The Surfer

All summer he has talked about reaching this place, the end of the Test series. Now he must decide if there is life on the other side although the decision looks like it could be taken out of his hands. The 37-year-old knows now the game is slipping away from him.

If Andrew Strauss offers boring dependability then there will be sighs of relief all round. Our pencils will not be so sharpened when the next England captain is hauled in front of the press. Strauss will provide a reservoir of unflappable, forgettable common sense. And there is no harm in that.

Once the story gathered pace that Pietersen could not work with Moores, neither went out of his way to deny the rift or reaffirm the promises of co-operation that had accompanied Pietersen’s elevation to the top job. Moores said nothing, while Pietersen merely said that the situation was “unhealthy” and needed resolving quickly. Pietersen had, in effect, flexed his muscles, sure of his own power. Pietersen’s mistake was to stay on holiday in South Africa instead of returning when the rift became public. By not coming home at the first opportunity, his attitude towards the captaincy was revealed as casual.

It was an extraordinary finish. Storm clouds were gathering over a scarred ground. An increasingly alarmed Australian side was desperately trying to take the last two wickets thereby securing a much-needed victory. South African tailenders were hanging on for dear life.

In a series packed with so many extraordinarily talented batsmen - greats like Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden, Jacques Kallis and Graeme Smith - it's been the performances of the lower-order batsmen of both sides that has had a major impact on the series.
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The way the runs they've scored have changed the direction of the matches has added to the intrigue of what has been an enthralling Test series.

Creative differences make for healthy teams.

Strauss was the common-sense option as captain when Vaughan resigned last August and he looks an even better choice now, and not just because he’s started scoring runs again.

Leadership is not about ego or breast-beating. It is about inclusiveness, inspiration and, inevitably, compromise. The ability to do the latter is not a sign of weakness but strength.

Neither should lose his job, given some clear thinking and plain speaking. Neither, in fact, has much of a record: England have won seven Tests out of 22 under Moores's guidance as head coach, only one of these against a top-notch team, and that consolation victory in the last Test against South Africa in August had much to do with Pietersen's batting and captaincy.

Even while delighting in the quirkiness of a fellow with a French name and a fast bowler with a sense of humour reducing the macho Australians to rubble and rabble, it has been strangely uneasy watching them flail about. The natural order of things dictated that Australia at least fight back from reverse or adversity, but cricket’s natural order for the last 15 or so years has been irrevocably altered.