Test Match Special Offer wide of the mark

Much talk on Test Match Special on Monday that MCC nearly had to fork out £42,000 if young bowler Steve Finn had taken 10 wickets in the First Test (he ended up with nine). The Beeb reports: "[TMS presenter] Simon Mann reveals that it will cost MCC £42,000 if Finn takes the final wicket (because of their promotional offer offering refunds to anyone who bought tickets online between 16 April and 4 May if someone takes 10 wickets in the match)."

But would MCC really have been £42,000 out of pocket? Of course not. That deal was hedged with a bookmaker, so a 10 wicket haul would have been financially irrelevant to MCC. Arguably the club would have preferred to have paid out, as it would encourage future deals.