Ripeness is all

So the fairy tale has ended with the Prince getting out for a golden duck. When once upon a time he got his century-on-debut at Lord’s, TV screens in Calcutta went blank for an hour … some caprice of the cable networks… and we heard next day in the papers how a star was born. I was reading at the dining table that moment, and impatiently channel-surfing for news, and as I learn news of the duck from Cricinfo, I am at the dining table again, reading, but miles and seas away. Drama has forever followed the star, to the moment of retirement. In the land of the Ramayana and Mahabharata, cricketers—batsmen among them, to be precise—are no less than epic heroes. Much will be made of the first-ball duck tomorrow and forever. I would agree, canonically Eng Lit style, ripeness is all.