But if I held all the power and could change one thing about the sport I love it would be this: I'd make it easier - much easier - to purchase vintage cricket shirts. I know that's a pretty selfish desire, but I can't help it.
Acquiring old sports gear satiates me in a way that only a fellow collector could understand.
There's the nostalgia; jerseys from past decades act as time machines. Simply touching the frayed fabric transports you to a moment in history as your vision is flooded with images from a distant age.
Then there's the sense of ownership. Mark McKinley, the late American psychologist and university professor, who also held the official world record for most clocks owned, said "people who collect 'things' are at the apex of consumerism".
He argued that the "aristocratic collectors" of the 18th and 19th centuries who hoarded fossils, shells and anthropological plunder were motivated by the same neurological tugs as cricket shirt collectors. It's what compels people to spend too much money and effort searching for lost treasure. The only difference is that Terry Herbert had an easier time finding the Staffordshire Hoard than I've had locating my holy grail: the red strip worn by South Africa during the 1997-98 Carlton & United Tri-series.
Denne historien er fra September 12, 2024-utgaven av The Guardian.
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Denne historien er fra September 12, 2024-utgaven av The Guardian.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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