The Surfer

I admit that I felt that England losing the Ashes series 5-0 was a poor result. But now, thanks to Mr Graveney, I realise that I attached too much importance to the competition. The fact that the Ashes lit up the entire country in the glorious summer of 2005 had gone to my head; likewise, the fact that the Ashes 2006-07 was the most eagerly awaited Test series in history

It is easy to get riled by his weight or his supposed indifference to fitness drills, but his ability to take wickets is beyond doubt. He is the kind of bowler who can get you the wickets in the middle overs. His variety and loop entice batsmen who, anyway, are uncomfortable playing him defensively. He brings them out of their comfort zone, which is the essence of a good bowler.

The outfield will be manned by heavy legs and weak arms. Tendulkar, Agarkar, Pathan and, to an extent, Harbhajan Singh are effective without really being sensational. But almost all the others will have to be hidden in dark corners or used as scarecrows. At least the catching has improved, thanks to hours and months of hard work.

Against all expectations, the host ended the one-day series confused about the make-up of its best side. Suddenly, the squad looked unbalanced and flat. David Hussey, Shaun Tait, Brad Haddin and Ben Hilfenhaus could have spruced up things up, but it was too late for that.

There is no greater way to ignite the opposition than to belittle them in the press and Australian coach John Buchanan bemoaned the fact his team wasn't getting a decent game and hence jeopardising its preparation for the World Cup.

For England to have their best chance of maintaining their recent momentum when they start their campaign in the Caribbean, Michael Vaughan has to be restored as captain.

You drive to the ground and you’ve all these Aussies swearing, ‘Five-nil’ at you. You get to the one-dayers and the first sign you see at the Twenty20 game is ‘Six-nil’. Mentally it just kills you, it really finishes you off. Somebody just has to tip at you, and if you’ve had a bad day, well . . . and to be fair, we didn’t have many good days, so it was hard, really hard

The first thing [Vaughan] said publicly was "sorry", a message repeated by Duncan Fletcher in the aftermath of England's lowest point of the tour, the defeat in Adelaide on Australia Day. No matter that the coach had to be cajoled to do the interview in the first place, and be advised to apologise: it was good advice, well taken. It suggested that England had begun to confront their problems and that they were taking a more honest look at themselves - the first stage in any recovery, as any addict will tell you.

Whereas only a handful of players were guaranteed a place a fortnight ago, all the players involved in England's winning streak will be selected. Bouncing back after the drubbing they received in the Test series, and the first half of the one-day series, has been a commendable achievement which reflects most creditably on their team-spirit, work ethic and, not least, their coach Duncan Fletcher

"Some players prefer it if you say: 'Look, you're playing like a busted arse - sort it out.' Others might dig their heels in, so you've got to go away and think of a softer approach, like writing them a note or dropping them some video. The people management side of it is something I enjoy."

Never has he [Fleming] looked more comfortable with losing than after the match against England. He admitted that he had no idea why the Black Caps kept losing, only that he thought they were playing quite good cricket. Even more alarming was the admission that he had no clue as to how he could get his team to win again.