What’s a tour of England without some nostalgia – or a lot of it?
Sidharth Monga07-Aug-2025July 20
National Football Museum in Manchester. Its glass exterior has lyrics of “Don’t Look Back in Anger” inscribed on it. Manchester is, of course, Oasis country. Pronounced “oh- weɪ-ˈsʌs” in the north. They are on tour and playing in Manchester tonight. Ticket prices too high at the last moment. Or at the first. See a reel of a woman at the concert using Shazam to identify the song being played. It is “Bittersweet Symphony” by The Verve, who are opening for Oasis.July 21
Could spend hours in Strawberry Field, the children’s home run by the Salvation Army when John Lennon was a kid in Liverpool. Went on to immortalise the place with the Beatles song “Strawberry Fields Forever”. Was demolished in 1973 but the iconic red gates are now open to visitors.End up spending hours as it rains. Find shelter under tall trees in the beautiful garden. Imagine Lennon here as a child, escaping the world and getting lost in Strawberry Field. Now, famous Beatles lyrics are inscribed around the place. Once it stops raining, come out to see this inscription: “No one I think / Is in my tree”.July 22
A short walk from Strawberry Field is 251 Menlove Avenue, where Lennon lived from 1945 to 1963. Find there a Peruvian man, Jhon Vilchez Cordova, born in 1971, named for Lennon by his father, a big Beatles fan. Jhon is in tears, having made it to Lennon’s home. Help him photograph himself outside Lennon’s house.Walk to St Peter’s Parish Church where John and Paul first met. In its graveyard rests Eleanor Rigby. Not far from her rests John McKenzie. However, this Eleanor Rigby died in 1939. Paul McCartney has said the woman in his song is fictitious, and any connection to this graveyard – where they used to sunbathe and “probably had a craft fag” – is subconscious. “This is just bigger than me.”End up on Mathew Street, where, at the Cavern Club, the Beatles were discovered. Whole street now is a Beatles tribute.Fab forever: a tile in memory of John Lennon outside Strawberry Field in Liverpool•Sidharth Monga/ESPNcricinfo LtdJuly 23
Been in the UK long enough to suspect the efficacy of the buttons for signals at pedestrian crossings. Read up to find out most of these are just placebo, especially during busy hours. For example, the BBC says the one at the intersection of Regent Street and Cavendish Place near its HQ in London takes 105 seconds for the red man to become green irrespective of whether the button is pressed or not. However, there are some busy intersections where one press the button or the cycle will skip the pedestrian phase.July 24
In Nitish Kumar Reddy’s absence, India are doing a bit of placebo with themselves. They are playing three allrounders according to them, but none of them is a strike bowler in the conditions we have. The bowlers are struggling with their workloads and are being bowled into the dirt. England end day two on 225 for 2 in response to India’s 358.July 25
Old Trafford is a convenient cricket ground despite the infamous, seemingly permanent, temporary stand. Despite the hotel and the conference centre, the Point, taking prime real estate away from working-class cricket fans. Convenient because the tram drops you off almost inside the ground. Reminiscent of Kotla in Delhi – not pretty by any stretch but located right where old Delhi meets new, by the Dilli Gate metro station. Old Trafford also has a “sensory room”, where people troubled by excessive noise or light can take refuge.This could be a day at the Kotla. Pitch dying, bowlers tired, England make their way to 544 for 7.July 26
Test-match Saturday, and finally feel the strain of crowds on the tram. Absolutely jam-packed. Use skills learned in Bombay local trains. Stand not in the doorway but lean against wall right next to it. Anyone who has done a rush-hour commute in Bombay knows the premium on that space: don’t have to make way for anyone at stops, easy to exit when your stop arrives.In the pink: Roger Waters’ one-time home in Cambridge•Sidharth Monga/ESPNcricinfo LtdMassive crowd in, expecting England will seal the series, but India resist, losing only two wickets, those in their first over. KL Rahul and Shubman Gill bat together for 69 overs.July 27
England throw everything at India, including an injured Ben Stokes, but India, already missing Rishabh Pant with a broken foot, hang on for a draw. Stokes offers India handshakes at the first instance of their becoming available, but India want to bat on so Ravindra Jadeja and Washington Sundar can complete their centuries. Both sides are within their rights to do what they do. England within their rights to bowl part-timers and protect frontline bowlers. However, virtue-signalling from England leaves bitter taste. Disappointed, India pull out after centuries, not continuing to bat till the scheduled close of play.July 28
Piccadilly Station in Manchester has a public piano for anyone to play. Everybody seems to be having a good time, but as with everything, there exist online reviews:
“Very quiet piano. Felt like I had to slam down a bit. Needs a bit of a tune up but can’t argue with a public piano!”
