The Surfer

Even at 35, and with only a handful of Twenty20 games for Surrey this year to showcase his wares, he will surely be snapped up. And so continues the conundrum that has dogged him all along - his unique talent guarantees he is in demand, and while it seems he'd be just as happy doing something else, a man can't make the big bucks dangling a rod in the water.

Yes, he's quick and by all accounts has a mature head on young shoulders, but he's played three first class games and is essentially being picked on the basis of a couple of good four-over spells in a meaningless hit-and-giggle competition.

The fine New Zealand sides of the 1980s, of which Wright was a part, went a long way by using grit and determination to overcome individual technical shortcomings and provide effective support for two world-class players, Richard Hadlee and Martin Crowe. Nobody encapsulated that better than Wright, New Zealand's third-highest Test run-maker. His career was built on hard work that ensured every ounce of his ability was evident at the crease.

It will be a surprise if Johnson can repeat his trickery at the MCG. Fully enclosed grounds can create their own micro-climate, but as with the Gabba it is not renowned as a swinging ground but rather one that can seam while the ball is new, and perhaps reverse swings later. The danger for England's batsmen now, though, is that because of the potential, there will be a temptation to want to play deliveries that until now their gameplan has been to avoid. It is a mindset they will do well to avoid although one it will be hard to avoid.

Which one is the real Mitchell Johnson? The butt of Barmy Army jokes and songs who bombed in Brisbane, or the purveyor of panic who prospered in Perth? You suspect not even Johnson knows. And that in itself may unsettle England, who will have to work out pretty quickly in Melbourne whether they can leave everything alone outside off stump as per the Gabba. If Johnson swings it at the MCG without the aid of the elements, England could be in trouble.

Now Wright has the power. Now the players are uncomfortable. They will have to train when they are told, not when tee-off times and television engagements permit.

Wright is friendly on the surface, but hard as nails underneath. He has a ruthless mind and players under him will be made to work hard on the skills.

In a couple of ways, both are joined at the hip. One is through mind-numbing statistics. Don Bradman’s batting genius is expressed best by his batting average of 99.94. This one simple numerical value reveals more about his skills and performances than would the countless books that have been written about him in the past 80 years. Tendulkar’s Test average, in the late 50s, is clearly not the yardstick of comparison. But 50 Test centuries is a whopping number. Add 46 more in ODIs - plus some more that are surely there in the future — and you could reach a figure that is likely to boggle the mind of all future generations, much as Bradman’s batting average has.

Every newcomer that walks into the dressing room has a Tendulkar story to narrate. It is usually about their observation while watching the legend preparing for the game. Many have tried to emulate him in all earnestness but given up as the standard set was too high and far too many sacrifices had to be made. Moreover, the ingrained meticulousness that Tendulkar has been born with was tough to cultivate. As a senior journalist once said after having tea in Tendulkar’s hotel room, “He prepares tea like he is cooking biryani.”

No doubt there are those who will use the arrival of the families to point out that England's smooth-running tour has taken a sharp downturn. Do not be fooled by such nonsense. England was beaten by its own inadequacies in dealing with Perth's special conditions. It is nothing to do with nappies, buggies or dummies and all to do with the brutality of cricket in these parts. As suggested here before this game, Perth was always Australia's best chance of success.

Australia had key batsmen who could scarcely buy a run and a bowling unit laughed to scorn even by their own people. Yet they found a way to win, one by one, and in some cases quite raggedly at times, they stood up to be counted. England must now do the same in Melbourne and Sydney.

Whatever the Australians say, it cannot help them that Beer is a completely unknown quantity at this level. He knows Melbourne because he was born there. No doubt he has played the odd game at the MCG. But now that the Australians are right back in the series, rather than grasping at any stray straw, they must be scratching their heads how it came to pass that they are turning up for the critical game of the campaign with such a greenhorn in tow. Of course, Beer could be the next Bishan Bedi; but he might also prove to be a poor man's Xavier Doherty.

Will England make changes in Melbourne? I’d rest Steven Finn, who looks tired and leaked far too many runs to scupper the attack’s pre-ordained plan of creating pressure, and play Ajmal Shahzad for his reverse swing on a ground likely to encourage that. There will doubtless be support for Tim Bresnan, especially in order to strengthen the batting.

It's tempting to see him as some sort of everyman's dream - a glorious Peter Pan. But to say that Warne never grew up is to grossly oversimplify