The Surfer

While he aspires to be the "second Rawalpindi Express", there are no doubts in Aamer's mind over the identity of the man he idolises. Mudassar and Aaqib Javed have been big influences, but for a left-handed kid from Pakistan bowling fast there could only ever be one hero. "It's always been Wasim [Akram]," he said in a TV interview earlier this year.

In addition to the stock delivery that leaves the right-hander, Aamer has learnt to bring the ball back in. He bowls a mean bouncer, and the yorker can surprise the most accomplished batsmen

Cross-national fandom is not unusual. Sachin Tendulkar is popular in Australia, England, the West Indies, anywhere he plays. An India versus Pakistan match in Australia is guaranteed to bring in the crowds, both ardent supporters of the teams as well as the neutrals.

Perhaps it is a giant leap from watching Pakistan play Australia in England to assuming that South Africa playing Sri Lanka in, say, Mysore is what cricket needs. But if that happens, the spectator will not complain.

In the middle '70s and '80s as violence spread like forest fire in the north and east of Sri Lanka - where Lankan Tamils are in majority - cricket took the sad but inevitable backseat.

Post-war, a cricket revival has begun in Tamil-dominated Jaffna. I'm sure Murali would find a willing hand there to leave his "doosra'' legacy behind. And he could also do that in Sinhalese-majority Hambantota.

It will be hard enough to get through the next 800 words without mentioning the A-word. Never mind the next four weeks. Such is the hold of that series on the public imagination that both Australia and England have found their upcoming fixtures against India and Pakistan are being framed in terms of what they will mean for this winter's contest.

If England fail to focus on the here and now of the next match then they may find that, once this series ends, that sing-song confidence is not be quite so voluble.

My point is that an innings of 500 is not five times as exciting as one of 100. A target’s a target, so in reality they’re equally exciting. However, for the very same reason, a run is one fifth as exciting in the high scoring match because it’s only one fifth as important. In the highly unlikely event that Test cricket pitches were consistently made a little more challenging for batsmen, maybe people would be five times as interested in each day’s play.

Why do the world’s best-known brands splurge so much cash on endorsements? What are the values they’re trying to turbo charge their own brand recall with? And finally, how enduring are these values?

This blend of an earthy image with the fact that Dhoni has not left his roots too far behind is critical for advertisers. Dhoni wears no cape, he is not invincible, yet he achieves and succeeds. He is someone you know and you like—there is an element of the real.

This all makes Hawk-Eye look good – it reinforces the quality of the technology to hand. How many mistakes can you remember Hawk-Eye making? One – this one, as all the other gadgets at the broadcaster’s disposal quickly proved.

How many mistakes have you seen umpires make? Plenty – and with an umpire review system in place, technology can quickly iron those out too.

I have only ever seen McGrath bowl live once, at the Walker Ground in Southgate in 2004 against Yorkshire. McGrath donned the blues of Middlesex in three national league games that summer. I remember perambulating round the ground, taking in the performance of my idol from as many angles as possible. From side on, I could see the incredible carry that he was getting, sending the ball firing through to the wicketkeeper. From behind his arm I could see the "shape" he was getting on the ball, taking it consistently away from the right-hander. The rhythmic run‑up and the unique and individual way he jumps in towards the stumps at release of the ball – just as every coaching manual says you shouldn't! This all added to the magic of the moment I was caught in. It showed he did it his way and also gave me something to relate to as a cricketer. Because I was doing a similar thing when I was bowling.

"You know," Finn says, "I would spend hours in a net like that, trying to bowl like McGrath, or copy his mannerisms. That's where my love of cricket started, dreaming of bowling like McGrath or Flintoff. And that's why, now, it seems bizarre I'm actually that person on TV when I'm playing for England. Your mind can start racing then and you can get ahead of yourself. But that's why it's important to remain realistic. I've only played four Tests against Bangladesh and, although I've got some wickets, I know how much I've got to learn. I've got some big challenges ahead – whether it's to try and stay in the Test team for the series against Pakistan or to get stronger in my body. I've been thinking a lot about how much better I can get if I work hard and stay level-headed."

A question that was continually asked at Headingley during the second Test between Pakistan and Australia concerned which attack any self-respecting batting order would prefer to face. The answer was always the same. Australia's attack has been largely inconsistent and unthreatening, awry in length, especially, and line. Their leading wicket-taker in this short series has been Shane Watson, a muscular bowler who can demand concentration if there is swing around but who should cause no batsman sleepless nights ...