Chris Waters: Boycott wind-up the latest in long line of classic TMS moments

We think of Jonathan Agnew’s infamous “leg-over” remark, when Brian Johnston was describing a curious dismissal in which Ian Botham’s inner thigh had brushed his stumps, dislodging a bail.

“He just didn’t quite get his leg over,” said Agnew, prompting howls of hysteria in the commentary box.

We remember Christopher Martin-Jenkins describing a non-descript delivery from Stuart Broad to Daniel Vettori with the immortal words: “Good length, inviting him to fish. But Vettori stays on the bank and keeps his rod down, so to speak.”

And we recall all manner of mischievous wind-ups such as when a letter purportedly written by a Colonel Frobisher was sent into TMS summariser Fred Trueman, the former Yorkshire and England fast bowler, saying that the Colonel had been dropped from his club team after following Trueman’s time-honoured advice to stay sideways-on.

“PS: I’m a wicketkeeper,” the letter concluded, prompting Trueman to splutter: “Er, when I said cricket is a sideways game, I was not, I repeat not, referring to wicketkeepers.”

But for sheer ingenuity and poker-faced execution, there cannot have been a funnier moment as TMS celebrates its diamond anniversary than the prank played on Geoffrey Boycott during last week’s Oval Test.

As you may or may not be aware, while commentating on the game between England and South Africa, Agnew claimed to have been handed a press release by the International Cricket Council.

It stated that the games between England and the Rest of the World in 1970 were to be stripped of first-class status, which Agnew then pretended to realise would mean that Boycott’s 100th hundred at Headingley 40 years ago this month would actually have been his 99th.

“Further to the recent request from the South African government, the ICC has now considered the downgrading of all statistics including runs and wickets from the series played between England and the Rest of the World in 1970,” Agnew read out. “The ICC agrees that the series was played against the spirit of the Gleneagles agreement and that in the interests of keeping cricket free from political interference, all matches will be removed from first-class records.”

For added authenticity, the press release included a quote from Peter Hain, “the long-time anti apartheid campaigner”, who hailed it as “a great day for cricket and humanity.

“I am sure the players involved will take it on the chin,” he added.

Boycott, who appeared in the final two games of the 1970 series, and scored a hundred in the last match at The Oval, became increasingly exasperated.

“That’s ridiculous,” he fumed. “That’s a load of tripe. Write to him (the ICC press contact). He’s an idiot.”

As the fun and games continued, Agnew tactfully reminded Boycott that he is holding a special event at his house shortly to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the 100th hundred.

“You’ll have to cancel it,” said Angew.

“We are not cancelling it,” said Boycott, who said that Agnew’s invite was promptly withdrawn.

Finally, after Boycott bemoaned the whole situation as “a complete mess”, Agnew admitted “it’s also a complete wind-up” to a cacophony of chuckles.