord's when he returned to the famous Long Room to silence. Yet a few days later his barnstorming 149 at Headingley rescued the series and opened the way for Willis to be the hero on the final day.

There was a young hero in Graham Dilley who actually outscored Botham during their thrilling partnership in Leeds and held a crucial catch on the boundary towards the climax of the game. And as I mentioned there was the return of the grey-haired genius Brearley, about who Rodney Hogg famously remarked: "He had a degree in people". England were at one stage quoted as 500-1 against to win that Test match and after pulling off the miracle victory the England team were forced to beg their opponents for some of champagne the Australians had on ice for what they believed would be a comfortable victory.

Headingley may be the game which is most widely remembered but the England win at Edgbaston was equally amazing.

In a low-scoring game where no batsman scored a half-century, England secured a 29-run win thanks to an incredible spell of 5-1 from Botham as Australia seemed destined to take the advantage again. Then at Old Trafford, Botham hooked the Aussies out of the series with a brilliant 118 including several swats off Dennis Lillee played with his eyes closed described by Richie Benaud as "like he was swatting a fly". The Ashes were England's again and Botham was a national hero.

Those summer months left an indelible mark on me. For ever more the number 149 means just one thing, Botham's score at Headingley. I would bore family and friends with tales of those who played more minor parts in the series such as Mike Whitney, Dirk Welham, Chris Tavare and Paul Parker. Or I would test fellow cricket lovers with 1981 trivia such as: "Did you know England used three different wicket keepers during that series ... Downton, Taylor and Knott?".

But more than anything else that summer of 1981 was not about statistics or trivia - it was about amazing sporting drama featuring great personalities - Botham, Willis, Lillee, Marsh to name but a few. It was about a team coming back from the dead and producing the most unexpected of comebacks.

And at the end of that summer I didn't even mind that my older brother, yet again, was the one who had backed the right side.

(YOU CAN HEAR CLASSIC MOMENTS FROM THE TEST MATCH SPECIAL ASHES ARCHIVE ON BBC FIVE LIVE DURING FIVE LIVE SPORT, 9PM MONDAY 15TH JUNE. IF YOU HAVE ANY MEMORIES OF 1981 LEAVE THEM ON THIS BLOG AND WE'LL TRY AND INCLUDE THEM ON THE PROGRAMME)

After all that Ireland's progression to the later stages of another ICC World Tournament seemed almost routine.

This World Twenty20 may not be liked by everyone, but there is something thrilling about seeing most of the greatest players on the planet performing over such a compact period of time. Already there have been so many highlights and so many amazing performances with the improvisation of Tillakaratne Dilshan, the big-hitting of Chris Gayle and the mystery of Ajantha Mendis my personal favourites.

But now the tournament really hots up with the remaining eight teams split into two groups as they battle to reach the semi-finals. Plus we have the extra bonus of the Women's World Twenty20 getting under way to run alongside the men's event.

Both England's men and women play on Thursday with India the opponents for Charlotte Edwards and her world champions at Taunton whilst Paul Collingwood leads his team against one of the tournament favourites South Africa at Trent Bridge.

Five Live Sports Extra and Radio Four long wave will have commentary from 1715 BST with Jonathan Agnew leading our team alongside Simon Hughes, Arlo White, Dermot Reeve and Jeremy Coney. Meanwhile Alison Mitchell will bring updates from Taunton - there will be reports on all of England's women's group games plus commentary on the women's semi-finals and final.

The Super Eights begin at 1330 BST on Thursday with Ireland's attempt to produce another shock as they take on injury-hit New Zealand. Five Live Sports Extra's coverage begins at 1315.

As well as our commentary on Thursday, listen out for the latest Phil Tufnell Cricket Show, which is part of Five Live Sport from 1900 BST. Shaun Udal, who lifted the domestic Twenty20 Cup last season, is one of Phil's guests.

On Friday the action moves to Lord's with the man who coached Pakistan to the World Twenty20 Final two years ago, Geoff Lawson, part of the Sports Extra team bringing you Pakistan v Sri Lanka from 1315 BST before holders India play West Indies from 1715 with commentary also on Radio Four long wave. Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar joins England's most capped player Alec Stewart and West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop in our commentary box.

