The Surfer

I've played against Roy when he's with Queensland and it's like playing against your worst enemy. He plays hard, I admire that, I respect that, that's the way he plays the game.The irony is that the bloke who makes his team-mates laugh the most makes the people who don't know him snarl the most.

The greatest wicketkeeper-batsman was, and remains, Alan Knott. Most things can be argued either way, but this is one thing that can't. Raymond Illingworth, the captain when England regained the Ashes in Australia in 1970-71, said of Knott's work that it was simply not possible to keep wicket better than he did on that tour.

I would like to be rested for that [Bangladesh] tour! It's a tough one, but I think we should definitely consider resting players, particularly for the three one-dayers after the two Tests. The wickets will spin square, they are going to make life as difficult as possible for us, and rightly so! It'll be a wonderful opportunity for some of the up-and-coming players to learn (laughter). It is being discussed now. I can't see that guys like Jacques [Kallis] and Mark [Boucher] will benefit from playing those games, but other players certainly could benefit. If we want players like Jacques to be around for the next World Cup, then we need to start managing them.

Consider the line-up. Justin Langer, Damien Martyn and Darren Lehmann would be sure selections with Waugh as batsmen, Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne as bowlers, and Adam Gilchrist as the keeper.

“The Ashes is not even something I am contemplating,” he said. “I will do that next year, but not before. There can be a danger of thinking about it because the Ashes are so big. We should not fall into that trap.

"Just fix it then," Ponting is understood to have said when emotions flared. As Symonds came to terms with the judgment, it's believed he said: "I can't believe this is happening."

Tait recently revealed his life motto is, "You can't please everyone, so don't try and please anyone". And he has lived up to it by putting his peace of mind ahead of fame and fortune and by taking a break from the game. He is to be applauded for his courage. Some people, who yesterday asked how Tait could be burnt-out after playing just one first-class match in a month, have misread his condition. Sometimes in sport the most mentally taxing place to be is not in the middle or even on the sidelines because of injury. Even more challenging can be the twilight zone where Tait has spent his entire career.

"He's just having a break,” he said. “It's a brave call for him … he's a 24-year-old big, proud, strong Australian, and for all we know he's been battling for a while. No, he's not quitting, and no it's not an off-ground issue. He's just really had a gutful."

Ricky Ponting possessed the most lethal bowler in the series. He could throw the ball to Lee with confidence. Lee used the crease resourcefully, his slower ball effectively, his bumper sparingly and his outswingers frequently.

Ponting's restraint was impressive. Throughout his innings he played to a plan, collecting singles as a taxman does revenues and pushing the ball into gaps in the old-fashioned way. Disdaining familiar straight drives and leg-side flicks, he reached forward and guided the ball past square leg or else leant back to cut. Refusing to leave his crease and keeping a close eye on Harbhajan Singh's doosra, he advanced at his own unhurried pace.