The Surfer

Australian fans will be encouraged to buy replicas of the team's new one-day uniform, which captain Ricky Ponting will unveil in Sydney today. Supporters will be able to have their faces painted green and gold. The fightback follows claims that up to 40,000 English fans will attend the five Ashes Tests, about 5000 of whom are members of the Barmy Army.

The side that wins the World Cup will be the one that uses the power-plays best [power-plays are the 20 overs out of the 50 where fielding restrictions apply]. You have to score a lot of runs in the power-plays but, if you lose wickets, you hamstring yourself. As Sri Lanka showed, if you can go at the opposition and it comes off, the game is as good as won.

Naturally my initial reaction to this news was one of indignation, but reflection and some consultation can mellow. In fact more than that. I actually now consider it no bad thing that counties will have the leeway of an extra foreigner. Yes, they were words – however begrudging – in favour of my old friends the Kolpaks. Told you there was a surprise waiting. The ECB's main line of thinking is that they do not want to penalise counties for fielding players who are qualifying for England under the residential rule (at least 210 days per year to be spent here for four consecutive years). And I agree with them. I used to think those four years should be spent in the second team but if it is only one per county and likely to benefit the England team, then I can stomach it. Imagine Middlesex being handicapped financially for playing Ed Joyce? Or Nottinghamshire for Kevin Pietersen? Sixteen-year-old Zimbabwean left-handed batsman Gary Ballance at Derbyshire is a good example. At Harrow now, he wants to play for England and his recent 73 in a Pro40 match indicates such desire not to be unrealistic. Derbyshire should not be 'fined' for giving him first-team action during his school holidays. This is all dandy as long as the intentions are honourable. What we do not want is abuse of the system; say, a Johann Louw situation where he declared himself here with Northamptonshire to qualify for four years and then after two years returned to South Africa to play as a domestic cricketer again, thus meaning he had to be reclassified as an overseas player. Middlesex fell for the bait. How they must wish they hadn't. His strike bowling has since been embarrassingly unproductive.

Ponting carries a long scar on his right elbow, the legacy of his last game of football as a 15-year-old in Launceston where a severely broken arm terminated his career and left him with an itch he has never really been able to scratch.

For West Indies, he was a great player, team manager, convener of selectors and president of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB). For world cricket, he became chairman of the International Cricket Council, the highest office in the game. In every capacity, he was driven by one thing only - his great passion for cricket.

Pakistan had the ball swinging, as they showed when they got rid of Alastair Cook. The umpires looked at the ball and it must have been OK. About 15 minutes later Hair objected. Why if it was swinging enough to get a man on 80 out would you keep scuffing?

By the time you read this, Mantri would have woken up at 4.30 am; done his free-arm exercises, walked for 45 minutes and after his daily prayers, it’s breakfast at 7.30 am.