Then at the weekend look out for two games broadcast on Five Live as New Zealand take on Pakistan from 1730 BST on Saturday and then the mouth-watering prospect of hosts v holders as England play India on Sunday evening.

Of course many people who bought tickets for Monday evening at The Oval may have been hoping for the first England-Australia meeting of the summer.

But if you are still looking for an Ashes fix then after the commentary on England v the West Indies on Five Live Sports Extra and Radio Four long wave look out for a new series on Five Live from 2100 BST "The Ashes Years", as Arlo White is joined by guests including Bob Willis and Mike Gatting to look back on the legendary 1981 series.

This is just one of the programmes to go along with the launch of our Test Match Special Ashes Archive which is already available to have a look at - all the details at bbc.co.uk/cricket (UK users only).

And don't forget as well as all BBC Radio's cricket coverage there are nightly TV highlights of the World Twenty20, plus look out on Sunday night for the latest episode in the excellent "Empire of Cricket" documentary series.

Now the tournament is back and its happening right here! The most exciting cricketers in the world are arriving in the UK ready to compete in the second World Twenty20 - and you will be able to follow all the action on the BBC.

We will be providing ball-by-ball commentary on every match in the competition on BBC Radio, with games shared between Five Live, Five Live Sports Extra and Radio Four Long Wave (Ed's note: there will be live text commentaries on all the major matches on the BBC Sport website) - and every evening of the competition there will also be highlights on BBC Television.

This year, the world's top female cricketers will also be part of the action as theyu take part in the first ICC Women's World Twenty20, which runs alongside the men's event.

After their impressive World Cup victory in Australia earlier this year, Charlotte Edwards and her England team will start the tournament as firm favourites in what could be the second part of a amazing treble, with the Ashes to come later in the summer.

BBC Radio will have commentary on the semi-finals and final of the women's Twenty20 as well as coverage of England's group matches in Taunton.

Our team covering both competitions will be led by our cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew, who will be joined by the likes of Simon Hughes, Arlo White, Simon Mann, Mark Pougatch, Alison Mitchell and Kevin Howells, plus Tony Cozier, Glen Mitchell from ABC Radio and John Kenny for matches involving West Indies, Australia and Ireland.

Providing expert analysis will be a varied team from all over the world.

Former Australia fast bowler Geoff Lawson, who coached Pakistan to the final of the 2007 World Twenty20, will be with us throughout the tournament along with Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar, former West Indies Test star Ian Bishop and ex-New Zealand captain and TMS favourite Jeremy Coney.

One of cricket's great one-day innovators, Dermot Reeve, will be also be part of our team. Reeve was a member of the last England side to reach a world final in 1992 and has recently been working as a specialist Twenty20 coach for the New Zealand team.

We'll also be joined by England's most capped player Alec Stewart, the ever popular Phil Tufnell and the former England and Scotland all-rounder Dougie Brown.

Our coverage of the tournament gets under way with commentary on the warm-up matches between England and Scotland on 2 June and England and West Indies the following day. Both matches will be on Five Live Sports Extra from 1730.

Then on Friday 5 June make sure you join Jonathan Agnew and the team on Radio Four Long Wave and Five Live Sports Extra from 5.00pm for the opening ceremony and the first game of the tournament between England and the Netherlands - and watch the highlights on BBC 2 from 11.35pm.

Although the Tests against the West Indies were a useful exercise in building confidence, especially for the likes of Ravi Bopara and Graham Onions, I'm not sure it will be a series that lives long in the memory.

It was summed up for me on the final morning of the Durham Test match when at around 0930 in the morning we heard the public address system welcoming spectators into the ground and given details of where they could buy programmes, refreshments etc.

Unfortunately, at that point there were precisely two spectators in the ground - it would have been easier for Johnny Dennis, the affable actor who makes the announcements at international games, to have spoken to the members of the crowd individually.

Let's hope this exciting summer of cricket really starts to get going with this week's NatWest series.

