The Surfer

The left-handed Tiwary, picked by selectors as the replacement for Yuvraj Singh in the middle order, had been asked to cut short the India A tour in England to be part of the Asia Cup squad. But being on drinks duty during the Sri Lanka tour means he even missed out on the England experience. Equally baffling is the case of Ashwin. The off-spinner was first picked for the two T20 games against Sri Lanka at home last year and after that has been part of four ODI squads.

Analysts in this year's IPL noted that left-arm pace bowlers dominated and went for fewer runs per over than other types, but there must be more to Bollinger's sudden successes than angle. While computer-toting coaches would no doubt offer a detailed explanation, Bollinger shies away from dissecting the reasons for his success – saying too much information just confuses him.

At a time when the future of one-day cricket is under scrutiny, such matches that lack energy and edge can only add strength to the voice of the format’s doomsayers. The timing of the tournament too has gone horribly wrong. It’s tough to generate viewership for any other sporting event when the whole world is focused on the FIFA World Cup, currently under way in South Africa.

The paceman said being excluded took the wind out of his sails and made him angry, but he cannot be too outspoken considering that England won both the Test series, then the tournament in the West Indies. It is only natural that a competitive sportsman will be unhappy at being left out of the side, and it is a positive sign that England have strength in depth at last.

It’s unrealistic to expect the BCCI to make a dramatic departure from its ways, and constitution, and appoint someone full-time for the job. What is refreshing, though, is that the cricket-minded in the Board are keen to do what they can within the existing framework, and there’s every indication that Ranjib Biswal, the current manager, will continue through to the end of next year’s World Cup.

To accommodate Yardy, he is likely to bat as a sober No 6, working the ball around amid some giddy talents. Luke Wright is slated to be the aerial hitter at No 7 and, if he is at the wicket at the 40-over mark, to orchestrate the batting power play of five overs, which was England's embarrassment last year. Naturally enough Wright said that Yardy, his Sussex captain, was "very good if we've had a collapse, someone we bat around".

Dhoni has anointed Zaheer and Nehra as the men to guide the Indian attack. But a look at their recent match statistics is instructive. This year so far, Zaheer has had spells of none for 57, none for 43, three for 38, none for 51 and none for 29 while Nehra has had figures of none for 55, one for 44, two for 58, one for 2, one for 67, two for 60 and two for 28. Their support seam-cast has nothing to crow about either as rival teams have found their runs with ease.

This is not a viable long-term solution for 50-over cricket's ill health. With the exception of Tendulkar's point that both teams have to bat in the same conditions, the arguments in favour of split innings all stem from the novelty of the format. At the rate games are currently scheduled, that will soon wear off. If the aim is to reduce the predictability of matches there are other broader cures that the ICC should look at: reduce the number of fixtures, ensure that all games are played in the context of meaningful competitions, and encourage pitches that offer a balance between bat and ball. Splitting the innings is just a quick fix.

In the aftermath of the 2001 invasion, the notion of a national cricket team began to coalesce as millions of Afghan refugees returned from exile. The team swapped the pitted concrete wickets of the Kacha Gari refugee camp for four nets and a temperamental bowling machine in Kabul – known collectively as the Afghan National Cricket Academy.

What happened was that my overnight score was about 20 not out and the team was struggling at 4-120 chasing 240 runs. The next morning of the match Shoaib Bhai told the entire team that this is Sachin Tendulkar’s bat and everyone was eyeing it. When I was padding up, Shoaib Bhai who was sitting next to me said that if you perform well today and make us win this match then I will give you this bat.