Friday 3rd August 2007: Trains, rain, Red Square and curries

Maybe Lenin bowled leg breaks?
The tour party spent a day seeing the sights in Moscow including Red Square, the Kremlin and Saint Basil’s Cathedral. They all managed to avoid the great Moscow visa registration con undertaken by the Russian police – so no cricket knockabouts this time! Besides it was lashing it down with rain.

I'll have the Moskva balti with pilau rice...
Our hosts in Moscow, understanding the significance of the first touring team to ever visit/play them, arranged a complimentary meal at an Indian restaurant. The opposition were gracious hosts and proceeded to put the wind up the Carmel boys with talk of former international U19 bowlers and ‘A’team players. We’d won the Helsinki Sixes though you know!!

The big train dash
Meanwhile the Abraham brothers undertook the arduous journey from Helsinki to Moscow – departing at 7am and including a made 10-minute dash to the train station (think they are both still sweating now) at 6.30pm in St Petersburg.

Eventually the pair arrived at the cramped and wildly disorganised hostel in Moscow at 11.30pm after fantastic directions by Rob Barnett.

A poor night’s sleep in a noisy hostel was hardly ideal preparation but our hosts had arranged transport for us at 9.30am – not another early start!!