Many of us can still remember the thrill of receiving our first cricket set. There’s nothing quite like heading out into the garden or a local park to have a go at batting and bowling. As one of the most popular sports in the world, cricket continues to retain its popularity and plenty of people are still looking to buy new cricket sets each year.

There are lots of options available to you, as you’ll know if you’ve looked to buy such a set. It’s vital that you choose something that’s well suited to both your budget and your cricketing abilities. It’s great if you can manage to buy something that contains all that you need and that is available at a reasonable price. Let’s take a look at what you might look for in a set.

Many people buy sets for children, in which case getting equipment that is all the right size will be vital. There’s no point asking kids to play with adult kit. Firstly, they’ll find it very frustrating. Secondly, they may well injure themselves if playing with a heavy bat and ball. Far better to look for lightweight options that will allow them to get a feel for the game without harming themselves.

Most adults will obviously want a full-size set, to include a bat, ball, stumps and also bails. You may not know that cricket bats come in varying sizes. Some people prefer heavier bats, feeling that they allow for big hitting, but you should look for a bat that you’ll be happy to use. Always try holding the bat before making a purchase and ensure that it feels solid. You don’t want it to fall apart in your hands as you play.

Those who are especially serious about cricket will probably want a set that includes almost everything. The essentials will include a bat, ball, stumps and bails. It’s important that you remember pads too, particularly if you’ll be playing competitive matches. Some people forget to buy good quality cricket gloves, but you should remember that these will be critical to keeping your hands protected and to allowing your to play freely.

Cricket is a sport that seems to bring about mixed emotions. It’s one of the most watched sports in the world, which shows that there are plenty of people who really enjoy. If you’re someone who has ever had the excitement of putting on your cricket gloves and heading out to bat then you’ll certainly know about what the game has to offer.

It’s a sport that has many advantages, including the fact that it can be played by both men and women, young and old. No matter how much experience of the game you have, you’ll want to ensure that you have all of the right equipment. Many players tend to think initially about the importance of having the right bat, but you shouldn’t neglect other pieces of kit. In this article we examine the importance of having the right cricket gloves.

A vital decision will be whether to buy your gloves online or from a local specialist store. This decision is made a whole lot easier if no such local store exists! Luckily, you will find that many of the best cricket glove deals are to be found online.

What do you need to think about when buying your new cricket gloves? Quality, price and size will all certainly be important to you. You might be surprised by the number of people who think to buy good quality gloves and yet don’t manage to get them in the right size. You should make the effort to get the size right, otherwise you could be uncomfortable and struggle to score runs.

You should definitely test your gloves before making a purchase. Try them out to see how you find it when holding your preferred bat. It’s absolutely critical that you should feel completely comfortable when wearing them, as even the very best players struggle to play well when they’re wearing gloves that don’t fit properly.

The England cricket team are becoming increasingly hopeful that Andrew Flintoff can recover from his knee injury problem to play in the second 2009 Ashes test at Lord’s this week.  The Lancashire all-rounder had a precautionary scan on his right knee after experiencing pain fielding in the first test at Cardiff.

He has consulted the surgeon who operated on his knee earlier this year and has been told that there is every chance he can recover in time to take his place in the side on Thursday.  England coach Andy Flower advised that Flintoff had an injection which was being left to settle down and as a consequence is training with bat but will not be allowed to bowl until Wednesday.  It is only then that the decision to include him in the side will be made.

England have brought Steve Harmison into the squad as cover, but there is also an outside chance that England might consider playing Ian Bell as an extra batsman should Flintoff fail the fitness test in order to strengthen their batting options.

With the match finely balanced and Australia going into the last day with a 169 overnight lead, the weather played it’s part.  After 30 overs and with the fall of the last Australian wicket, and a new lead of 272 the heavens opened and 5 overs were docked from the days total leaving England chasing 273 from 76 overs to win the match and Australia looking for ten wickets.

After 11 balls Caroline Atkins was out and rain again interrupted play and wiped 19 overs off the day’s total.  England now had to survive a possible 48 overs against a determined Australian attack and after another 2 overs were lost to rain Australia took 2 wickets from 8 balls.  Claire Taylor, normally England’s batting mainstay, going out for 12 and Lydia Greenway for 23 leaving England on 39-3.

With 34 overs left to defend, England turned to their captain, Charlotte Edwards who together with Beth Morgan made 106-3 to survive the day and gain a draw.

There seems to be no stopping this Women’s team as they add The Ashes to their burgeoning Trophy Cabinet this year having won the 50 Over World Cup in March, and adding the Twenty20 World Cup last month both final having been played against New Zealand’s Silver Ferns.

So can the success of the England Women rub off onto the men and a repeat of the golden summer of 2005 when both the Men’s and the Women’s team won The Ashes. and had their victory parades

It is no surprise that Harmison has been included as he has come into a rich vein of form - indeed he took six wickets for the England Lions against Australia. Coupled with the fact that England’s selected five frontline bowlers hardly distinguished themselves in first 2009 Ashes test at Cardiff, there is an argument that he should be selected anyway.

England were only ever going to select both spinners Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar for the first test as Sophia Gardens was perceived to be more likely to take spin than Lord’s which traditionally is more suited  to seam bowlers. Harmison would then be up against his own county team mate  Graham Onions,  for one of the places. In addition, Stuart Broad is also suffering from a calf strain and is being watched carefully. Broad might consider his place in the team under pressure as his bowling in the first test was also nothing to write home about, having figures of only 1 – 129. Despite his heroics at the crease for the last wicket stand with Anderson on Sunday, it is likely that Graham Swann will be retained as the only spin specialist with Monty Panesar being the one to lose out.

England squad: Andrew Strauss (captain), James Anderson, Ian Bell, Ravi Bopara, Stuart Broad, Paul Collingwood, Alastair Cook, Andrew Flintoff, Steve Harmison, Graham Onions, Monty Panesar, Kevin Pietersen, Matt Prior, Graeme Swann