Jonathan Agnew will be joined in the commentary box by Christopher Martin-Jenkins and Tony Cozier. Expert analysis will come from local hero Matthew Hoggard who knows all about bowling at Headingley and is perhaps still dreaming of a England recall for the Ashes later this summer.

Joining Hoggard will be Graham Gooch, who played one of the finest innings of all time against the West Indies in Leeds back in 1991, while former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop will provide a Caribbean perspective.

During the interval we'll be debating the squad chosen by Australia to defend the Ashes and we'll be looking ahead to the weekend's Friends Provident Trophy quarter-finals.

Then, we move onto Bristol for Sunday's second one-day international with local boy Simon Mann replacing CMJ in the commentary box and Alec Stewart and Vic Marks alongside Ian Bishop as expert summarisers. Joining TMS for the interval on Sunday will be cricket fan and film guru Barry Norman.

The series concludes on Tuesday at Edgbaston where Henry Blofeld makes his first appearance of the summer, while our experts include Angus Fraser, now enjoying life as Middlesex's managing director of cricket, and England's World Cup wicketkeeper Paul Nixon.

But its not just international cricket you have to look forward to over the next few days on BBC Radio.

On Saturday morning Radio 5 Live Sports Extra will have commentary from the quarter-finals of the Friends Provident Trophy with our coverage getting underway at 1105. Former England fast bowler Andrew Caddick will be part of our team on the day.

And on Monday it's the start of the domestic Twenty20 Cup and we'll have commentary from Lord's where holders Middlesex take on local rivals Surrey with our coverage getting underway at 1430.

It may have been a short game at the home of cricket, but there were still plenty of highlights both on the field and in the TMS box.

The Brian Johnston Champagne moment we agreed was Graeme Swann dismissing Devon Smith and Shivnarine Chanderpaul in successive balls, the start of an impressive match for the popular spinner.

If we had to nominate a champagne moment for an event in the TMS box I think it would have gone to Jonathan Agnew for his grilling of Marks and Spencer executive chairman Sir Stuart Rose about the price of bras. This was to be honest not a conversation I was expecting to hear this summer...!

Jeweller to the stars Theo Fennell will be joining Jonathan during Saturday's lunch interval.

Fennell counts names such as David and Victoria Beckham, Elton John, Liz Hurley and Elle Macpherson among his customers and has earned a reputation as one of the most original jewellers in the world.

But despite enjoying a highly successful 27 year career in the jewellery trade, Fennell has said his secret wish is to have been the England cricket captain.

He is a very serious England cricket fan who once said "If England do badly, it can genuinely send me into a black, inconsolable depression". Let's hope the match is going OK when he joins us in the commentary box!

Friday's lunch interval will be dedicated to the story of Durham's Championship-winning season of last summer and tracing the team's 16-year journey from first-class new boys to title winners. We'll hear from some of the 1992 side including Sir Ian Botham as well as those involved in last year's success.

Thursday's lunch interval should be fascinating especially if you've ever wondered what would happen in a village cricket match if a cow suddenly steps through a damaged hedge on to the pitch, the batsman strikes the ball, which bounces off the cow's rump and is caught... is the batsman out?

That is just one of the bizarre scenarios which features in a new book "You Are the Umpire" based on the successful column in the Observer newspaper.

Author Paul Trevillion and top umpire John Holder will be on hand to answer your queries about the laws of the game.

So let me know your queries , however strange they may be , and we will do our best to answer them. E-mail tms@bbc.co.uk or add your thoughts to this blog.

Also during our coverage from Durham we will be speaking to the author of a fascinating and very revealing new biography of Kevin Pietersen, we'll be finding out how successful the relocated Indian Premier League has been in South Africa and we'll be meeting members of the Netherfield Cricket Club who have received the 1,000th Capital Grant awarded by the ECB since the Ashes victory in 2005.

Our expert summarisers at Durham will be TMS favourite Vic Marks, England's most capped player Alec Stewart and former West Indies fast bowler Ian Bishop.

We are delighted that Ian has been able to join us as a late replacement for Viv Richards who unfortunately had to pull out of the tour because of a family illness.

