Going round in circles

Sarfraz Nawaz. One sight is enough to convince you that he was indeed one heck of a fast bowler. Big man, aquiline features, mop of hair, don’t-care-a-damn attitude ... Just the man who could invent a dark art. Just the sort who would wreck havoc or sit in one corner and sulk all day.

Sarfraz Nawaz: one heck of a fast bowler © Getty Images

He welcomes you warmly, answers questions bluntly. It’s not just honesty, it's ruthlessness. Such radical answers that you’re convinced he’s way over the top. There a lot of thoughtful things that get missed because all you’re thinking of are the extreme statements.

What did you think of the Indian attack in this Test? "They were disinterested." Surely, the pitch wasn’t great for them? "You need to be able to bowl on all pitches." What could they have done? "Tried and conceded less runs and taken more wickets." How? "Bowled better." Where did they go wrong? "They were simply disinterested." Superb. A conversation with such a logical conclusion.

But Sarfraz, is cricket getting too batsman-oriented? "Of course, it's unfair." What can be done? "Many things can be. Allow more bouncers, prepare better pitches, reduce heaviness of bats. Many things."

But don't the spectators come to see runs? "Nothing like that. They will come and see wickets also. How many people were there in the stadium yesterday? So many runs were being scored." Has the quality of batting improved? "Nothing like that. Average batsmen get hundreds these days. It's ridiculous. In fact, unfair." Another circular dialogue. What a man!