The Surfer

"I think that comedy and sport are the great levelers, they're the things that bring people of all socio-economic groups and all age groups together and the Twelfth Man stuff seems to have really hit the mark for many people on many levels and it gives me a sense of great pride to have delivered that sort of enjoyment to so many people over the 25 years. It's been an absolute pleasure to have made people laugh as much as I have."

What is India’s bench strength? Would they have been able to send out half a dozen players as replacement to Australia and return with a series victory? Who is the second best off spinner in the country? Or the sixth best medium pacer?

The ECB argues that protecting the Ashes would threaten its grassroots programme and future investment in the game because free-to-air broadcasters, which struggle to schedule five-day Test matches lasting up to 35 hours, would not pay as much for the rights. The sport’s governing body is also worried about the future of Test match cricket as a commercial product if pay-TV operators could buy only England’s less glamorous fixtures against opposition other than Australia.

Pietersen himself may feel somewhat unburdened and although he has always paid generous lip service to the team ethos in the past, there has always been the suspicion – because it was based on reality – that if he did not do it they might not. Equally some players are transformed by Pietersen at the other end and Paul Collingwood, for instance, looks a better batsman with Pietersen around. As the off-spinning all-rounder Graeme Swann put it yesterday: "It's exciting for us that he's coming back, and, you never know, he might have to fight for his place." Swann was being typically jocular but it was a joke imbued with a certain seriousness. The top-of-the-bill act has not been indispensable.

The Lankans embark on this tour with a lot at stake. Though we harp on the point that we have only a limited number of Test matches during the next few moons first Sri Lanka has to beat India on their own soil and do it convincingly to keep their position as the second in the ICC Test rankings. I do not know if they manage to draw the three Tests what it would be, but if they lose badly in Tests India may overtake the island nation. Then with the disparity of the quantum of Test cricket that the two teams play within the next calendar year Sri Lanka may never be able catch up with India. This also may put paid to Lanka’s aspirations of becoming the “Best Test playing Nation” in the foreseeable future.