The Surfer

Drawing away from the monopoly the boards had over their players? If you ask a New Zealand cricketer what his financial terms are with his country you'll realise that the IPL and ICL are good avenues. Stanford was not under the WICB in its first year but since it has come under the official umbrella. Let's see what happens in India with the leagues. Equally let's see what the boards do in countries like New Zealand. I've played Test matches in New Zealand where there are two men and a dog watching while next door there are 60,000 people watching a Rugby game. So the NZC have to get their act together and make sure they keep their cricketers. You can't blame a young man for going out there and seeking to make a living for himself and his family.

Truth to tell it would not have been much of a tour. Already the trip had been curtailed, with two Test matches and five ODIs replacing the full program. Every player was to be given a personal guard and asked to remain inside luxurious hotels. Every spectator was to be searched umpteen times by soldiers and policemen. It is not much of a way to play any sport. And local fans hardly flock to Test matches in the best of times.

It is unlikely that the coaching staff will want their best players involved in a helter skelter entertainment package without Cricket Australia coaching or medical support in India on the eve of a West Indies tour which contains three Tests, five one-day matches and a Twenty20 game. At the very least Cricket Australia will program a training camp at the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane for the beginning of May before the team leaves later in the second week.

It is difficult for batsmen, bowlers and fielders to combat, and the constant wind gusts are very off-putting for bowlers in their delivery stride, batsmen picking up their bats in the back lift, and fielders trying to catch a swirling ball. There may be the odd still day but one thing is for sure, somehow the wind will play its part during the game as the ground is unprotected. The cold, southerly wind from the sea blows hard from mid-off to fine leg. The northerly wind, although usually warmer, blows from mid-on to third man. Swing bowlers often prosper, but someone has to bowl into it possibly for 20 overs in a day, which in itself is very energy-sapping exercise.

Cutting a long story short, one has to say that Australia’s decision to stay away from Pakistan is another huge loss for a country where cricket is perhaps the biggest passion. It might sound like a cliche but by chickening out of what was a challenging assignment, the Aussies have handed the terrorists operating in this unfortunate country a major victory.

The important thing is to take your time to recover and not rush back. You have to be not just 100 per cent, but 120 or even 200 per cent fit when you return to action. I don’t want to have any doubts running in my mind when I am playing an international game because it’s a pressure game and you cannot let your team down.

If Bindra were to be appointed, he would be joined in Dubai within two years by Sharad Pawar, the Indian cabinet minister who chairs the BCCI and will succeed David Morgan as ICC chairman in June 2010. Such a stranglehold by the country that generates almost two thirds of the world's income from cricket through its massive worldwide television audience could not be in the sport's best interests.

Let’s reflect on what brought England to its knees at Hamilton. I think it was a combination of momentum, clear leadership and sheer determination. We thundered into this Test match on the back of a one-day series win, with a captain leading the way and at the top of his game.