The Surfer

As far as the cricket itself goes, it's anyone's game. It's not a meeting of 'only the champions' as Rahul Dravid and friends suggest in the television ads - just like the Uefa Champions League is not a genuine Champions League - but all 12 teams have real pedigree. For many players uncapped at international level this is an excellent opportunity to showcase their skills and it should be thoroughly enjoyable to see which of them can handle the added pressure of playing in front of massive partisan crowds.

On Tuesday morning, just a few hours after Australia had clinched the trophy, Osman Samiuddin, Cricinfo's Pakistan editor, was repeatedly woken up by calls from various reporters asking for a "reaction to the sacking of Younis Khan and Intikhab Alam [the coach]". We had shared an apartment during the fortnight, and in my early-morning stupor, I could hear Osman asking what their sources were. Frantic calls were made to journalists in Pakistan, and others in South Africa. No one had a clue. By then, the Times of India and others that should know better had already run the "sack" story. No credible source, no confirmation. But why let that come in the way of a good yarn?

If Sussex can play well over the next three weeks, this may turn out to be the most profitable year in their history, despite the fact that they have just been relegated from the first division of the county championship for the first time. All they need to do is win five games of Twenty20 - fewer than 200 overs of cricket. With that kind of financial incentive qualifying for the Champions League is going to become the top priority for every eligible team.

The Monty story was never blemish-free, of course. Butter-fingered fielding may have endeared him to fans around the world but being a liability in the field, and a rabbit with the bat, put even more pressure on Panesar's left-arm bowling. And when he struggled in India last December it was time to halt production of those Monty Masks, so popular on English grounds over the previous two or three summers.

Men like Sreesanth or Munaf Patel have limped away to the sidelines, out of the reckoning; R.P. Singh and Praveen Kumar have lost the edge. Then there are the batsmen—Rohit Sharma, Suresh Raina, Robin Uthappa, Manoj Tewary, to name just a quartet of the best prospects. This was the bunch expected to form the nucleus of the Indian squad, meant to wage war for the 2011 World Cup.

It might be unfair to write off the Indian team after one tournament. Skipper Dhoni himself appeared a bit confused – after all, India lost one match, another was washed out, and they won one, so mathematically it wasn’t so bad. But top teams don’t look for excuses, they go out and rectify their problems.

Cricket, bless it, has largely stayed a fashion-free zone, as anyone aware of the evolution of one-day uniforms since the West Indies first donned pink pyjamas would attest. This blissfully daggy state of affairs took a disturbing turn yesterday morning and someone must be held accountable.

On Richie Benaud, a white jacket (or any off-white, cream or beige derivative) is perfectly acceptable. Mandatory, even. Likewise umpire Billy Bowden. Or Lionel Richie. On a team of cricketers already clad in louche gold shirts and caps with a sprinkling of little green stars, it is simply unacceptable, even if it matches their shoes. What next? Nathan Hauritz halts the presentation of the Champions Trophy to have shoulder pads fitted?

Why did he find himself left out of the Australian party to this country by the captain, his brother no less, in 1896? What caused him to pack his well‑worn suitcase and sail permanently for England? He deserved greater acclaim and recognition in the superficial obituaries than those suppressed guffaws and whispered compliments, however good natured, that carried a meaningful wink. "Poor old Alberto. Couldn't keep that up for ever, could he. It were the women, you know."