The Surfer

If it does not, this hopelessly compromised organisation will reinforce its ruined reputation as a bunch of serving cronies with no interest in the good of the game.

Should Zimbabwe stay intact as a full voting but non-playing Test member of the ICC and Gavaskar not be punished for claiming that white match referee Mike Procter is racially biased against Indian players because of their colour, then the very worst fears of cricket's present and future will be reinforced

Although, the captain and the team management spared no pains in informing anybody and everybody within earshot or to those who cared to listen anyway, that even 230 runs on the board would just about suffice to put the fear of god into the side batting second. This assertion was somewhat tempered by the time the second and third ODI came around, to how comfortable we were likely to be in the driver's seat if we just batted all of the 50 overs we were entitled to. The fact that in the end we could achieve neither only reinforced the belief that we are still struggling to perfect the art of chewing gum and crossing the street at the same time. Collective hara-kiri was given a new meaning as each batsman to a man devised newer and more ingenious methods of gifting wickets to the South African bowlers. Here is a group of returning tourists who are now firmly convinced Christmas in this part of the world comes twice a year. Here was oriental hospitality gone haywire for sure.

Collingwood was insecure at second slip; this time Alastair Cook was unable to cling on to a blinder. And, of course, England donated their usual quota of overthrows. Graeme Swann came on as a sub and needlessly, laughably, threw the ball over Tim Ambrose's head for four. Farcical fielding, except that the bowler, Ryan Sidebottom, wasn't laughing.

If you want to blame someone, blame New Zealand Cricket- if you want to absolve the NZ top order of any responsibility. To leave O'Donnell carrying the can is too simplistic. What recent events have shown is a lack of cohesion between NZC and the provinces.

Arriving in England with one-third of the squad absent and a group of fill-ins being recruited out of league cricket. Bad look, bad for morale. The players' perspective, as put more than once by Vettori, is that appearances don't matter.It is the modern young man's view in a rapidly changing cricket world. Pragmatism in this case would allow the players the best of all worlds - pick up some cash in India, then move on to what they all insist is where their heart lies, playing for their country. NZC's difficulty is finding a happy middle ground. They won't win in the court of public opinion if they let the players arrive late in England.

At issue is about US$300,000 ($367,500) of lost earnings if he makes the call to be on tour with the Black Caps in England from day one. In the overall scheme of things this is small bananas for Dan. He will make at least $1 million per annum for each of the next two years and I would imagine he will then sign for a further three as well. As it is, he will pick up about $300,000 for the couple of weeks that he will be on IPL duty ...

In Dhoni’s ability to walk the middle ground lies the essential metaphor of his personality: character is fortune. Saurav Ganguly wore the cloak of captaincy with the arrogance of a Caesar, the mantle falling easily on his stylish shoulders. Rahul Dravid, on the other hand, wore the coveted badge almost like a crown of thorns, as if acting out a middle class mindset in which success or failure are the only parameters that define ability ... In Dhoni's worldview, playing is more important than winning, and winning is more important than verbal duels.

MacGill, 37, and Victoria's McGain, 36 in 10 days, ply the same trade on a cricket field and are the two oldest players in the game but, for all these obvious similarities, have little in common, including their attitude to the West Indian tour.

Not for him the mustachioed madness that Merv Hughes and Dennis Lillee brought to cricket along with all that biker leather and the brazenly bared chests and big hair that, 30 years ago, might have been a hit at your friendly neighbourhood gay bar.

Presumably he [ECB chairman] Giles Clarke is motivated by a desperation to generate enough new television money (Sony paid £500million for ten years for the IPL rights) to be able to pay the England team even more to keep them free of the IPL's clutches.