The Surfer

"Never before did we see an Indian captain retaliate against the Aussies the way Sourav Ganguly did even before they landed here. He should get the credit for giving us the hope and sowing the seeds of self-belief in the Indian team — that we can beat any side in the world. It is a fact that there were many great players in the past too who had played for India. But the 2001 series was when we started believing in ourselves."

His replacement as captain put in such a shameful display on the fourth morning that it became immediately clear that we would lose. To be honest, I actually wasn’t that upset watching us throw our wickets away, because I basically expected it; the morning session told me everything I needed to know about our mental state. We wanted Australia to give in because we were too afraid of actually having to work to win the game.

From 1964 when the first Pakistan team visited Australia led by Hanif Mohammad who scored a hundred in the first innings and was given out when few runs short of another century in the second innings at the MCG in the only Test that Pakistan played to now, our aspirations of a Test series win in Australia thus remains a dream.

The Pakistan and Australia squads in New Zealand for ICC's biannual youth event have a distinct 80s feel to them, with names such as Usman Qadir, Alister McDermott and Mitchell Marsh instantly ringing a bell. Joining them on the starson list are Nicholas Buchanan -- former Australia coach John's son -- and former India all-rounder Ajay Sharma's son Manan. Also keenly following the action in New Zealand will be John Bracewell, whose nephews Doug and Michael are the home team's big hope.

Great Australian sides have always piled up huge totals and individual centuries; opponents have frequently collapsed under the weight of these runs and against sharp bowling.

Interviews with friends and teammates from these early years reveal a driven boy of considerable talent - and several tall tales. Ron Henzell's house in Dalethorpe Ave in Hamilton has seen many great cricketing moments from Vettori. Henzell's son Nick was the same age as Vettori and the duo often competed in epic backyard games played under traditional one-hand, one-bounce rules.

Imran Khan took 12 famous wickets under Mushtaq Mohammad’s captaincy and announced Pakistan’s arrival as a frontline Test nation. To millions of Pakistan fans, it felt like a sunrise in Sydney.

As we try and grope our way through the misery, it is important to remember that cricket is a resilient sport and Pakistan is a resilient country. Pakistan cricket has weathered more turmoil than cricket in any other nation. A forfeited Test match, shameful doping scandals, mysterious death of the national coach and terrorists shooting at a visiting team — it has all happened to Pakistan. In any other country, such onslaught would have wrecked the whole cricket enterprise. In Pakistan, cricket soldiers on.

There was something altogether more triumphalist in the Newlands escape, more akin to Cardiff than Centurion, where survival was a matter of relief that they had not been severely embarrassed. In Cape Town, South Africa controlled the match, and were favourites to win. At Centurion, England had 96 overs to bat out for the draw, were doing so comfortably, and then slumped. Cardiff was a game they should have lost and did not; Centurion was one they should have drawn and came within a whisker of fouling up. This time, Graeme Smith had an additional 45 overs in which to bowl England out, 40 more than Ricky Ponting had at Sophia Gardens. That his bowlers have twice failed to deliver the coup de grace will be a cause for concern.

Analysts have studied his game microscopically and come to the conclusion that he is unsettled by the short ball, and then discomfited by a pace bowler pitching full and straight. In the first innings at Newlands, Steyn's searing bouncer was followed by a full delivery on off-stump that Pietersen knocked straight back to the bowler. Second time around, Steyn did not even bother with the bouncer, of which the mere threat was a sufficient distraction, and Pietersen played all round a straight delivery to be lbw.