“Has seen better days 🙁 Many out of tune keys and some keys that don’t even work, plus no seat available. A shame.” – (Can vouch to Jacob that a seat is available now.)
“Sadly very low quality. Absolutely battered. Quite a few keys not working at all.”
, written by John Cleese (centre), based on the 1970s sitcom of the same name, opened in London last year•James Manning/PA Photos/Getty ImagesJuly 29
Pink Floyd pilgrimage in Cambridge. Unlike Liverpool and the Beatles, no tourism trap here. Stand with goosebumps outside the house where Syd Barrett, once the creative genius behind Floyd, lived and died alone as Roger Barrett after leaving Floyd, his alter ego and public life in the 1960s. Neighbours have in the past spoken of hearing deathly screams in the middle of the night, or hearing him barking like a dog.This semi-detached house is not far from where Barrett grew up. Nearby is Rock Road, where Roger Waters moved into a house with his mother when he was two. That house is completely obscured by magnolia growing in the front yard – echoing how Waters would perform from behind a wall in later years.About a hundred yards away is a Quaker Meeting House, likely where Roger’s mother, a radical atheist whose front room was almost a Labour Party office, would often go, telling her sons that while she didn’t share the Quakers’ beliefs, “they are good people”.End up doing some punting on the river Cam in the backyards of some of the most prestigious colleges in the world. Punting ends near the Anchor Pub, which is where Roger Barrett became Syd, back when the place was called the Riverside Jazz Bar. Barrett greatly admired resident drummer Sid Barrett, and inevitably was nicknamed after him, with a “y” for distinction. A wall now bears a big mural of Syd with an inscription of the lyrics from “Shine On You Crazy Diamond”: “Caught in the crossfire/ of childhood and stardom”.July 30
Keep noticing small, often cemented-up windows in some of the older buildings all over England. Find out now that it was done to avoid paying a ridiculous “window tax” imposed in England and Wales from the 17th century. This is where the phrase “daylight robbery” originated.July 31
It is indeed daylight robbery that India haven’t won a single toss in these five Tests, taking their toss-loss run in international matches to 15. Once again, they have two placebo allrounders in the side, who are essentially batters in these seaming conditions. With eight batters and three bowlers, India end the day at 204 for 6.Attention Russian billionaires: the Oval gasometer will be replaced by luxe flats soon•Sidharth Monga/ESPNcricinfo LtdAugust 1
A London playlist, especially when living in Herne Hill and Brixton.”The Guns of Brixton”, by The Clash
“LDN”, by Lily Allen
“London Boy”, by Taylor Swift
“Maid of Bond Street”, by David Bowie
“South Of The River”, by Tom Misch
“Streets of London”, by Ralph McTell
“Portobello Road”, by Cat Stevens
“London Bye, Ta-Ta”, by David BowieBye bye, ta-ta is not far. Soon this heightened state of purposefulness will be replaced by a temporary void. The three-man India attack promise us one final classic, bowling England out for a lead of just 23, which is wiped out in no time. Real life can wait at the door, we have one final thriller to oversee.August 2
Have always wondered what is inside the gasometer near The Oval. Have never managed to get in. Can’t do it anymore because it is now a construction site – being turned into luxury residences. Same as with Battersea Power Station, the site of the iconic cover of the Floyd album .Overhear on a Thameslink train two people decrying the conversion of old heritage buildings into high-rises. As the train crosses a bridge, one is excited to point to the other an old house that has survived. He is quick to tell her the story of the house: an old inn in Southwark, which has survived because it gets heritage protection by virtue of being associated with a Shakespeare theatre group. It most likely is the Falcon Tavern, a frequent haunt of Shakespeare and other writers.August 3
End up in Chinatown after watching India struggle with just three fast bowlers, defending 373, but still managing to stay alive thanks to Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna. On way back, go past a theatre running . Most of the original cast is gone, but John Cleese, 85, ploughs on – he is the writer of this stage version.August 4
A breathtaking end to a great series, with Siraj outlasting everyone for a six-run win for India. Twenty-five days of hard work comes down to one hit or one wicket. Siraj delivers the wicket, with a yorker, his fifth-quickest ball of the series.And suddenly everybody is saying goodbyes, and what a privilege it has been. Reality has burst through the door. England, London, foxes in the Herne Hill backyard, you will be missed.
