The Surfer
"I think Rahul Dravid enjoys Greg's thoughts, but still the skipper has got to carry the team
"My parents never stopped me from playing
In the last one year I have learnt to read the game better. I play a different innings every time I go to the middle. It all depends on the situation. It is not just bang, bang. I like to play for the team. People talk of the 183 (against Pakistan). But I like the next knock at Pune. It was different. The innings against England were different. I did not attack because there was no need to take any risk. I could easily get six to eight runs an over. Let me tell you, I will never play for individual honours. It will always be for the team.
Cricket is a game to be relished not an account to be scrutinised, writes Peter Roebuck
Cricket needs to extract itself from the cold embrace of its statisticians. Over the last few seasons these calculators on two legs have wielded an inordinate influence ... In recent weeks, these dismal creations have complained about Jason Gillespie and the authenticity of the World XI matches played last October. The fact that no sensible person cares a hoot about matters of this sort passes them by.
Stephen Fleming's double-century put New Zealand in a commanding position of the second Test against South Africa but Adam Parore writes in the New Zealand Herald that Fleming's poor conversion rate has hampered him from becoming New Zealand's
Bishan Bedi, never short of an opinion, has joined the debate about player burnout, as reported on deepikaglobal.com
"Both the individual boards and the ICC have to take the responsibility but I feel ICC is the main culprit because they are the ones who decide the schedules. In their efforts to provide more matches for teams like Bangladesh they are making top teams like India and Australia play more."
"The administrators just have to apply common sense and balance out the number of games. After all you wouldn't want to kill the golden goose, would you?"
The Indian Express was less than impressed with Sharad Pawar's glowing comments about the Champions Trophy.
"The surprise of the day was in Pawar’s virtually capitulating to all ICC demands, saying that it had resolved all outstanding issues and that it would extend full co-operation to the ICC while conducting the Champions Trophy, the first major tournament to be conducted in India since the 1996 World Cup."
Aakash Chopra, Indian Test-discard, writes about life in England over the cricketing summer.
The one thing I swore this year around was that I wouldn’t travel to England via Paris. I hadn’t forgotten my experience of being treated like some shady drug dealer/terrorist/evil psychopath last year at Charles de Gaulle and then, on the way back, having Air France misplace my bags.
David Murray, former wicketkeeper of West Indies, had fallen on hard times but wants everyone to know he's still a "tough guy" and despite the many challenges he has faced in life, he's still "in the game"
Chris Read is hoping to challenge Geraint Jones for his England place after being named in the A team to play Sri Lanka.