From dawn ’til dusk

The first Ashes Test of the English summer will take place on the 14th of July at Trent Bridge in Nottingham.

The first ball of the first day will happen at 10:00 GMT:

That’s 11:00 at the ground
05:00 here in Minneapolis
16:30 in Mumbai
20:00 in Melbourne

And so when Jimmy Anderson starts his run in against the Australian batsmen, I will just be getting out of bed, probably off walking the dog, and then trying to catch most of the first session in the post dawn light.

Meanwhile, my friends in London will heading out to an early lunch, or taking a break at the office to follow the match online; my friends in India will just be finishing up their work day; and my friends in Australia will be home already, finishing up the evening meal, and settling in on the couch for that rare treat that is prime time Test cricket.

Lunch is at noon GMT:

13:00 at the ground
07:00 in Minneapolis
18:30 in Mumbai
22:00 in Melbourne

At the stroke of lunch I will hop in the shower, grab a bite, and then ride my bicycle the six miles to the office. My route looks something like this.

Meanwhile, cricket fans in India following the match are home from the office, while fans in Australia are trying to decide if they should stay up through lunch or hit the sack, and the local fans in England are just getting done with the lunch break, and heading back to work.

The post lunch second session starts at 12:40 GMT:

13:40 at the ground
07:40 in MSP
19:10 in Mumbai
22:40 in Melbourne

I am at the office, watching the match on Willow.TV, or listening to Test Match Sofa, and following along with Twitter and Cricinfo….

In England it’s the worst part of the work day, in India’s it’s the heart of prime time, and in Australia most reasonable people are hitting the sack, but cricket fans for the most part are not reasonable people.

After tea, the third and final session starts at 15:00 GMT:

16:00 at the ground
10:00 in MSP
21:30 in Mumbai
01:00 the following day in Melbourne

I am on my second cup of coffee at the office, those in the UK are (hopefully) bunking off to the pub; everyone in Australia is in bed save the fanatics; and in Mumbai the prime time viewing continues.

Close of play is 17:00 GMT:

18:00 at the ground
Noon in Minneapolis
23:30 in Mumbai
03:00 the following day in Melbourne

I am heading to lunch under bright July sunshine, England is heading home in the long shadows of early evening, India is heading to bed in the black of the night, and those still awake in Melbourne are deciding whether to call in sick, go to bed, or just stay up until work starts.

17 hours later, it all starts up again.

*

Seven hours; 90 overs; 98,000 births, 50,000 deaths; breakfast, lunch, and dinner; from the crack of dawn in Minneapolis to the middle of the night in Melbourne: that’s the rhythm of Test cricket.