I love a good anniversary. On 6th February 2015 I shut down How Did We Lose In Adelaide, and started up Being Outside Cricket. Within four years we have established ourselves as part of the cricket blogging furniture, given opportunities for others to use our blog to get their messages across, been a blog that tried to allow the malcontents a voice, and I think we did that, and most of all, to convey how much cricket did mean to us, and to an extent still does.
While HDWLIA is still where I thought I did my best work, because it was visceral and because at the time life was massively tumultuous, both in terms of work and the strain the blog was putting me under, I am immensely proud of Being Outside Cricket. Within three months of BOC starting, Chris came on board, and we’ve never looked back. Sean started guesting in 2016, then came fully on board later that year, with Danny following in 2017. As a foursome, we try to keep up with the blog while holding down very busy jobs. Even last week, I was wondering how much I could continue to commit to the blog going forward.
While we won’t ever really reach the hits heights of 2015, there is a steady flow when we write. Great commenters have come and gone. People have got bored with us, and with cricket. It is inevitable, but it is also a great sense of joy when those test matches come around and the blog gets a stack load of comments. For we know this is a test match blog. Our regulars are appreciated, and the passion of debate is well known. I have loved being part of it. Four years on, with some trials and tribulations, Being Outside Cricket is still one of the best things I’ve ever done, and I’m sure my co-writers think exactly the same.
In those four years I’ve seen the standards slip elsewhere. Too many writers seem to want to make professions out of it. It’s the way it is. Friends of the past are now no longer interested in us, and in turn, we’ve tired of some of their antics. This isn’t about recrimination, but it is about my blogging ethos. In my “angry” posts, you sense the frustration and I’m not going to sugar coat it. In my longform writing, you must sense what love I had for the sport. In the brilliant wordsmithery of Chris, you see the passion for the game, and the clear sense of what frustrates him, while keeping it measured, but real. In Sean, there’s passion and anger, with Danny, clarity and precision. They are all tremendous colleagues. Without all of them, this blog would not have made 4 years.
So what for the future. Year 5 looks to be a really busy one. We get a little downtime while the IPL bores us senseless, but then we have the lead up to, and the playing of, a World Cup in England. No matter what we feel about 50 over cricket, this is a time to rejoice in the game in this country. We kicked off the 4 years with a World Cup, and that launched BOC.
Then we have the Ashes. It is going to be a really interesting series, shunted to the back of the summer. We have been a very Ashes focused blog because it draws the traffic. In turn that inspires us. If time is on our side, we’ll continue the live blogging, the daily reports and perhaps some new ideas. Who knows. The end of the year has two more test series. Oh, and not forgetting England v Ireland, which has banana skin written all over it.
Somehow, through it all, I doubt the ECB will deny us material, and nor will this England team.
I wanted to write a cricket blog, because I wanted to write. I wanted Chris, and Nonoxcol, along with me because I loved their comments on the varying newspapers, and so 1 out of 2 wasn’t bad. I then wanted to be a voice for those angry at the ECB and in turn the media. It then got a bit too big for me. It became my life. I obsessed over critics. I took some stuff far too personally. Now I am in a better place. I feel a lot stronger, more valued in my real life, and in turn it brings me to a better environment to write. I am so proud of this place, so protective, so amazed at what we’ve done, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. On this, our 4th birthday, we are as relevant as we have ever been, in my view, even if the flow isn’t as strong. We’ve been proved right a lot more than we’ve been proved wrong. We will prove that this was never a pro-KP blog, or an anti-Cook blog. It is a vessel to write what we feel about cricket. And in many ways, we are just getting started.
To more years…
Dmitri (Peter)
Being Outside Cricket 
Keep it going DImitri, looking forward to the gnashing of teeth as the summer approaches !
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Thanks Andy.
My teeth are eroding. But at not quite as fast a pace as before.
It has turned me more blind. Getting used to varifocals this week!
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“Clarity and precision”
Putting that on the CV…
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Thank you very much for the blog and your incredible output. I look forward to your posts and enjoy the diverse comments. Keep going and never give up. Following cricket would not be the same without all of you.
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Thanks Jenny. Now Cook has gone, maybe it’ll be quieter around here.
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Vive la résistance!
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From one of my early inspirations! You think I’m joking. I’m nicking one of your posts for the 9th February commemoration. You know what the 9th is, don’t you?
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I may not leavre many comments but I have read you in your previous existance and in Outside Cricket. Every time a match is on I turne in to see what you have to day. You have yet to say something, anything, that I disagree with.
Happy Birthday
Ps I know IPL bores you but I really enjoy it…sorry about that😀
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Thanks Elaine. Enjoy the IPL. Let us know who wins.
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Happy 4th Birthday to BOC. To paraphrase the great Richie Benaud ‘what a marvellous blog site it is’ I’ve just started a new job that has a comma in the title. Aaaaargh.
Love the blog to bits. I read it all including the comments. Get that long run marked out!
