The Surfer

Do they open the one-day batting with him and use him as wicketkeeper? Whither Prior, whither the 13 opening partnerships already used since the last World Cup? When will the next South African knock on the door?

The basic difference between brands and IPL is that it caters to consumers and fans respectively. Sure, IPL is a brand and there’s a big opportunity, but we are content, we are cricket and it’s a sport at the end of the day. We are multi-dimensional and people see us as a multifaceted brand.

It was not so long ago that Kevin Pietersen turned out for Newick CC, tempted into playing by club captain Piers Morgan, who dispiritingly won KP over by offering a brief encounter with Simon Cowell in part exchange (The Spin wonders if Emirates got Afridi so cheaply). Pietersen's off-spin was carted for successive sixes by a 42-year-old businessman named Mark Symonds, though KP did at least clean bowl a cocky student who had attempted to switch-hit him over long-off.

But for all his renowned toughness, McIntyre had a human side that helped the players warm to him. "I remember playing against Essex and, in my 90s, approaching my maiden championship century," Stewart recalls. "Arthur walked down the wicket and told me not to be nervous, to keep playing normally and the hundred would come. The next thing I knew, he was calling yes-no-yes-no and I was diving full length to make my ground. He nearly ran me out twice. He was more nervous for me than I was for myself."

The bread and butter of the BCCI are still Tests and ODIs. It's really important for us to invest in this because it's at the core of our cricket culture. What Twenty20 is doing is bringing new fans into the game. We were all worried about football making giant strides and capturing the minds of young people. Twenty20 has stemmed that, at least in our country.

Why does the Board insist on thrusting Test cricket down the throats of centres which would rather have one-day or Twenty20 matches? Test matches have been played on 20 grounds in India, so obviously a certain amount of give-and-take is necessary. The Board could lay down guidelines: poor crowds and you lose your status as a Test venue. This will help the spectators too since there might be an effort to bring down the often exorbitant price of tickets to pack in the crowds.

Much as we flaunt the "young India" as a tagline for our rise to the top, it is the old brigade which is keeping us alive and kicking. Be it Sehwag's brutal brilliance or Sachin Tendulkar's hunger and passion, which should put even a debutant to shame, this is a victory for "Old India" with VVS Laxman proving further that old is still gold. And despite the raw, exuberant energy which Harbhajan displays after ensnaring his victim, I am sure he won't take umbrage at being called belonging to the "old" rather than "new".

Since 2005, the South African opener has changed his jersey number every 12 months in sync with the year. For example he sported 05 in 2005, 06 in 2006, 07 in 2007, 08 in 2008 and 09 in 2009. The fact that he prefixed his numbers with ‘0’ was also because it clashed with those of other team mates, like Boucher now.

Tell him it’s strange that he loves being in the spotlight for an unglamorous part, and he says, just a touch tartly, “I suppose I’m a bit eccentric.” Ah, finally evidence of a chip on the shoulder. “Not at all,” he says. “Maybe it’s a strategic chip on the shoulder. How’s that huh? Maybe it’s a strategy. Maybe a quarter piece of wood in the shoulder, but it’s more a strategy.

PakPassion.Net: With regards to the choice of captain for the tours of Australia and New Zealand, obviously the selectors and board were put in a difficult position with Younus handing in his resignation shortly before the tour of New Zealand. Yousuf was appointed as skipper, was that a unanimous choice?

Iqbal Qasim: The choice of captain was not the selection committee's decision to make. It was the job of the PCB chairman and the Executive Board members to choose the captain, remove the captain and appoint any captain. We (the selection committee) were never asked about this decision and we didn't interfere in this decision.