The Surfer

Of the associate nations, the patronising term cricket gives to non Test playing countries, they start the tournament in the best form. Scotland thrashed Ireland by 179 runs and scored 310 against the West Indies, losing by just three runs.

The story of Ishaq's arrival in the UAE is typical of so many leading cricketers in this country. He had shown talent as a first-class cricketer in his homeland and was reckoned to be in the running for selection for the Pakistan national team. Two hundreds early in his Qaid-e-Azam trophy career earned him recognition and a call-up seemed imminent when Imran Khan and Zaheer Abbas, two seniors of the side, fell out with the Pakistan board ahead of a tour to Australia.

Of course viewers want fun - the art of filling slow hours is cricket commentary's joy and genius. But there's a reason that it's great to sit around with a bunch of mates and talk shit among yourselves, and boring to sit next to someone else's bunch of mates while they talk shit among themselves. In-group banter is inherently dull to the world it excludes. A couple of minds in a commentary box must connect with a million outside it.

My attitude to the game, and life in general, changed a lot in 2007 when my dad was diagnosed with cancer. To that point, I had been totally consumed by cricket. Everything was about the game. But that all turned upside down the day I learned my dad had Hodgkin's lymphoma. It made me realise that, in the grand scheme of life, cricket was just a game and I had been incredibly blessed to have had the career and experiences I've had.

We will see massive scores. This will be the World Cup of 350-370 totals. The era of scoring 250-275 and winning on a regular basis will die (if it has not already) at this tournament. Having a fifth fielder in the ring makes players just go for it. The two new white balls were brought in to redress the balance and give the bowlers some firepower. But they are not swinging and it has actually given batsmen a harder ball to hit.

Nabi loved the game and developed his skills in the guest room of his family's crowded house. His parents had been among the millions of Afghans who fled their homeland after the Russian invasion in 1979, settling first in a refugee camp and then building a life in Pakistan. Nabi's family could still live comfortably on the proceeds of his father's business. "There is no future in cricket," his mother told him. "Study. See your cousins? They are studying."

It will come as no surprise to hear Trott is quietly but tenaciously focused on playing for his country again. "Yes, Test and one-dayers. I'd love to play again. I wouldn't have gone on the Lions tour if I didn't want to play for England again. Whatever happens from here, if it happens, would be fantastic."

You may say it's made the game good to watch. It's certainly more unpredictable. In the scramble onwards, who knows what a par score is, or a winning total? But as Finch said, there should be a place for the tight contests too. "From a player's point of view, I think the most exciting games are the low-scoring ones, when you're defending 180 and you've got nothing to lose, they can be really exciting games." One thing is clear: if the ICC is serious about trying to redress the balance of the game, bat-size can wait - it's its own meddling with the regulations that has tipped it out of kilter. It has chosen to disempower the fielding side at the very moment the game was already evolving in favour of the batsmen.

The Indian world cup team has had a horrid run to the beginning of their title defence and that can't be a good sign. The first byproduct of such a long losing streak is that you start fiddling with the playing XI too often. Since the Champions Trophy in 2013 in England, Bhuvneshwar Kumar was India's new ball bowler but now, he seems to be fighting for a place in the side with Stuart Binny. Bhuvneshwar isn't looking a 100% but the idea to replace Kumar with Binny has little to do with latter's bowling prowess, for it's his ability batting lower down the order that's tilted the balance in his favour. MS Dhoni is insisting that India needs multi-utility players and hence he's tempted to play bowlers who can bat. It's worth noting that this wasn't India's game plan for the last three years.

They have the fastest World Cup hundred (Kevin O'Brien - 50 balls), the third fastest (Paul Stirling-70 balls), the highest ever successful run chase (329-7 against England) and the third highest (307-4 against Netherlands). Kevin O'Brien and Alex Cusack hold the record for the highest sixth wicket stand (162 against England). In addition Ireland has the largest runs margin of victory by an Associate against a Full Member (74 runs against Bangladesh in 2007). Andre Botha has the third best ever economy rate in an innings (minimum 30 balls) with 2-5 off 8 overs against Pakistan in 2007. Of the 28 second innings hundreds in World Cup cricket, Ireland (Kevin O'Brien and Paul Stirling) account for two of them.