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I have a comma in mine too. But it pays more, so I’ll take the humiliation!
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Can’t quite believe it’s 4 years. Still seems like yesterday I found HDWLIA and finally felt I had found a place that shared my frustrations and anger about English cricket, but love for the game and the great teams. Still stands today for BOC, great stuff gents; thanks! Long may it continue…..
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It was five years with HDWLIA!
Thanks for being with us Rohan. Life seems a bit calmer, but we do need to work out what to do during the downtime.
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Congratulations on 4 years of great stories , passion and at times anger. I don’t comment often either but read all the posts you put up. I love he comments section from such a diverse group with cricket as their common denominator.
You have your ECB to marvel at their genius, I just dont get the Hundred thingy they are planning and why does it take so long to plan?
We have CA which is just as annoying. The bans were and are ridiculous (Faf got 2 games).
Then we have motor mouth Warne who has an opinion on everything, he repeats himself until he thinks every one is listening, nominates players he thinks should play for Australia and is generally a pain in the proverbial. Says a lot for Hurley intelligence.
mark Taylor realises he made a poor decision in resigning from CA and not getting a gig on TV so is writing opinion columns. No one cares for your opinions Mark.
May I ask what is KP doing these days apart from not being openly visible?
keep up the great work Peter, Chris, Sean and Danny. I love your work.
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Narelle,
All we ask of our long-term readers and occasional commenters, is that keep on reading and let us know they are around with the occasional comment. It matters a lot to me, and I’m pretty sure to the other writers.
A blog could be written on the Australian board, and might even be written for all I know. I see too many people trying to be too clever by half in Australia, just as here. Straight communication instead of trying to win awards has always sat better with me.
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Hi, happy birthday and thanks for the namecheck! I’m much prouder of my earlier work too (2012-14); have been more or less repeating myself since reaching critical mass in about August 2015 to be honest.
I care far more about other things these days. My peak commenting output coincided with long term unemployment after health problems and a rather sad return to a blue chip firm that unsurprisingly had little inclination to make allowances for someone barely recognisable as the person I had been before illness.
You’re all good enough to keep me checking in from time to time though.
PS I did actually do a crossword for you! Still think “Broad and runner in mix-up” (4,1) was an exceptionally good clue….
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We’re playing some of the old hits this week. Know Your Place, one of my best posts in my own judgement is being reproduced, while I don’t think I can resist re-posting my Paul Newman post as well….
https://dmitrihdwlia.wordpress.com/2014/02/12/the-kp-sting-paul-newmans-role/ (you need a password, people).
This was even funnier than the outside cricket line…
“Clearly what happens in the dressing room or team meetings should remain in that environment and not be distributed to people not connected with the team. This is a core principle of any sports team, and any such action would constitute a breach of trust and team ethics.”
Anyway, Sean is let loose tomorrow. You’ve heard enough from me this week.
But before I go, people should not underestimate what NonOxCol did for How Did We Lose In Adelaide. At a time when I was being attacked, he was resolute in defending the line I was taking, just as Chris was. Without them there would be no BOC. It was more than moral support, they, along with Wrong ‘un and Maxie and James at TFT kept me going. I didn’t feel alone.
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rubbish blog, hope it withers and dies
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Nice to know you’re still annoyed by it, Mr Selvey
😉
Happy Birthday BOC.
Still the first and best place to read about cricket.
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Many thanks. I’d be very happy to know why you believe it is rubbish, sir.
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Happy birthday.
wish you all the best
I enjoy reading the blog and the comments by knowledgeable and good men and women. I have been off blogs and commenting for a while as I thought thinking on cricket occupied too much of my time as it is. 🙂
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Thank you so much lads for a brilliant blog, long may you reign!
I’ve slipped down the ranks to “very occasional” over the past year due to a very debilitating heart condition, the worry of which, quite frankly, has put cricket well into the background. However I have now had the operation and cricket interest resurges alongside my recovery. The performance in the last two tests hasn’t helped that either. On the other hand I learn this morning that Justin Langer has parted company with David Saker….my heart leaps at the thought of Selvey’s apoplexy!!
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Blimey mate. Wishing you as full a recovery as possible.
I hadn’t seen that about forfux. Langer imposing his will.
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Troy Cooley is taking over as bowling coach in the short term. It’s probably just a coincidence but over the last week, Starc, Richardson and Patterson have been singing the praises of Andre Adams, the NSW bowling coach.
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I don’t think we’ll be taking many bets on who is going to take over – or at least be offered the role.
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I’m really sorry to hear about your health problems “Ironballs.” That is really awful for you. Still, I’m glad you have come through the op ok, and let’s hope for better in the future.
Keep the stress levels down so probably best not to watch England at the moment. On the other hand maybe you can just laugh at them which might relax you? You were in at the beginning of all this madness back in 2014.
All the best mate!!! Hope you get well soon!!
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Congratulations Dimitri. I love your work and effort and eagerly wait for every post that gets put up on BoC.
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