The Surfer

They are on a natural high after their win at The Oval, and their bowling has come together brilliantly as a unit. This final Test is a game they have to win – and as long as the ball continues to chatter they will be happy enough to take their chances with the bat. On the other hand, while the desire to win every game is uppermost, England, leading the series, will feel less of an imperative to force the game. A draw will suit them fine.

Shane Warne is not in the meeting about tweeting, but is tweeting about the meetings and suggests to his friend that he should call a meeting about calling the next meeting. Clarke likes that and notes with tongue-in-tweet that Warnie always did like a good meeting.

There was a time when India would get short shrift. Everybody knows Bishen Singh Bedi lost his contract with Northamptonshire because he complained to the MCC about John Lever using vaseline to tamper the ball during England's tour of India in 1976. Indian players were often at the receiving end of sledging, racist taunts and even physical abuse e.g. Sunil Gavaskar given a mighty heave by John Snow in 1971.

Today though, India is the world's richest cricketing nation as also the number 1 ranked Test team. A fast-growing economy and a billion-strong fan-base fuelled a boom that has made this country cricket's El Dorado. The BCCI contributes more than 70 per cent of the game's economy. This signifies enormous clout and should inspire India to play a leadership role in the sport rather than a victim's.

What will concern Andy Flower is the repetitive nature of some of the dismissals of his players in the last three Tests.

Kevin Pietersen is playing away from his body because he is searching for the ball, Andrew Strauss has been getting out the same way to Aamer, while Paul Collingwood has played on more than once. I would also sit Jonathan Trott down and ask him why he has gone completely into his shell a couple of times. There is a spell with Pakistan, after the shine has gone off the new ball and before it is reversing and turning, when they provide you with a really good time to bat. Trott was in then and could have been more positive.

What sort of outfit invites teams to a tournament then takes their best players? The Indian Champions League, that's who. It's like going round to your mate's house because he's got the best backyard, the bat and the ball but if you want to play, he gets to pick the teams. This has happened to Central Districts in this year's Indian Champions League. They've lost Ross Taylor to Bangalore Royal Challengers. Taylor had no choice. Under the rules, the Indian Premier League get first dibs on eligible players.

It has been a wonderful journey. I am very proud of the fact that I have dealt with whatever situations that were thrown at me in a very confident and positive way. I have my share of injuries, some were really bad, but I have dealt with it. It's not easy for any fast bowler to play this long in sub-continental conditions. That's precisely why I admire pace bowlers from sub-continent, right from Kapil paaji to Imran Khan, Srinath, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis Chaminda Vaas and so on. They have played for a longer duration in sub-continental conditions and they are all legends. It's quite satisfactory and a humbling experience to stand on the same line.

The latest match in Dambulla has highlighted the need to audition New Zealand bowlers for a remake of "Dibbly, Dobbly, Wibbly and Wobbly", a phrase initially coined by English commentator David Lloyd to describe the New Zealand medium pace attack of Gavin Larsen, Chris Harris, Willie Watson and Rod Latham.

With the loss of six wickets for 27 runs in 15 overs, a dreadful truth was exposed. England's batting is dangerously brittle. The truth has been masked, partly by the fact that of nine Tests played so far this year, four were against Bangladesh. Dropped catches had let them off the hook against Pakistan when they collapsed at Old Trafford and Edgbaston. On Friday the mask was ripped away.

This was a sad litany of batting breakdown. Jonathan Trott, Paul Collingwood and Matt Prior all edged Aamer, thinly to the keeper or thickly to gully. Kevin Pietersen and Eoin Morgan saw their defences pierced by Ajmal's spin. The cumulative impact of these batting failures is illustrated by the averages of the top batsmen in nine Tests this year, including this one. Four of the top batsmen average below 40. Strauss manages a disturbing 33.08. Collingwood (37.00), Morgan (36.57) and Pietersen (36.14) are little better.

Insiders say the fast bowler, who has just signed with the Nine Network, could earn $20 million in the next six to seven years from his Indian ventures spanning a clothing line, modelling, a television deal and Bollywood roles. His new band, White Shoe Theory, has eight Indian gigs lined up and he hopes to get back into the international cricket team for the 2011 World Cup ...