Bumble hails an Indian hero, looks at Brett Lee's retirement and struggles with the Dubai beer prices!
Bumble delivers his latest blog from Dubai
Sachin Tendulkar... well played sir.
A double century in a 50-over game is absolute genius and what's more, he still has an appetite and love for the game of cricket.
You've no concept of hero worship or adulation until you go to India and see their feelings for that man. You can pick any elite sportsman you like in England, be it David Beckham or Lewis Hamilton and it's nothing like being Sachin Tendulkar in India.
He gets mobbed everywhere he goes. He keeps breaking records and Virender Sehwag, MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh are right up there as well.
Over here people don't understand how fanatical the Indian people are about cricket and that's why the IPL gets such high viewing figures.
They wouldn't bat an eyelid if Beckham or Didier Drogba walked down the street, but if any of them saw Tendulkar it'd be pandemonium.
Hitting the heights
I must admit I missed Tendulkar's knock as I was enjoying a bit of R&R in Dubai before the one-dayers.
We've been staying in the fabulous Grosvenor House Hotel (courtesy of ITC Travel in Chester) and we're near the top of what's a real skyscraper.
I've just been hanging out of the window to take some pictures across the city and I must admit I was crapping it. I'm terrible with heights... I just have an urge to jump off!
You'll be pleased to know I resisted.
We also played golf for three days at the Els, the Montgomerie and the Emirates. They're wonderful courses, but my game was absolutely diabolical. It's no fun when you're an eight handicap and you're playing to 18. It's time to shape up.
In other news, a good friend of mine has asked me if I can get 300 people interested in clubbing together to buy a racehorse. He wants to call it the Bumble Racing Club.
We could have some fun with it. I like a punt on the horses, but it's not really my specialist subject. Personally I prefer jumps, but I wonder if you'd get more fun of a flat racer.
I'd also like to point out I'd just own a share in it... they won't be asking me to sit on the bloody thing.
Dubai Detox
If anyone wants to give up drinking then this is the place to come.
At £9 for a bottle of beer or £50 for a bottle of wine (and that's the cheapest we've found) this is the perfect place for a detox.
I've been sitting down with half a pint of lager and just looking at it. It's too expensive to drink the stuff!
Lee leaves it behind
As for the cricket, I think England did well in the Twenty20's and imagine if you could put Andrew Flintoff in there? Then you'd have a proper team.
Maybe that's a bit romantic. There's a lot to consider with his fitness and whether or not the team has moved on, but in theory he could be the final link in a seriously good team.
Very similar to Flintoff, Brett Lee has finally called time on his Test career at 33-years-of-age after all his injury problems.
He's going to play other forms of cricket and let's be honest he just wants to earn a bob or two. He's looking after himself at the back end of his career and that's understandable.
This was a world-class cricketer and also a very good ambassador for the game. He still has a place in the one-day game, but it won't be the same.
Never again will we get that thrill of Brett Lee coming on with the second new ball of a Test match.
Bumble answers your questions...
Send your questions to Bumble by filling in the feedback form below. Or you can mail them in by e-mailing skysportsclub@bskyb.com
CHARACTER REFERENCE
Bumble, what are your views on the lack of proper "characters" nowadays in modern cricket? Harbhajan, Afridi and to a lesser extent Swann seem to be the only characters left, especially in the England team. Do you think they're all become robots? Sam G
BUMBLE SAYS: These days, with the advent of press and media officers, the players are told what they have to say in interviews. You end up with a robotic answering machine and that often cuts out the individuality and the real bloke doesn't shine through. The political correctness from the media side of things maybe stops you seeing the characters.
There doesn't seem to be the same amount of daftness or unpredictability as we've seen in some of the people you mention, but I've no doubt there are characters in the dressing room. I think Kevin Pietersen is a character - and a good one. He'll come in front of the camera and do his bit and he's a very good lad.
And of course Swanny is a character. He's a lovely lively lad and he can laugh at himself, which is always a great asset. I still think there are plenty of lads who have a lot of fun. And remember, you've got to be able to play as well. It's no use being a bit of a moonbeam if you're not very good at what you're doing!
