Welcome back MoYo.

I like it when players come out of retirement. MoYo was sulking when he went away. Back at the Oval, he looked one with the universe of cricket again. This was his scene, he was the man, amongst his pre-pubescent teammates.

It’s when you reacquaint yourself with the minor quirks of a player that you realize how much you like the guy’s cricket – his nod to the non-striker, in a weird way, reminded me of Sachin’s nod to himself. Those crazy, black holes for eyes, where many a bowler's been lost.

His beard made me curious as always, and I realized it’s not as long as I make it in the toons – bit it’s still a caricature of a beard. But that’s MoYo, he’s been something a cartoon.

But can this cartoon play. From the defence, to the nod to the bowler, the few steps down, after one of those defensive blocks, and his movement across the crease. His communication with Azhar Ali, looked like he was shepherding a favourite nephew.

And then that cover drive, isn’t that why we want to watch MoYo? But the shot of the day, and you’d be lucky if you saw it, was MoYo waiting, waiting, waiting…playing the quick late, like he was a slow train coming, angled bat, fine, well past second slip, to third man for four. It had to be third man, for that’s where MoYo loves it.

If MoYo wasn’t so eccentric, we’d talk about his cricket more.

On Bored: Loads more on MoYo