how long since the last cricket report?

1981: The great West Indies fast-bowling combination of (L to R)
Andy Roberts, Michael Holding, Colin Croft and Joel Garner.

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Cricket-mad India is mixing cricket and humour to promote safe sex and fight AIDS in a bold pilot campaign warning people to save their "wickets" from "unwanted googlies" and protect their "stumps".

In an advertisement on Wednesday by the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) in a national daily, three wooden wickets set against a blue sky are covered by condoms with a caption reading: "Save your wicket from unwanted googlies of life."

"Even in your favourite sport, you never know when you'll lose your stumps. Life is also unpredictable in the same manner. Why take chances?" the caption said.

In cricket, wickets are also called stumps. A googly is a cricket ball bowled as if to break one way but actually breaks in the opposite direction to trick the batsman.

Both terms are familiar to millions who passionately follow the fortunes of the national cricket team.

In largely conservative India, open talk about condoms is still taboo in rural areas and small towns.