The Surfer

- Australia, India, England and South Africa each hold their own domestic competitions. India's domestic competition will feature franchised teams.

By ranking Adam Gilchrist at a lowly No.20 and Steve Waugh a laughable No.26 among the cricketers he played with or against, Warne has once again exposed his immaturity and petty jealousies.

It is yet another example of why he was overlooked for both those players in leadership roles, much to his lasting anguish.

He has been mildly heroic on this tour without playing one of his monumental innings. In the Tests he batted like a mortal, grafting away, eking out his runs slowly and for the team. He fielded at first slip rather than patrolling the third man boundary, which used to be his custom.

Anything less suited to solemnity than the sight of highly skilled cricketers whacking a ball about for 20 overs it is hard to imagine. Blink and it will be over. It is as far from Test cricket as were the antics of Ken Dodd from the grave pronunciations of Sir Laurence Olivier. Mr Dodd was a Liverpudlian comedian who took to the stage carrying a featherduster and with hair erupting from his scalp. When his thoughts turned to song he was generally accompanied by The Diddymen. Sir Laurence was otherwise inclined.

In the fast-moving age of iPods, Playstations and Wap-enabled cellphones, 20-over cricket is the perfect expression of the sport's march into the 21st century.

Test cricket is and always will remain the bedrock of the game. It dishes up intrigue and surprise when combatively presented and that quenches the thirst for stimulation. But now there is a new eager kid on the block.

According to the LG ICC rankings, of the world’s top 15 Test batsmen, only Kevin Pietersen is under 29. On the same day ten years ago, only Steve Waugh of the top eight batsmen was over 29. Eight of the present top ten bowlers are in their thirties. In September 1997, seven of the top ten were under 30. And of the top ten ranked batsmen and bowlers in one-day international cricket, only Lasith Malinga, the Sri Lanka pace bowler, is under 25.

Because he appeals to us on an emotional level he also messes with our thinking. Because he's as strong as a young bull we forget that he's also as fragile as a porcelain figurine. He even dupes himself when he describes himself as a batting all-rounder. But sadly it is time to get real about Freddie. And the reality is that we can no longer put all our eggs in his basket. His batting form has collapsed, which means he is not good enough to bat at six in either the Test or one-day side. Yet to play him at seven or eight as one of a four-man attack would put even more pressure on that infamous left ankle.

“One day we were taken for an ice-bath at 7 in the morning. It was winter and I had never experienced anything like standing inside a drum with ice up to the neck. I thought why don’t they kill me instead."