The summers of our childhoods always seem to be that much better defined.

The days are sunnier and longer. The strawberries sweeter and the memories sharper. I can still recall playing in the garden of my parent’s house and hearing the noise of my father’s shoes on the pavement behind my back. His steady, measured millitary step rapped out with the Blakeys attached to the heel.

In those days we’d eat lunch together before he walked back to work and as the sound of his shoes disappeared I’d be allowed to watch the cricket on the old black and white TV we rented. I’d grown up with cricket, my school having links to a man who would be later called “The Voice of Cricket” and maths lessons were, in the summer, taken at the ground over the round from the school sitting under the neatly pollarded Horse Chestnut trees watching cricket and filling in score cards.

This year has seen and amazing Ashes Test with every aspect of the game played out under these English summer skies and there describing it Richie Benaud, for me one of the greatest commentators of all time who ranks up there with those other voices of sport Dan Maskell, John Arlott and Peter O’Sullevan. A man whose approach to commentary was sumed up in his new book My Spin On Cricket: “Don’t speak unless you can add to the picture.” A man who never let himself get ahead of the importance of the game, and that is how he ended his reign and summed up this Test :

“I carry a lot of music around with me and one of the great ones for me is Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman singing that wonderful duet, Time To Say Goodbye. And that’s what it is, as far as I’m concerned time to say goodbye. And add to that, thank you for having me. It’s been absolutely marvellous for 42 years. I’ve loved every moment of it and it’s been a privilege to go into everyone’s living-room throughout that time. What’s even better, it’s been a great deal of fun. (McGrath then skittles Pietersen.) But not so for the batsman McGrath has picked him off.”

Farewell Richie, it’s been a great deal of fun.