The Surfer

Jayawardene's wholesome nature and genuine respect for another's space has helped him connect easily with those around him. Shanaka Amarasinghe's admiration for the cricketer grew in 2006 when Jayawardene was direct and honest, and yet polite, while pointing out that Amarasinghe was late for an appointment by 10 minutes. Brad Stevens remembers how Jayawardene was always dependable and stood for what he believed in when the two of them hosted The Square Cut, Jayawardene's first show on a lifestyle radio station in Colombo.

In the days since the Old Trafford defeat, there have been at least a dozen people asking this correspondent alone whether MS Dhoni and the team care about Test cricket. It's not an easy question to answer with a straight face. These players are professionals. This is what they do. Do we ask journalists if they care about doing in-depth features?

It hurts when my team loses. And when this happens, I find myself walling myself off from the sport. I no longer follow the sport with as much interest, to protect myself from the hurt ... It wasn't this way when I was younger. I had a lot more room in my head to carry the emotional baggage of the world. I would feel the pain of far off lands, of sports teams, of leaders and people ... I think you have to experience everything before you can let it go--before you become detached-- so that you know what you're letting go of. I don't know if I'll ever get there. I don't know if I want to.

"I transitioned into two very alpha-male environments, the army and cricket," she said. "I have been humbled and thrilled at the generous reception I have received from the global cricket community." She told me of the early important support she had received from senior, iconic figures in cricket, such as the Chappell brothers, Ian (of whom she does a wicked earthy impression) and Greg; Brett Lee; and, in particular, Rahul Dravid, since announcing her transition in 2012. "All I did," Greg Chappell tells me, "was to respect her choices, and treat her as a person, without being judgmental."

Gayle, sore at not enjoying the same uniformity of reverence as, say, Usain Bolt, laments: "I guess when you die, all the good things are said about you. But in life, if you have something to say or offer, do it now. Don't wait until the person is dead and gone to say: 'Oh, he was such a great player, he did all of this.'
"It's just the way I feel, and I want to express myself. There, I've said it, and I don't have any regrets. The government will get my message, and that's important."

To say she sliced through the top order is not an exaggeration. She allowed none of the top three to reach double figures. She came back to pick up the resilient Edwards, who batted low due to illness. To get a measure of the quality of her wickets we need no highlights or eye witness accounts. We only need to read the scorecard. LBW, caught behind and bowled. Beaten, edged, and knocked over. Classic fast bowlers wickets. And she was bowling fast.

The theory is that Hughes looks fragile. He's awkward to watch: hopping about at the crease, fidgeting, carving and swiping to score, poor at masking consternation. He can look terrible when he gets out, giving the impression that he's less in control at that moment than other players. But none of that should actually matter in the face of his effectiveness. He was mocked for his struggle with spin during the 2013 India tour, but learned from it to grind out two ungainly but effective innings. However much his technique is critiqued, it has dominated bowling attacks at all levels of the game.

At various times in this series, Dhoni has given the impression that he is seeking this dangerous safety net. He has taken decisions that suggest he is happy to try and hold the game where it is. If Jadeja, and more recently Ashwin, have been outbowled by Moeen Ali, it is also because he has bowled the more attacking lines... But Jadeja at Southampton, where the tide turned, bowled almost exclusively on leg stump with a packed leg side field. Did Dhoni not believe that Jadeja could take wickets? If he did, the approach would have been different.

Your judgment, technique and footwork have to be spot on especially against a moving, swinging new ball, any flaw will be exposed. Robson has been found wanting too often this summer. But the selectors have already named the same squad for the Oval so he will get another chance. He made a century at Headingley against Sri Lanka and that innings alone has kept him in the team. In fact that century has saved his bacon. Without that hundred in the bank he would have gone by now. Will he get better?

India were simply embarrassing. They have been brought up facing orthodox off spin but they made it look as though Moeen Ali was bowling hand grenades and folded abysmally.
They just gave up under pressure, they threw in the towel. For the past two weeks it looks to me as if India have been fighting too many battles off the pitch and have forgotten to fight on it.
They got embroiled in the James Anderson case and were so bent on getting him banned that they took their eye off the cricket.

Pace is also vital for a spinner. Moeen Ali's remarkable transformation from distrusted part-time off-spinner to match-winner has all been down to his pace. Quite simply, he has decided to propel his twirlers a little more quickly and it has made him a different bowler. The club cricketer's cliche of 'give it some air' might work for crease-bound batsmen at that level, but not for the top practitioners. Then pace and revolutions become key. Moeen has found both.