Arlo White and Graham Gooch will be providing updates 15 minutes on Five Live with regular contributions from Geoff Boycott who will also join Jonathan Agnew at the close of each day's play for the legendary TMS Podcast.

Check out our interactive scorecard which goes alongside the TMS commentary - details at bbc.co.uk/sport and I'll also be twittering from Durham as well, so get a flavour of what we are up to in the TMS box at www.twitter.com.

It all get's under way at 1045 BST on Thursday on Five Live Sports Extra, Radio Four Long wave and online.

The start of the Test series against the West Indies is just the beginning of an amazing few months ahead with 10 one-day internationals, the ICC World Twenty20 and of course the Ashes. Plus, England's victorious women's team will try to complete a incredible treble as they defend their Ashes crown and compete in the Women's Twenty20 tournament which runs alongside the men's competition.

Of course, someone who would have relished the summer ahead would have been our legendary scorer Bill Frindall and it is still difficult to come to terms with the fact that he won't be taking up his usual position in the corner of the Test Match Special commentary box at Lord's.

It is quite simply impossible to replace the Bearded Wonder in the TMS box, but I am pleased to say that this summer Malcolm Ashton, who has been working with us on one-day internationals in recent years, will be joining us for the Test matches as well.

Keen listeners will remember that Malcolm actually understudied Bill back in 1987. Bill was working as a cricket writer for the Mail on Sunday that year and therefore had to spend Saturday's in the press box.

Two years later Malcolm began an 11-year spell as the BBC Television scorer and statistician, but I remember meeting him properly for the first time during his 10 years working as part of the England touring side.

It was in Adelaide in 2002/3 that I first shared a quiet drink with the man affectionately known as "Ashtray".

Malcolm worked as the scorer and eventually as the analyst for the England team, but he also played another key role on tours.

His contagious sense of humour proved critical, especially when results on the field weren't going to plan.

Famously, he produced regular spoof newspapers which I'm told were definitely not for general publication. But although no player escaped his ridicule, Malcolm remained one of the most popular members of the England backroom staff and to this day they still speak fondly of him - well at least whilst he is listening!

Malcolm started scoring in the Lancashire league back in 1979 where he was also secretary of the Rawtenstall Cricket Club.

His first radio experience came five years later when he scored for Radio 2 during matches featured on Stuart Hall's Sunday programme. And who do you think was the first commentator he came across ... Henry Blofeld!

At least he should have some idea of what to expect when he encounters Blowers again later in May.

Although cricket is Malcolm's first love he was actually a talented footballer and hockey player.

As a 15-year-old he played a game for Bury reserves but a serious knee injury prevented his football career progressing, although he did go on to play in goal at hockey for both Bury and Lancashire.

But Malcolm's talents don't just rest with sport.

He is a very keen thespian who not only has a great reputation in amateur dramatics but has also appeared as an extra in programmes such as Brookside.

The theatrical side of Malcolm may prove very useful if we have lots of rain delays this summer.

One thing I will be very careful of though is broadcasting too many of Malcolm's jokes.

He is one of those blokes who seems to pick up a stream of dodgy gags and normally greets you with the rather disturbing phrase "have you heard this one?"!

So it certainly promises to be an interesting summer both on the field and in the Test Match Special commentary box.

Keep checking the TMS blog - I'll be writing again in a few days with details of the rest of our team for the first Test plus some of the other treats we have in store during our coverage from Lord's.

Plus, look out for exciting news shortly on our coverage of the ICC World Twenty20 and a fascinating project giving you a chance to unlock Test Match Special's Ashes Archive.

The Test Match Special team were on the same flight from Barbados to Trinidad as the England team and it soon became clear, when we arrived early at the airport, that the players were very much in a state of shock after hearing of the terrible events overnight.

Stuart told us that his father had called him at 2am to tell him he was OK. "He told me he had seen sights he wished he would never have to see." said the younger Broad. "It was all very blurred as the attack had only taken place an hour before when I spoke with him. But he told me his driver had been shot and killed and two other people in his vehicle had got shot. He sort of lay in cover while the carnage happened."

