The Surfer

Satisfaction was lacking. Twenty20 tolerates batting without consequence. It is a slogathon. None of the subtleties of the game were seen, the speculations in the stands, the mid-pitch debates. Everyone is a hitter.

One commentator noted that now everyone knew why the Australian national side was banned by its government from coming to Zimbabwe for a one-day international series this month.

Even success for South Africa in Twenty20 would not remove the feeling that an aged side is growing old gracelessly. Jacques Kallis has resigned as South Africa's vice captain after he was omitted from the Twenty20 squad and Mark Boucher was fined for criticizing his omission. Andrew Hall has announced his retirement and is heading for the breakaway Indian Cricket League. The ill feeling does not stop there.

It is understood the New Zealand captaincy issue has been resolved without acrimony and there seems no suggestion of Fleming charging off to the Twenty20 rebels in a huff having been bypassed for the captaincy. That would have been a black mark on Fleming's largely outstanding association with the game in this country and a sad note on which to farewell NZC, with whom he has had a 15-year association.

Alex grabbed me during the awards night and asked me if I was going to be right to play and I said "absolutely" but that indicates to me that he and a few others might think differently. A lot of the guys are still having trouble sleeping after being here a week, so with the schedule I've been on, I expect to be waking up early over the next few days at least. That mightn't help my cause.

Being a star has never stopped Ponting from being himself, as evidenced by the journey, the night before an Ashes tour, when he travelled in the back of a mate's car with one of his racing greyhounds from Launceston to Hobart, feeding the dog a celebratory Kit Kat on the way home after it won at $13.

The line has to be drawn somewhere and if it is not drawn here, the question has to be asked — are we waiting till he commits mass murder?

It's thought the New Zealand selectors are anxious to continue with Fleming's services as a batsman, but are unwilling to retain him as captain, possibly because of his alleged links to the rebel league; possibly because they think the time is right for Vettori. Whatever the motive, there must now be a strong chance that Fleming will feel slighted by the decision, and that he'll decide to turn his back on NZC in favour of signing on to the lucrative rebel circuit.

The first Twenty20 World Championship should be the most watchable 'global' cricket event for a decade. It can hardly fail to be. Recent World Cups have been dire because they have comprised far too many countries and therefore far too many mis-matches, while every Champions Trophy has proved a non-event. Such is the appeal that Tuesday's opening game between South Africa and West Indies and the final are sell-outs; and three-quarters of seats overall have been sold, albeit at knock-down prices, the lesson of the last World Cup having been learned.