The game of cricket existed long before I was born. It will be played centuries after my demise. During my career I was privileged to give the public my interpretation of its character in the same way that a pianist might interpret the works of Beethoven.

I was never coached; I was never told how to hold a bat.

Every ball went exactly where I wanted it to go until the ball that got me out

Reading poetry and watching cricket were the sum of my world, and the two are not so far apart as many aesthetes might believe.

Many cricketers who had more ability than I had, Why they didn't make more runs than I did, I don't know

When considering the stature of an athlete or for that matter any person, I set great store in certain qualities which I believe to be essential in addition to skill. They are that the person conducts his or her life with dignity, with integrity, courage, and perhaps most of all, with modesty. These virtues are totally compatible with pride, ambition, and competitiveness

The game of cricket existed long before I was born. It will be played centuries after my demise. During my career I was privileged to give the public my interpretation of its character in the same way that a pianist might interpret the works of Beethoven.