Hugh Morris, the England managing director, was also at the airport. There rarely seems a day that goes by on an England tour when we don't look to Morris to react to a major cricketing story, but this event was clearly deeply disturbing. "I'm shocked and stunned," he said. "It's an outrage we are all appalled at." He went on to tell us he'd been in contact with Sri Lanka's assistant coach, Englishmen Paul Farbrace, to see how he was after being injured in the attack, as well as offering sympathy to all those others effected by the incident.

England coach Andy Flower described the events in Lahore as "a sad day for Pakistan". He said: "There won't be cricket being played there for a very long time to come. Not just for cricketers but for any human beings this has been a shocking day."

The sombre mood around the England camp reflected concerns about fellow international cricketers, many of whom have become friends. We heard during the day that Andrew Flintoff, back in England, had immediately contacted his Lancashire team-mate Muttiah Muralitharan to see if he was OK.

But the mood also reflected the fact that players will in future not just have to worry about being caught up in potential terrorist incidents, but may well become the target of them.

Jonathan Agnew went straight onto Five Live Sport as we landed at Port of Spain having spent the flight speaking to players. He reflected that the landscape of Test cricket has changed. "The day has dawned that we hoped never would. We always hoped that cricketers would never be the targets but today they feel vulnerable," he said.

Chatting to players, officials and other media throughout the day we recalled that most of us have been in security cavalcades to grounds like the Gaddafi Stadium. Most of us recognised exactly where the attacks happened and we also knew many of those involved personally. We also recognised that although the incident was horrific, it could have been even worse.

We expected when we arrived in Port of Spain that most talk would be about whether England would pick Shah or Bopara, Ambrose or Prior or whether they'd play five bowlers or four on Friday.

But after what took place in Pakistan, such issues don't seem particularly important at the moment.

There certainly will be quite a contrast between where TMS was broadcast from in Antigua and our surroundings at the Kensington Oval.

The late move to the Antigua Recreation ground meant we were located in a makeshift commentary box which clearly had seen better days.

Although it has to be said that the people at the ground could not have done any more to help us feel comfortable, even though they clearly had much more important priorities to work on ... like getting the rest of the stadium ready for an international fixture with a day's notice!...

Here in Barbados we are housed in the magnificent new media centre at the refurbished Kensington Oval which is among others named after our legendary West Indies commentator Tony Cozier. We get fantastic views from our vantage point on the fourth floor not only of the ground but also of downtown Bridgetown and beyond.

This is only my second visit to the Kensington Oval. Two years ago I was here for the farcical World Cup final which provided a fitting climax to a tournament which will not be remembered fondly except by the Australians, who of course lifted the trophy.

After the officials inexplicably failed to interpret the rules correctly we ended up playing out a game in almost total darkness.

My overriding memory of that day was just after the last ball was bowled I went straight out onto the field to try and get some post match interviews.

It was quite literally pitch black out there to the extent that as I walked onto the field I failed to notice a group of performers on stilts almost walking straight into me!

They were part of a closing ceremony which sadly no-one saw because no proper lighting had been organised. It was that sort of evening.

Anyway let's hope things run smoothly this week.

As well as bringing you ball by ball commentary from 1330 on Thursday we also have lots of other interesting things for you.

During the lunch interval on the opening day of the match you'll be able to hear Jonathan Agnew's extensive interview with Giles Clarke, who despite the controversy over the Stanford affair has this week been confirmed as ECB chairman for another two years.

You will also be able to hear a fascinating chat with the man who represents the England players , PCA chief executive Sean Morris, who will have among other things the latest news on Andrew Flintoff and the IPL.

Other highlights include an interview with England's bowling coach Ottis Gibson who is of course originally from here in Barbados.

He'll be telling us about his debut for the island where he had the honour to open the bowling alongside West Indies and Barbados legend Malcolm Marshall.

Gibson's first four overs went for 28 runs, but he remembers getting sympathetic advice from Marshall. He now tries to offer similar words of wisdom to England's fast bowling attack.

Gladstone Small, another Barbados born fast bowler who went on to help England, will also be joining us in the Test Match Special box to share his memories of growing up here and helping to debate while so few recent England players come from the Caribbean community in the UK.

