The Surfer

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle loved the game's swaying statistics with one theory superseding another as entrenched batsmen were ground down and then outwitted. His friends believed that the capture of a wicket was to him as fulfilling as the villain's nadir in the final chapter.

You know me as a cricketer but in truer life I'd have been...

Breaking the stumps when a batsman misses the ball is a stunt normally the domain of schoolyard bullies and Haddin would be wise not to watch a replay of his gamesmanship at the WACA. A good sport would have at the least asked for confirmation from the match officials.

Arjuna Ranatunga, was having problems with the players, his fellow workers, the sponsors (Dilmah Tea spent $ two million during a three-year period and did not renew the contract) and even the media. We cannot run an association like that. So, I was forced to sack Ranatunga and dissolve the committee ... Now, I have given Duleep Mendis complete authority. Next month, we are planning to hold elections. We will set up a new Interim Committee. At the same time, I want to get the cabinet's approval to set up a trust that would take care of the financial activities.

Phillip Hughes can open up with Simon Katich. Both shine in every form of the game. Notions that Hughes is not ready are wide of the mark. David Warner and Shaun Marsh can get the grounding they need in Shield cricket. They'll be back. Hashim Amla and JP Duminy are examples of young batsmen who know their games inside out.

Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland told Symonds three years ago the next time he misbehaved his contact would be torn up in front of him. It was an empty threat. Since then Symonds has drifted off the rails at least twice and his contract is not only in one piece, it's fatter than one of those big barramundi Symonds was chasing when he should have been at a team meeting in Darwin last year.

There is a strong chance Symonds will miss the tour - and the sad part about it is Australia needs him more than ever.

How the Kiwis must be rejoicing. Not only have they knocked off Australia on the last ball of the one-dayer in Perth but, joy of joys, they also have another villain to add to the Anzac sporting hall of infamy. Trevor Chappell is the patron, of course, and will remain so for eternity. Underarm bowling has that sort of lasting quality. Greg Dyer is a vice-patron after claiming a catch off Andrew Jones in the Test match at the MCG in 1987-88 ...

State teams are getting older. The average age is about 27, roughly the same as life expectancy in Zimbabwe - a jolly nice place to live, in the opinion of the cads running the ICC. Among contracted players, only a handful (5 per cent) are under 22. Contrastingly, 23 per cent are over 31. The average age of the Queensland squad is 29.4. Martin Love is still playing in his mid 30s, a batsman whose best days are long behind him. For goodness sake, Andrew Bichel is still available. But let's not pick on the banana-benders. Even NSW, the state most likely to encourage youth, has given Greg Mail, a lovely 31-year-old with a modest record as an opener, four Shield matches this year. Meanwhile, Warner, Usman Khawaja and Moises Henriques twiddle their thumbs. Plain and simple, it is wrong.

A prime example was Duminy’s lap over the keeper’s head off Australian quickie Shaun Tait during the recent Twenty 20 series. It was one of the most amazing shots I have ever seen. The ball is going to new places in the field.