I must say a massive ‘thank you’ to everyone who came along to my recent series of one-man shows in theatres up and down the country. There is a lot of love for cricket out there – and for Test Match Special too. It was a wonderful experience.

In the meantime, the BBC and I came to the same conclusion: that the time is right for me to step back as cricket correspondent. From my perspective, 33 years on call is more than enough and the BBC can now freshen its news coverage with a younger generation who have more interest in the burgeoning world of franchise cricket than I do. Please don’t misunderstand me, I love commentating on T20 cricket. It has brought a wave of enthusiasm into the game that was desperately needed. I assumed that, used intelligently, T20 cricket would finance Test cricket. Sadly, it is consuming Test cricket.

So Test cricket is my main focus as I start a new four-year deal as the presenter of Test Match Special. It is a wonderful programme; unique in its relationship with our listeners. We have four years of English domestic rights, four years of ICC World Cups and also the Ashes in 2025/26 to look forward to. Bring it on!