The Surfer

It is important that Cook not be judged one jot on his performances in media briefings, where he is not exactly unhelpful but is not revealing either. Few of his predecessors have shone brightly before the damn-fool questions of the fourth estate and others seemed to make it their business to be as dull and awkward as possible. Only Nasser Hussain of recent vintage has bloomed both in press conferences and dressing room. But it is the dressing room where Cook must initially stamp his personality and authority, and if he does that the rest will follow.

How are we going to get 20 wickets? Wellington and Hamilton in March will be good batting surfaces and, right now, the bowling lacks penetration. Perhaps dry, turning wickets are the way to go to attack Australia. After all, Vettori is our best bowler and Australia have no champion leg spinner any more.

If the home team deserved credit for turning things around brilliantly after a pasting in the first Test at Nagpur, the operatic irresistibility of the Eden Gardens climax proved that Test cricket is in robust good health. Seat-edge endings in the abbreviated forms of the game often appear contrived and formulaic. But a result such as the one that saw India level the series against the Proteas with nine balls left has an authenticity that Test cricket alone can aspire to.

There's a school of thought that cricket will,at best,be a queer sideshow in the gargantuan Olympic circus,more synchronized swimming than 100 metre dash.The ICC has only 10 full members,and that's no place to start.Of course,there are 35 associate members and 59 affiliate members,but it's more a unique brainwave to notch up the numbers,given that even the ICC will be hard-pressed to take their competitive skills seriously.If spreading the game is ICC's mission,how about an IPL game in the US?

The gulf between Bangladesh and Australia is as wide as it gets in the international game. It's all very well for New Zealanders to grumble about seeing too much of Bangladesh, and not enough of, say South Africa or England.

At present there is little representation for the players, and while critics may claim that the players have a sweet deal in the IPL, the fact remains that for dispute resolution or any sort of unified negotiations with the League, a group of Players Representatives is required. In international leagues this is a vital aspect of any leagues’ functioning, dealing with issues ranging from suspensions, labor negotiations/lockouts, agency, and drug-testing, to collective bargaining. For the successful and sustainable functioning of the IPL, it too will need a Players’ body which is well-represented by a cross-section of key personnel and other appointees along with a diverse representative pool of players both international as well as domestic.