The Surfer

Asked whether he felt the age of India's star batsmen would be a factor in the coming series, Tendulkar smiled and said: "No, not really."

On one hand, the Australia vice-captain is justified in having a break and freshening up for the marathon schedule which awaits. On the other hand, if the likes of Ricky Ponting, Andrew Symonds and Gilchrist are happy to sign huge deals with the IPL, then why should Gilchrist be rested from his primary responsibility - international cricket?

The Indians have not seen a ball bounce above the knee roll for months, but the big-hitting Yuvraj Singh has been recalled to the side and has found a novel way of preparing for Australian pitches. "Right now, I am practising with hard plastic and synthetic balls in order to get used to the pace and bounce of the Australian tracks.”

August 2003 - On meeting Stephen Fleming: “[It] left the hairs standing up on the back of my neck. He had a real presence or mana about him which needs to be respected and used to the best advantage.”

At 6ft 5in, he is by far the tallest batsman to play for Sri Lanka and he is going to have to find a way to play with authority on the back foot, for, although the game has become much more front-foot friendly compared to 10 years ago, let alone 20, there will be times he is going to come up against Brett Lee, Shoaib Akhtar and Shane Bond and he's not going to want to be a liability to the team. But I back him to succeed. He has always been a fighter.

Barely a year ago fears were held that the fast-bowling stocks were emptying as fast as the sugar bowl at an Indian tea party. Glenn McGrath had retired, Jason Gillespie had slowed down and the long-serving Queenslanders had lost their edge. Those worries were misplaced. Indeed, the pace stocking is bulging. In some people's opinion, NSW's sixth-best fast bowler, Mark Cameron, could play Test cricket tomorrow without weakening the side.

Quite who will select those to select the selectors is not clear, but in any case there are three good men to choose from - Graveney, Gooch and, if he decides the moolah on offer can make up for his after-dinner speaking during winter, Geoff Miller, who has been a selector now for half a dozen years or more. I don't see the need to look elsewhere. My own preference, albeit not a particularly strong one, is for Miller. I have been enormously impressed by the way he has conducted himself.

Michael Clarke looked like Captain Grumpy before a ball was bowled - the music was too loud and Gilly was spilling his guts to Slats about the game plan on the two-way. He may have had "Pup'' on his back but he had mongrel on his mind - straight away he hit a pie from Mark Gillespie over long off for a Dorothy Dix.

Missing out on Australian touring sides is supposed to be soul-destroying for fringe players. Not any more. Australia's selectors will sit down early next year and choose the Test and one-day squads for the tour of Pakistan but, given the trip coincides with the start of the Indian Premier League, those snubbed could be better off than those chosen. If the unwanted sit by the phone for two seconds, a member of the IPL is likely to call with all the promises in the world. We'll make you famous. And stinking rich.