Plenty of reading happens on a cricket field - players have to read conditions, umpires have to read the light, batters have to read bowlers' line and length - but outside of that there's not a lot of time to expend on the written word. Which is probably why Mithali Raj caused a stir when she was photographed with a book of Rumi's poetry while waiting to walk out to bat in a World Cup innings in 2017.
How do scorers start their days? With a cuppa and a pore-over, as in the picture above.
In the days before Candy Crush and Instagram, it was candy apples and comics that took the drudgery out of the long wait for doors to open before a cricket match.
Then you grow up and graduate to books proper because the lines haven't become any shorter.
Scratch that, you're never too old for a comic book. Tiger, later Tiger and Speed, was a sports comic that featured columns by the likes of Geoff Boycott, Ian Botham and Tony Greig.
Would you rather spend rain delays goofing off with the lads and playing cards or sitting with your nose in a book? Mohammad Sami chose the latter.
Would you rather read the news or make the news? In the photo below, Pakistan manager Yawar Saeed reads about the 2010 spot-fixing scandal at Lord's in the News of The World during the very Test match that was being written about.
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There's nothing like the sun on your back, the grass under your feet and a paperback to while away your summers in the Caribbean. And maybe a Test match or five to fill in the days. Just ask England.
Sometimes it doesn't have to be reams of newsprint, just a line or two from a loved one to let you know you're being thought about.
The Ashes are the absolute pinnacle of cricket, a close-fought war between ancient rivals with never a dull moment, and you can't take your eyes off the action for a second...
There are worse places to read, just ask Jonathan Livingston Seagull.
It is now almost mandatory to publish at least three autobiographies on your life if you're a cricketer. It's a tough job and sometimes you have to have a sit-down to think about it.
Has anyone managed to make reading in bed look as elegant as Imran Khan has?
