The Surfer

There is of course a natural polarity between these two extreme interpretations of the word "cricket". The IPL is brash, expansionist and draped in a cladding of new imperial glamour. It wants to conquer the world. The ECC is old, quiet and draped in a cladding of house dust and summer‑tog cagoule. It wants a nice cup of tea. They are two entirely separate entities, scarcely the same species of sport. But which one is better?

Despite the best efforts of the dedicated few, including the ICC staff, cricket is suffering from a rotting soul.

A senior player once said about Dhoni that he does not worry about the future or the past. But this could be a result of his record. When you have won so much, the future and the past take care of themselves. The present is, then, automatically the only thing you worry about. From his outlook, Dhoni does seem a person who likes to keep things simple and, significantly, do them his own way. This also means that while he respects icons, he is not overly lyrical talking about them. For example, when speaking of Tendulkar, he is respectful but never over the top.

While the longevity of Mark Ramprakash, 42, and Robert Croft, who turns 41 next month, is to be applauded, neither has spent the best part of a quarter of a century, in Nixon's words, “doing 1,000 squats a day”. Such is the wicketkeeper's lot, and it is testament to Nixon's fitness, professionalism and enduring love of the game that he remains a key figure on and off the pitch at Grace Road.

Dhoni has brought a remarkable Zen-like calmness to a fiercely high-pressure job. In the last three years as Indian captain, one doesn't recall a single instance where Dhoni has really let his guard down or allowed himself to be carried away by the surround sound which is now part of the game ... He's even publicly admitted to his mistakes, an all too rare quality in our leaders.

He may have never crossed his limits with Tendulkar or Sehwag, but that did not make him a soft captain. In fact, he was not shy to throw a challenge at his men after the South Africa collapse, when in a shielded manner, he denounced the penchant of a few to play more for the gallery than the cause of the team.

Captaincy, besides other things, is about straight talk and issuing timely warnings to players. India never looked back in the tournament after that siren was sounded by Dhoni.

The domestic game in this country is alive and kicking. Yes, there are economic problems and a lot of counties are experiencing financial difficulties, but that is not a situation limited to cricket by any means. Plenty of businesses are struggling in the current climate.

One is traditional, old-fashioned and, to many, an anachronism in an impatient modern world; the other is full of glitz, glamour and, above all, money. Are those cricketers who take to the field at Chelmsford and Bristol today really playing the same game as those who will do battle in Chennai?

Twenty20 is OK as far as it goes, but I wonder whether the IPL might suffer slightly this time around as those millions of Indian fans who were so absorbed by the twists and turns of 50-over cricket during their heroes' World Cup triumphs feel a bit short-changed by the comparatively relentless crash-bang-wallop of 70-odd 20-over matches.

The game has undergone a huge transformation from the time when bowlers would applaud the batsmen on being hit for a four or six. These days they glare or mouth profanities as an aggressive advertisement for aggressive cricket. And the IPL signifies this transformation ... In IPL, there is money, and then there is cricket.

Sure, he has an opinion on politics just as much as every other citizen does – but does this mean his thoughts on diplomacy are more important than the upcoming tour of the West Indies? More important questions to ask him (and for him to discuss in these press conferences) would be how the team plans to continue making a bigger impact in international cricket, who the next wicket-keeper will be and so much more. As @Tazeen said on Twitter: That man is tired, let him sleep. Mrs. Afridi, take his phone and hide it. Either that, or Afridi needs to give fewer interviews – especially those not related to cricket.