The Surfer

England have never before won seven home series on the bounce. Only twice have they won six, between 1882 and 1896 and from 1955 to 1960. If it is a ghastly time for the West Indies, it does not take the gloss from England's accomplishments. In the bad times there was no escaping the misery. Perhaps the good times should be relished in similarly unfettered fashion.

The England bowlers are good in all conditions, as shown by performances in Australia and UAE for example, but in their own they are supreme. This is currently reflected in the official Test bowling rankings, which shows that, despite Stuart Broad dropping down slightly after the Nottingham Test, there are three bowlers – Jimmy Anderson at three, Graeme Swann four and Broad six – in the top six, with Tim Bresnan at 15, which means that England have more bowlers in the world top 20 than any other nation.

Cricket's legends are players who have performed consistently in adversity and made a lasting impact on the game. It's this quality that attracts the masses. It's not that these legends are demanding recognition. Rather, it's the duty of the BCCI and associated people to show that public memory isn't short. Surely these legends deserve to be handled with respect at least. The BCCI would earn goodwill by being gracious to those who have merited it with their service to the country and the game.

Opening pairs set a tone in a dressing room. If they are nervy in their behaviour and hurried in their movements, it sends an apprehensive message to the waiting batsmen. Strauss and Cook generally exude confidence and transmit a relaxed ambience from the middle. They meet regularly between overs for a soft glove punch and a genial chat. They are givers, not takers, unselfish with the strike and happy to run each other's singles. Communication is excellent.

You do not re-make yourself under the recurring pressure of world-class sport. If you have done your work, and learned your lessons, you simply apply the values you have come to trust. They are the ones that have informed Strauss every step of England's march from the shambles that followed the divisions which led to the resignation of Kevin Pietersen to their current position of strength.

Rather than cry for the good old days -- as off-side aficionados no doubt did when Ranji invented the leg glance -- it would be wiser perhaps to see T20/IPL through an independent prism rather than as just a compressed derivative of vintage cricket.

"Ravi would never talk about himself at home. Like, on the evening he hit six sixes in an over (off Tilak Raj in a Ranji Trophy match against Baroda in 1985). He came home and started packing for the next match. I asked him what happened in the match and he just wouldn't answer me. 'Watch the 7:30 pm Marathi news,' he said. Before that, I went to buy some groceries and a bhelpuri wallah told me that he had hit six sixes."

Five years into the life of the IPL, the senses remain unbalanced, that one of permanence outweighed by one that it is a passing fad. The IPL is not actually going away anywhere of course, but it is difficult to avoid each season the suspicion that the product is being heartily raided just in case it isn't there next season. Intentional or not, the IPL does more every year to shove you out of the lounge and into the stadium, because on television it can be excruciating.

Brimming stadiums have been the biggest boost for IPL this year. “The packed stadiums this year should silence all doubting Thomases,” says Srinivasan. According to estimates gathered from franchisees and their associates, close to two million tickets were sold this year, translating into a windfall of around Rs 200 crore.

The West Indians are being treated with a generosity of spirit they rarely showed in the halcyon days of Holding, Richards & Co. Coach Ottis Gibson and Sammy are winning friends, if not influencing too many people, by trying to develop a Caribbean version of England's corporate culture.

For Bhaskar, it was fate that he did not play for India. For seven years he was among the standbys. “I was almost there, but never actually there.” When he was picked in the eleven for an ODI at Jammu in 1988, it rained. At Dhaka, he was padded up to go in when riots stopped play following the Babri Masjid demolition.

For something as "silly" as IPL, why would any "sensible" person lose out on the generosity of the Board. Slaves have no voices of thier own unless they want to break their shackles, but that freedom comes at a price. Ask those who have benefited immensely by being "His Master's Voice". Compensation from the Board comes in many guises.

Timing can be everything in sport and the timing of one's departure can be as tricky as anything that takes place on the field. There are financial implications, of course, and somehow Harmison is only in the second year of a lucrative four-year contract. But there are also the questions of fitness, hunger and performance.