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The TMS Podcast, Classic View From The Boundary.

Hello, I'm Jonathan Agnew. Welcome to another classic view from the Boundary from Test

Match Special. For this episode, we're going back to the 2007 Test Match at the Oval

between England and India. On the field, the match played out to a draw, but there was

a special moment for the Indian Boiler Anal Cumblay, as he scored his only test 100

in the first innings. While watching the action was a rather intrigued guest, John Lithgow

is an American actor best known for his role in the cult comedy Third Rock from the Sun,

as well as numerous other TV shows and films. He was in London that summer to make his debut

for the Royal Shakespeare Company, and popped up to join us for an enchanting half hour.

He began by telling him that his relationship with cricket went back slightly further to

a wide range of guests. To tell you the truth, it began a long, long time ago. I was a drama

student in London 40 years ago, and I stuck around for yet another year and worked as a kind

of production assistant, Gofer, with the Royal Shakespeare Company, even back then.

And at rehearsal breaks and tea breaks, the actors would actually play cricket with a tennis

ball in the rehearsal room, and they invited me to play with them. And so I did at least

have that minuscule experience of playing cricket. And you only really understand a sport

if you've played it at least a bit with people who know what they're doing.

Have you come to win others the great, so vast traditions and niceties of cricket?

Then comes over Englishman. As soon as the subject of cricket comes up. Actually last

evening I was at a dinner party with Sir Tom Courtney from Hall, who was a dyed in the

wool-kicked cricket pant, and he suddenly was transformed. When he heard that I was coming

...