What do you do when a match is sold out and you want to watch it really, really badly? TV and illegal streaming's all right, but nothing beats the pleasure of being at the ground… or thereabouts.

Fans take in the first match in Guwahati for two years Associated Press

Who's the contractor for the newly laid roof in the above photo, taken during an India-New Zealand ODI in Guwahati in 2010? And what cement did he use? Was the owner of the property enterprising enough to charge people for the view? Might the roof's capacity be greater than that of a New Zealand ground? Did the people in the stands in front feel a bit silly about having paid for their seats when a possibly better and free alternative was available?

Children and adults get a vantage point from where to watch the proceedings of the Oval Test Getty Images

Fans clamber onto any solid structure that will take their weight to catch the action during day two of the 1953 Ashes Test at The Oval. It couldn't have made for comfortable watching, not because of the seating, but because England plodded along to 235 for 7 - Len Hutton taking more than three and a half hours for his 82, Peter May more than two for 39, Denis Compton over an hour for 16. Would they have returned the next day to watch Trevor "the Barnacle" Bailey complete his three-hour-and-42-minute 64? England's eventual victory in the Test, and the Ashes, after a 19-year wait, may have been some consolation for the sore bums.

Sunbathers can be seen on the roof of a block of flats overlooking Lord's, during the World Cup final PA Photos

Viv's run-outs, Lloyd's century, Gilmour's five-for and the occasion of the first World Cup final, on a long summer day - a good sideshow to a spot of sunbathing.

A fan climbs on to the scaffolding after a six was hitonto the roof of the canopied stand PA Photos

A fan climbing a very rickety looking scaffolding to retrieve a ball hit for six onto the canopy - it's got to be the subcontinent. Specifically, the aftermath of a Yuvraj Singh six during an India-England ODI in Rajkot, 2008. How did he get up the bamboo pole in those sandals? And why is no one in the stand looking the least bit worried that his exertions might bring the roof down?

A sniper keeps an eye on the proceedings of the Chennai Test in the aftermath of the Mumbai terrorist attack PA Photos

Heavy security and armed policemen are a regular feature in international cricket today, but after the terrorist attacks in Mumbai in 2008, the Test between India and England in Chennai less than a month later even featured snipers.

Spectators on Galle Fort watch Shane Warne bowl Getty Images

In Galle you can get free and unobstructed access to the cricket, and if the game gets a bit slow, turn your back to it and enjoy a view of the Indian Ocean.