Other guests we are expecting include two of England's most successful spin bowlers Derek Underwood and Phil Tufnell - and as always who knows which other people may wander into the box over the next five days.

So join us from Thursday afternoon - and don't forget to check out the daily TMS podcast with Jonathan Agnew and Geoff Boycott.

Well, perhaps the rushed relocation of the Antigua Test match from the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium to the Antigua Recreation Ground is a blessing in disguise.

The last 24 hours have certainly demonstrated what can be achieved when people pull together to try and solve a problem.

I remember turning up at the ARG a week ago to watch England practise and being struck by the unique atmosphere of the old ground, even though some parts of it are well past their best.

Not for a moment did any of us imagine that a few days later we would be back at the ground to watch an impromptu Test match.

However, when I arrived at the stadium on Saturday morning I found out that the local telecommunications engineers had been working through the night to install our lines.

Our commentary box is at the back of the press box and it is fair to say it has seen better days, but when I arrived to take a look I was greeted by numerous locals who had been employed to clean, paint and repair the facilities so that broadcasts can be made in relative comfort.

More importantly, lots of people had also been working through the night to make the pitch and outfield as good as they possibly could be and to make sure the seating for the frustrated spectators would be safe come Sunday.

On Saturday evening, match referee Alan Hurst gave the stadium the go-ahead and we are told the first day at least will be a complete sell-out with the 8,000 England supporters expected to pack out the famous "double decker stand" and the grass verges, christened the "party stand" for this game.

We now have to hope for two things. Firstly, that the weather improves - there were torrential rain showers on Saturday afternoon and more rain is expected this week. The people here deserve good weather after the hard work they have put in.

Secondly, we hope the pitch holds up and that some of the predictions of a "lively surface" make for an exciting match rather than another farce. I know everyone has done what all can and the players from both sides have shown great understanding to get this fixture on.

Perhaps the reason the island has rallied so quickly to make this game possible is that many locals believe Test cricket is returning to its rightful home in Antigua.

It is not only the problems with the playing area at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium which have made the venue unpopular, it is also the fact that the ground is inaccessible to many Antiguans.

It is perhaps an exaggeration to say the new ground is in the middle of nowhere but talking to the people here, they want to watch their cricket in the heart of St John's and would have happily swapped the plush new stadium for a return to the Recreation Ground even before Friday's fiasco.

It now looks likely that a ground which had become more of a football stadium could against all the odds return as Antigua's main international cricket venue.

It certainly promises to be a special atmosphere when Test Match Special goes on the air at 1345 on Five Live Sports Extra and just before the start of play on Radio Four Long wave. As well as ball-by-ball commentary, we hope to hear from the West Indies Cricket Board about what lessons will be learnt from this difficult week.

You will also be able to hear our interview with former England coach Peter Moores which we were due to play during lunch on Friday. Moores will be telling us his thoughts on his time with England and his hopes for his new job as head coach at Lancashire.

We'll be hearing from Martin Bodenham who, after time as a FIFA football referee, is about to begin work as a first class umpire. And we'll have a special report on cricketers from a Caribbean background in English cricket and ask why, after the success of the likes of Phil Defreitas, Alex Tudor, Devon Malcolm and Gladstone Small to name but four, so few players from the West Indian community seem to be breaking through in the English game.

Jonathan Agnew will, of course, be leading our team again with Christopher Martin Jenkins, Tony Cozier, Vic Marks, Geoff Boycott and - if he's calmed down yet - Sir Vivian Richards. Don't forget that after play each day you will be able to download the Test Match Special podcast.

Finally Aggers mentioned to me at breakfast that a thought had struck him in the middle of the night. Friday, the day of the 10-ball Test match, was of course also the day when the funeral was held for Bill Frindall who very sadly died a fortnight ago.

All our thoughts are obviously with his widow Debbie and his family. But Aggers said to me: "You know Bill would always delight in telling us he was born on the first day of the famous "timeless Test" -the longest ever match between England and South Africa in Durban in 1939 which lasted 10 days.

"Well," continued Aggers "it just had to be the case that Bill's funeral was held on the day of the shortest ever Test."

I think Bill would rather have liked that.