The Surfer

A new glasnost between the England and Wales Cricket Board and their counterparts at the Board of Control for Cricket in India, was particularly evident. Suddenly, seemingly intractable problems, such as the participation of England players in the Indian Premier League, did not seem so insoluble. What the fearful thought was the sound of gunfire was actually a bout of mutual backslapping from the two boards.

We never thought the day would arrive when cricketers could earn telephone numbers, but it is even more surprising to find a commentator who dishes out 0800 numbers for restorative cures. It certainly shouldn't make the rest of us feel better, but the cricket certainly did. Neither New Zealand nor the West Indies is a great team, but they've conjured up a match that has been tense and entertaining. Who said test cricket was dead, and why should the game face such a challenge from within?

Sure bowlers hunt in packs and his partner, Mitchell Johnson, was outstanding in Perth with 11 wickets.That was a great achievement, but Binga is the leader of the pack and he must show it in Melbourne. I want him to let the horses out and consistently hit the 150km/h-plus mark in pace, not hover in the high 130s. Let them have it, Binga.

When he got his 29th and last run in New Zealand's first innings against West Indies, it took him to 3000 Test runs, to sit alongside 285 wickets. He became the seventh player to reach the 3000-run, 250-wicket double, and the second New Zealander, after Sir Richard Hadlee, who retired in 1990 with the then world record 431 wickets to go with 3124 runs.

The night before he was due to bat on the 25th of March (2006) against the likes of a potent Lee and Warne, he decided some extra hours of shut eye were warranted. After a draining day in the field watching a Ponting century he retired very early to the private sanctuary of his beachfront hotel room around 8pm. Restless sleep followed as the batting demons played havoc with his mind and he exhausted himself with visions of the challenge the following day. He eventually awoke in a startled state, riddled with apprehension about the day ahead. A quick glance at his watch escalated the anxiety. It was 10.30! He suddenly realised he was late for the start of play on day 2 and massive panic immediately set in ...

The signs of Australia's decline have been around for a while now. Perhaps ever since India toured there last. Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne were bound to be missed, but the world champions were carried forward by the sheer momentum of their victories in the past. Over a longer period, the weaknesses become more obvious, the gaps more exaggerated. This is certainly a team in decline, and captains who seem totally in control when things are going right, suddenly appear indecisive and bereft of ideas when things go wrong. You can see this with Ricky Ponting, now beginning to look more like George W Bush than ever.

It turned out, though, that they had been teasing us all along. There we were ready for some Indian hammer in the afternoon and a late declaration to set up a nervy last day, when Pietersen's men showed their mettle. They may not return to England with much silverware but there have been times - and the afternoon session was one of those - when they have looked like a team in the making. It is what makes the batting collapse in Mohali, and the second-innings performance in Madras (Chennai) so infuriating. Do we expect too much, I wonder?

Unless Australia produce the intensity missing in Perth, the changes will not make a scrap of difference. Australia did not use their heads ...