The Surfer

I think the Bangladesh batsmen still need to master the art of building an innings, of getting to the other end when they are under pressure rather than swinging wildly, of batting as a pair better rather than two individuals, of staying positive even when defending or batting in tough conditions. This does not mean still scoring at a SR of 80+ but maintaining positive intent. I have watched several times when the Bangladeshi batsmen get in trouble they try and sit in the crease and hold the opposition out. It is really only a matter of time before they get out. You need to keep taking the game to the opposition but with calculated risks, not impetuous rushes of blood.

We were young and impressionable in 1971. Field Marshal Manekshaw and Jagjit Singh Aurora became heroes but there were three others that became unforgettable. B S Chandrasekhar, Sunil Gavaskar and Dilip Sardesai. We had to listen to the news in the morning to find out what had happened in the West Indies while we slept and invariably Sardesai had scored runs. It was Sardesai and Solkar after the top order had gone and now both are dead. It takes time for that to sink in.

Cricket has become altogether too po-faced. It is played with barely the suggestion of a smile. Duncan Fletcher was a talented coach, liked by his England players. We gained the impression, however, that the dressing room occasionally resembled a morgue.

Serious errors in the crucial days after Woolmer died ensured that a flawed line of inquiry - the murder claim - went largely unquestioned. Antiquated equipment and forensics, hasty decision-making and a lack of reliable evidence compounded the mistake. The CCTV footage of Woolmer on the 12th floor of the Pegasus - the last images of him alive - had to be flown to London to enhance its quality, delaying for weeks the discovery that no one else entered room 374 that night. Scotland Yard was asked to re-examine Kingston's toxicology analysis.

Zimbabwe may never play Test cricket again. West Indies are in a state of utter disarray. Bangladesh demonstrated again last week that they remain woefully uncompetitive. The recent World Cup, by common consent, was desperate. As was the Champions Trophy, the so-called mini-World Cup, that preceded it.

It is an affliction with which we are all too familiar. When the time comes for our cricketing heroes to retire from the game, they make a mash of it. The signs will all be there, but they either cannot read them or choose not to.

Those who reckon he doesn't warrant another contract point to the substantial troughs; those in his camp cling to the notion that having achieved the big numbers before he can do so again.He's aware of his reputation _ too many lows over a long period of time _ and although it may be too late to make full amends, an older, wiser Sinclair can at least partially put things right in the coming year.

Certainly the past has not been without its glories but the side did not always travel well and often lacked depth; nor was wrangling always suppressed in the name of the common weal. Although always popular and attractive, Indian sides were inclined to disappoint. Sooner or later they had to lose their charm. In that regard, Gavaskar was ahead of his time. He did not merely want to win. He craved success, saw it as a means for personal and national salvation. Now a different tale is told. Robustness counts amongst the qualities detected in the teams led by Ganguly and Dravid.