The Surfer

From the moment he entered the Australian dressing room when I began my captaincy of a remodelled one-day outfit, he gave it a calmness with his understated confidence, humour from his larrikin instincts, professionalism as a result of his work ethic and a refreshing vulnerability by never being afraid to display his emotions.

It was said after the Ashes victory of 2005 that cricket was the new football; well, the IPL is cricket's version of football's Premier League, and the consequences, in terms of the finances and structure of the world game, are likely to be far-reaching.

Further down the line, English county cricket may find itself threatened and the ECB, by sanctioning the IPL, may not so much have kept the barbarians at the gates, as let them through the front door. If the franchise model expands, as is the hope in India, then there will be a limit to how far a market can serve two masters. Even in India, a much bigger market for cricket, there will be a potential conflict between the new and the old. No prizes for guessing where a young, hip Calcuttan businessman will want to spend his company's dosh - and it's not with the antiquated Bengal Cricket Association. Shah Rukh Khan's Kolkata Red Chillies has far more appeal.

He also came across as someone who cared and made that extra effort to show it. I remember getting a surprise call from Gilly when I crossed 500 Test wickets. We weren’t playing after that and I was home when I got this call and the voice announced, ‘this is Adam Gilchrist’.

The bus was quiet, with each player absorbed in his pre-match routine and pondering his individual role in the third day of the fourth Test. Unannounced and with no fanfare, Gilchrist broke the silence.

Whether he plays will doubtless come down to the wording of his contract. From my experience his contract is unlikely to say "you can't sign" for an unsanctioned competition, more likely "you can't play in an unsanctioned event while contracted to New Zealand Cricket". Obviously he is not playing for an opposition league yet and until he turns up he will not be in breach of anything. To prevent him playing or even to leave him out of selection because he has signed to go elsewhere after his NZC contract has expired will be seen as a clear restraint of trade.

It is a phenomenal achievement and this gentleman cricketer should be lauded like no other for there has been no other like him in the history of the game. His critics, who have been more conspicuous this summer, have one thing in common - a disturbingly short memory. All things being equal this consummate professional cricketer should be celebrated not castigated.

They are now self-sufficient and with the legal assistance provided by the Australian Refugees Association earnestly hope that they will be permitted to remain in Australia. Their legal team will be armed with glowing references from the Western Eagles and from the South Australian Cricket Association. In just seven months, both young men have made a great impact on the local cricket scene. "Every day is like a blessing," Okello said. "We want to settle in Australia." Their working visas are valid only until next month and the uncertainty of their future is causing considerable anxiety.

It has been very helpful for those who did not have the privilege of seeing Bradman to hear the little bloke, as he was so cheekily called by some of his peers - notably Bill O'Reilly and Sam Loxton - speak of Tendulkar in such glowing terms. While Bradman knew many of his records would never be equalled let alone broken, he was gracious enough to recognise the genius of a player of the modern age. After all, he played at a very different time - his career being played on 10 grounds in eight cities in Australia and England. Conversely, Tendulkar has played on 43 Test match grounds in 13 countries if you separate the sovereign nations of the Caribbean.

Following his unbeaten innings of 124 yesterday, Sachin Tendulkar moved within 213 runs of Brian Lara's all-time Test run-scoring record, set at this very ground in 2005. By mortal standards, you'd suggest the prospect of Tendulkar overhauling Lara in this Test as likely as a South Australian conceding the point that Don Bradman was, in fact, a New South Welshman. But here's the thing. Tendulkar is no mortal.

Unhurried yet perfectly paced, mixing control with brutality and text book with innovation while recognising the significance of first-innings runs to his side.

Industry experts say that a gap of $3-4 million can be adjusted as a company’s advertising budget, because of the high mileage the corporate gets through its ownership.