The Surfer

So it is a huge shame that torrential rain and a squabble over building regulations threaten to ruin the Galle Test, due to start on Tuesday, which many feel could provide symbolic closure for a region so badly afflicted on that fateful Boxing Day three years ago.

Start instead at the village of Kundasale, not far from the hill city of Kandy. It was here that our young Tamil boy went through the formative years that would make him the man he is. The year is 1983 and the civil war between the Tamils and the Sinhalese is at its height. Murali, only 11, was witness to his father Muttiah’s flourishing biscuit factory being burnt down by Sinhalese mobs. Muttiah was the last man out, and emerging from the flames was attacked by men wielding machetes and badly injured. Murali and his family were herded into the cellar of a Muslim friend’s house, and there they sheltered as the mob waited outside, knowing that Tamils were being protected in the house. But the Muslims refused to yield and eventually the mob grew tired of waiting and moved on to find other victims.

It could have been 2-0 and that would’ve been nicer, but a series win is a series win, especially ahead of an all-important tour like Australia.

The first thing you'll come across is the security checkpoint. No, no, don't worry James. You won't be cavity searched. I don't think they've introduced that yet. No, the "customer service personnel" just want to probe your bag and inspect all your belongings.

Over the past 30 years or so, there has been a widely held view in the cricket community that the condensed forms of the game can be tampered with if need be, but Test match cricket is utterly untouchable. It is an unspoken, unwritten creed. It is particularly unsettling that night Test cricket should occupy the minds of those at CA at the start of a potentially thrilling Border-Gavaskar series and a year after a lucrative Ashes campaign. And, as a consequence of the greatness of recent Australian teams, Test cricket is being played with greater enterprise throughout the world. Test cricket is sacred because it has stood apart from all its mutations and from all other sport for 130 years. This makes it unique. The moment it does not stand apart is the moment it will be despoiled and doomed.

In an increasingly childish and petulant display typical of some of his antics on and off the field, Warne's claim was a continuation of his antipathy towards the West Australian wicketkeeper.

Movies, plays and concerts all take place long after the sun has set, and, inevitably, the same applies to most sporting events, including cricket. And the reason is simple: after a day at work or school, people transport themselves into whichever world they choose in the evening. And the customer is always right.

If you are 18 and you are reading this, strap those pads on, walk out behind the fielders and take guard against the new ball. And if you are 18, tall and strong, back yourself and bowl quick. And once you realize you can force people onto the back foot and have them hopping and fending, don’t cut your pace and stroll in.

Youngest among three children, having lost his father at three, [Sujay] Tarafdar symbolises the story of a young sportsman from remote corners, striving for recognition and opportunity despite possessing talent. His love for cricket grew from reading exploits of his heroes in newspapers and sometimes watching them on television.