The Surfer

In this generation of Twenty20 riches, there is neither the time nor money for English counties to sign the superstars any more. In fact, they cannot sign anyone who commands international acclaim. At least, not for very long.

Gone are the days when our domestic scene was awash with those at the top table. The days when Imran Khan was feted for his efforts with Sussex, when Gordon Greenidge and Malcolm Marshall were as much a part of Hampshire as Paul Terry or Mark Nicholas, when Sir Viv Richards and Joel Garner thought of Taunton as a second home.

For me there are three players that made all the difference: Punam Raut and Harmanpreet Kaur add depth to India’s batting line-up, which alleviates the pressure on Mithali Raj, who is heavily relied upon to score the team’s runs. What stood out was their character. Each appeared to enjoy a challenge and were equally able to back it up with skill. The Indian opener, Raut, faced England’s main strike bowler Katherine Brunt with confidence and never seemed phased by her pace. Kaur often scored at a high strike rate and it was her performance, along with Raut and Raj, which was instrumental in chasing down 229 in the opening game.

In time, neither party will need the other. Pietersen will have scored 10,000 Test runs, as is his stated aim, and will have more money than he needs. At that point, he will free himself from England’s shackles and do as he pleases. England, too, will move on with a new generation of talented players. But that time is not yet. Pietersen still desires the limelight- as his attempts to finagle a place this week in the World Twenty20 suggest- and no doubt Stuart Broad, England’s Twenty20 captain, would dearly love to have Pietersen to increase his chances of winning. So we have this delicious tension.

His stock delivery is brisk, rather than lightning, and he relies on swing, more than seam, to remove batsmen. That style should suit the abrasive surface the Blacks Caps are likely to find in Antigua. Once the ball gets roughed up it might start reversing, and that is when Wagner is at his best. He can make the banal melodramatic. But he can also be relied on to get through his workload despite the all the drama and, when his nostrils are flaring, there is no better bowler in the country.

For a touring team going into a five-Test series, there might be some justification in being undercooked, because they don't want to peak too soon. For a team going into a three-Test series, and failing to peak until they are 1-0 down, there is none at all.

Just about every cricket writer who has visited Pakistan, barring those who don’t venture out of their hotel rooms because of their unfounded fears, testify to the generosity of its people. Their obstinate refusal to accept money for goods purchased or food eaten, their insistence on taking strangers from India home for tea or drinks, their effusive hugs followed by the disclaimer that politics has divided a people, and, at times, the thoughtfulness of security men shadowing the visiting Indian, procuring for him the bootlegger’s bottle of delight. This perception was also what a senior police official, whom I bumped into last week, claimed to have experienced on his trip with a senior state personage.

Despite their strident assertions to the contrary, the South African side must be underprepared, their plans disrupted by the weather at Taunton and Canterbury. In trying to claim that things could hardly have gone better, they are protesting just a little too much. The tragic loss of Mark Boucher may in itself prove an inspirational focal point for them, but it has seriously affected the balance of their side, with his replacement, Thami Tsolekile, not being risked and the gloves going instead to AB de Villiers, arguably the world's premier batsman in all forms.

Many batsmen who step up to keep wicket find their batting falls away. In a series where runs are sure to be at a premium given the respective qualities of the two attacks, this could be a risky option, and one that may not be sustainable throughout the series. The loss of the back-up paceman Marchant de Lange is a further blow, as their chosen replacement, Albie Morkel, scarcely looks a Test match quality alternative. One tweaked hamstring, as has happened to Graham Onions, one of England's reserves, during practice, and they are in bother.

As far as radio commentary in English was concerned, no one but Saraiya deserved the moniker, the Golden Voice of Indian Cricket, after the retirement of Anant Setalwad. He was one of the most natural and original of commentators. With his impressively articulate baritone, smooth delivery and distinct style, Saraiya commanded a large fan following across the country. Often he ran into strangers who identified him from his voice.

Through a narrower gaze, though, there is reason to wonder at the timing of the decision and the nature of the scheduling. Is it necessary – or even advisable – to shoehorn this commitment into the middle of an England tour to India? Maybe, you know, the idea was to downplay it, to generate less heat around the contests. Cram it into a packed calendar and de-passion it as just another quickie Sri Lanka series? That might be to imagine more sense in administrators than they possess: there were likely more pragmatic compulsions, a vote in waiting perhaps for the next time an important decision goes to the ICC table?

If governments are sure about the security of players and spectators, who wouldn’t want to watch Virender Sehwag take guard against Umar Gul or sit transfixed to know how Sachin Tendulkar would handle Saeed Ajmal this time?

The only thing that matters is when your team mates respect you. When your coach knows that you have the ability and he backs you and the team mates back you no matter what’s written or said. In Australia, when I didn’t do well in the first two Tests, everyone said, “He is not fit enough for Test cricket, drop him”. But MS (Dhoni) gave me that chance, the coach gave me that chance, my team mates believed in me and I delivered. It’s all about showing confidence in people.