The Surfer

I can remember as a young Province player seeking his advice. I visited him at his engineering business which required a climb up some rickety stairs to his office

The reality is New Zealand Cricket cannot afford high profile, proven international coaching personnel. As we are a less-than-stellar cricket nation we are unlikely to attract them even before the pay packet is disclosed. However, that does not necessarily mean we cannot expect Moles to be an excellent coach. Former great players do not necessarily make great coaches. Coaches with a history of international success with one team may not immediately translate to success with another.

The game is on the verge of a crisis and clear, concise thinking will be required from the various cricketing bodies to make sure that the correct decisions are made. Time is a great healer but, much like 9/11, life on the subcontinent will never be the same. The need for security will be paramount and this will affect all facets of life.

India moved to No. 2, marginally ahead of South Africa, in Tests with the win over the Aussies. South Africa, though, will be back at No. 2 with a certain whitewash of Bangladesh. In ODIs, the Indians need to whitewash England 7-0 to move to the second spot behind Australia. Currently, they're fifth. Most experts are unequivocal in their opinion that while India are on their way up and Australia down, neither has reached the point that alters equations significantly.

The chances of England returning for the two-Test series in India seems negligible. I can’t believe that there is much appetite among the players to return so unless the ECB force them to go back, which is inconceivable, then the Tests are off.

Having played with Bracewell in the latter stages of his New Zealand career, I've found his transition to coach intriguing. Bracewell the player was all fire and brimstone, a hard nut, down to earth, who didn't pull any punches and didn't care what anyone else thought of him. Bracewell the coach was full of theories and while he still retained that spiky edge at times, he was positively mellow compared with the player of 20 years ago. I'd rather have seen more of the old Braces because I feel players relate better to a coach they feel is in sync with their thinking, who speaks their language, who thinks like they do.

Thrust into the media spotlight after taking four wickets for New South Wales against New Zealand in a tour match this month, Hazlewood understands the McGrath comparisons are inevitable. "We're both from the country and have similar actions, so the media has focused on that a bit," he said. "I'm happy with that, but you try to put it out of your mind. You try to ignore it as much as you can."

The South Africans need to embrace the tour of Australia with a degree of enjoyment and respect that will win over the public and the media. They are a likeable bunch and doing such will take little effort. Make no mistake, the steeliness and aggression that will be required in the heat of battle will be simmering below the surface and that will naturally rise to the fore when needed. That is the hallmark of South African and Australian clashes and nothing will ever change that. Rightly so.

Amla replaces Rudolph, whose best Test innings came in the first Test of the 2005 series. Rudolph batted through the final day against Glenn McGrath, Brett Lee and Shane Warne, and he deserved the plaudits that came his way.

Admittedly, Australia has been unlucky that the most creditable candidates are wounded. As a rule, tweakers are about as injury-prone as chess players (though not quite as sane). But it's time to review coaching methods and to instigate a national campaign. Curiously, 20-over cricket is helping to restore spin even as unchanging pitches thwart it. At any rate, one of the off-spinners will play in Adelaide, not least to wave the flag.