The Surfer

If it isn't done properly it can upset the metaphysics of proceedings and I fear this is what happened yesterday. Ungainly liftoffs, bad connections, wonky landings ... it can just lead to trouble and surprise losses.

Can Pakistan mount a serious challenge? Pakistan, despite the doubters, has a sniff. This is a team of extremes. A united Pakistani side plays with passion. If dissension sets in, the team can crumble.

The Badger, of course, is mad for it. He is yapping and yearning and simply gagging for it. In fact the Badger looks almost beside himself with excitement. "I'm living the dream," he chortles. "I'm that proud and amazed. After all these years I'm about to play for England in a tournament that will be watched by millions around the world. It's awesome."

Cricket only ever penetrated a few pockets of Dutch society. In The Hague, it’s played by posh types who regard it as a sort of magical rite with the power to transform them into English gentlemen. The game somehow also took root in Schiedam, a tough town just outside Rotterdam, known as the only place in the Netherlands where boys play cricket on the street. Schiedam once even produced a rare case of Dutch cricket hooliganism, when thousands of fans watched two local teams contest the national title. Van Troost, Holland’s captain, is from Schiedam. And increasingly since about 1990, Dutch cricket has been played by poor Asian immigrants. When these dockworkers and cleaners meet Hague bankers, both sides presume (often correctly) that the other is cheating.

"We talked about cricket, talked about the Caribbean and conditions. He just said these wickets would suit me. That's a good level of confidence I can take."

"In big games Australia are well ahead of South Africa," Donald said in the Daily Telegraph. "I think a big part of that is because on numerous occasions we just couldn't finish it off in the big time.”

Recent West Indies sides have been burdened by the brilliance of their predecessors. And their current players have often seemed more concerned with the trappings of international cricket than ensuring that they are good enough to play it. Now they have the chance to redress the balance in the Caribbean, where the cricket culture that we all treasure needs bolstering.