Welcome to Twenty Two Yards, a weekly newsletter celebrating cricket's culture and characters.

In this issue:

• Scotland is ready

• Groundsman of The Ageas Bowl shares his wisdom

• Kohli finds his 13,000th run

Scotland is Ready for the ‘Big Boy’ Table

By Ollie Goodwin

I'm in Edinburgh, it's 12:54 on a Saturday, and it's raining, obviously. The Earl of Marchmont is a great little pub just outside city central (£4 a Red Stripe, I don't mind it). "Does anyone ever ask to put the cricket on, or any teams around here?" I asked the bar lady, like a tea-drinking little cuck.

Puzzled, confused and feeling the imperial vapours evaporating off me, she slowly replied, "Wow, what a niche question…no, never. No one's ever asked for 'cricket'. I don't think people like cricket round here." I saved my "Is the Hundred really good for cricket?" chat, watched football and drank my pint.

Some 200 metres down the road, Venkatesh was waiting to bat, looking and feeling relaxed. Pads on, feet up, he might as well have had a cigar. Playing on the Meadows, right next to the hustle and bustle of Edinburgh's centre, "I love the rivalry between Scotland and England. It really reminds me of Pakistan and India. I've been around for a few matches over the years, and the city is crazy. They really hate each other, and I get why."

Is something special happening?
Recently, there have been cricket-shaped rumblings North of the border. From defeating the West Indies, nearly qualifying for a World Cup and more Scottish players in County cricket than ever. They even won the last encounter with England back in 2018.

The Meadows
Formerly the 'Burgh Loch (aka the South Loch), The Meadows is a large, grassy park just off the main city. Historically, the 'Burgh Loch' was a sporting area for hunting, golf, and all other things stereotypically Scottish.

Surprisingly, three adjacent cricket pitches are plonked right in the heart of the beautiful little city. I was lucky. The drizzle hadn't deterred the four teams battling the elements.

"A lot of the game up here is about dodging rain, to be honest," Kiran told me.

His side, Drummond Trinity, were batting. At 62 for 1, they were looking good on a pitch that was very, very green. It had rained multiple times this morning, but they played on without covers or a clubhouse. The outfield had been freshly mown the day before, and lumps of sticky, wet grass plagued the outfield.

Venkatesh explained that Scottish pitches come with a charm you don't tend to get anywhere else.

"You have to work really hard for your runs. If you play a good shot, most of the time, you don't get much. Scottish cricket has a way to go. Most of the pitches are shit! The standards are different in England. But if the grassroots can keep growing like this, I'm sure Scotland will have a good team in a few years. I honestly believe that."

What next?
Unlike Ireland, the Scotts are still waiting for full ICC member status and a seat at the big boy table of international cricket. Their summer heroics highlight how far things have come. I'm sure the cricket on the Meadows will endure as the national side continues to punch above its weight. Through the rain, wind and dodgy pitches, keep the runs ticking over. I'm sure there's plenty more to come.

The Groundsman: Ageas Bowl

By David Scipione

For a job with "a lot of unsociable hours," Ageas Bowl Deputy Head Groundsman Tom Cowley knows how to hold a conversation. Many kids grow up with a love of cricket - few have it stoked further by their dad turning the home garden into a cricket pitch.

You get to drink with one cricketer - who is it, and what are you pouring?
Eoin Morgan, definitely. I'd like to share a pint of Guinness with him. I just like what he's done for the game and how he took English cricket forward.

Why groundskeeping?
Everyone in my family played cricket, and my dad worked at a club, so in the summer holidays, I started to go there and help. I used to have a cricket pitch in my garden, and I used to go out there and cut it and make it look like it was on the telly. I started cutting outfields during the day and doing more and more until I was producing pitches.

What people do up and down the country for all sports surfaces is amazing. For me, I want to stay in cricket. I love the sport, and there's so much that goes into each pitch that you're producing.

What's one thing that terrifies you as a groundsman?
When you have high winds, and it's stormy, you leave, and you have everything covered, and it's pinned down the best you can - the worst feeling when you're driving into work the next day is hoping everything's in place and your pitch is still dry.

Test, ODI or T20 - which one?
Producing-wise, you always try to produce the best pitch you can for any format. For me, I love test cricket.

The one tool you can't live without.
Obviously, you can't live without the mowers. But for me, the weather apps. I sit down and have my cereal first thing in the morning, plan my day and look for any weather to be wary of.

We just did a piece on weather apps - what's your favourite?
I tend to use the iPhone weather app and Apple Weather. You take the information from all the apps, but the more you do the job, the more you build up your own weather patterns.

I was shocked at how many grounds people are on social media. Give us two accounts to follow.
The one I followed when I first came down here is Karl McDermott, the boss at Lord's now. Another great account is Edgbaston, showing what Gary Barwell and his team are doing. All of the information they're putting out - it's just brilliant to see what they're doing.

The Slip Corden

• Behind the batmaking business
  Phil Walker covers the legendary batmaking factories in the U.K. for Wisden. We learn where they source their willow and the process of crafting the finest bats in the world.
  

• Mr. Kohli strikes again

  On Monday, Virat Kohli became the fastest cricketer in history to hit 13,000 runs in ODIs. GOAT status? Share your thoughts who might still have an edge on VK.

Correction: The last issue, we misspelt Wilfred Chan’s last name. A Pint on us, Wilfred. You can find his article in the The Guardian.

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Issue: Scotland is ready, Ageas Bowl Groundsman & Kohli's 13000
Publisher: J. LaLonde
Editor-At-Large: Angus Wilson
Contributing Writer: David Scipione
Contributing Writer: Ollie Goodwin
Illustration: Sidney Secolo