John DysonOn Sri Lanka’s day
I thought we had a fantastic partnership this morning between Mahela [Jayawardene] and Vaasy [Chaminda Vaas]. I’m very happy with how the day has gone. We are not too badly placed. We were expecting to get between the 350 to 400 mark.On Jayawardene’s innings
It was a magnificent innings. I can’t think of a single chance that he gave – he just batted beautifully. He was aggressive in his approach and he ran really well between the wickets.On the pitch
It is very difficult to read the pitch. You have a look at it on Day One and form an opinion about how it is going to play, but it can play completely differently. So far, I think the pitch has played very well. It seems similar to the one for the Australia series. One very important factor down here is that it is very difficult to predict the weather. If it comes out hot and sunny, then the character of the wicket can change. But if you get a lot of rain in the night and it is cloudy in the morning, then somehow it seems to play better.On the prospects for the third day
We will go into tomorrow morning with the plan to catch a few wickets and put them under some pressure. You are only ever one ball away from a wicket, and it is just a matter of forcing enough pressure for a mistake. It is not surprising that they got off to a start like that, because the pitch played well and they have some good players.Mark BoucherOn South Africa’s morning
Obviously it is not nice to lose your captain, the man that makes all the decisions. It was always going to be tougher this morning in these conditions and because our guys haven’t played much cricket in the last two months, so there were maybe a couple of stiff bodies. Having said that, I didn’t think we bowled too badly, they just came out and played a little bit more aggressively today. We thought that if we could knock them over for under 350 we would be in with a good chance to dominate the Test match, but things don’t always go to plan in Test cricket.On South Africa’s chances
I thought the guys [the openers] fought back really well. We are not out of the game and we can bat well and try to score 550 to 600, which we have done before. We can’t worry about what is in the past – we can’t control that any more. We have now got a good foundation.On playing spin
We said at the beginning of the series that if you go out there and wait for a ball to spit, you are fighting a losing battle. You have got to go out there with a game plan, and if the ball is in the area to hit you have to hit it. They did really well out there and had a nice balance between attack and defence. The last time we came here we did not play spin too well and we have looked a lot into playing spin in the subcontinent. It is still early on and the ball is going to start turning and bouncing a bit more.On tomorrow
We are not going to worry too much about the outcome of the game at this stage, we are just going to take it session by session.

ScorecardAs Surrey found out during their catastrophic defeat against Northamptonshire on Sunday, not even a Mark Ramprakash century is any guarantee of success in these uncertain times. But it remains one of their few elements of consistency. By the close of an extraordinary day, in which London was engulfed by electric storms and monsoonal downpours and yet The Oval remained bone-dry throughout, Ramprakash had moved serenely to 96 not out, four short of his fourth century of the season.Throughout his Test career, Ramprakash never quite perfected that elusive art of batting in a bubble, in which he could stick to his natural game and remain utterly oblivious to the chaos reigning all around him. But his experiences as an England player in the 1990s appear to have prepared him well for life as a Surrey player in the 2000s. As the autumn of his career approaches, and as Surrey’s situation becomes more desperate by the day, he no longer feels the need to rage against the dying of the light – these days he’ll take it if offered, but otherwise he’ll be quite happy to bat on regardless.Ramprakash’s effort was the cornerstone of a decent first-day total of 299 for 4, to which Scott Newman and the debutant Richard Clinton both made important contributions. But on a hugely lop-sided pitch, where even a miscued six is liable to dent a few bonnets on the Harleyford Road, Worcestershire did well to keep the run rate down to a manageable four runs an over. Two seasons ago, Alistair Brown plundered a similarly short boundary to score a double-century against Glamorgan in the C&G Trophy, and when he resumes on 17 not out in the morning, Worcestershire should be wary of offering up any long-hops from the Vauxhall End.One coming and three goings were the talking point of the morning session, as Surrey won the toss and chose to bat first. On the bowling front, Alex Tudor was fit and ready to resume his first-class career after a lengthy injury layoff, but that was tempered by the news that Brett Lee had been called up by Australia, and would not be available to help rescue Surrey’s season. Meanwhile, the batting was weakened by two notable absentees. Mark Butcher’s dodgy thigh ruled him out of contention, and possibly out of the reckoning for the third Test as well, while Adam Hollioake, of all people, found himself dropped as punishment for his thoughtless dismissal in that Northants debacle.Butcher’s misfortune opened the door for Clinton, the son of Grahame, whose circuitous route to The Oval has taken him via Essex and Loughborough University, as well as 2nd XI cricket for no fewer than six different counties. But it was Newman who made the early running, cracking three consecutive fours off Kabir Ali before edging Nadeem Malik low to Andrew Hall at first slip for 46, as Surrey rattled along to an opening stand of 90 – their highest since mid-May, which is in itself an indictment of their season.The Oval is currently midway through its much-needed facelift, and the builders at midwicket were grateful for their hard hats when Clinton clipped Malik for six early in his spell. He then followed up with a gorgeous straight-driven four, but for a while thereafter, miner’s helmets might have been more appropriate, as Clinton became entrenched on 48 for 31 consecutive deliveries.He eventually reached his fifty with an ugly miscue for four off Gareth Batty, but it was a cathartic moment, and suitably relieved, he cracked five more fours in quick succession. Batty, who has been mentioned in dispatches ahead of the spin-friendly Old Trafford Test, suffered an inauspicious start to his spell, as Ramprakash dumped his fourth ball into the building site for six, but he kept his discipline and was rewarded with a hand in the next wicket to fall, as Ramprakash sold Clinton a dummy, and Vikram Solanki’s accurate return from backward point beat a despairing dive by two feet.By now Ramprakash was flicking wristily through any available gap and dismissing the short ball with sledgehammer cuts, but once again, Surrey’s middle order fell short of solidity. Rikki Clarke’s bright and breezy 36 had included seven fours when when he lost concentration and whipped Andrew Hall to midwicket, where Batty swooped to his right to cling on to a firm two-handed chance, and the game’s other Batty, Jon, didn’t last long either. He had made only 8 when he drove loosely off the back foot at Kabir, and Graeme Hick plucked a sharp edge at second slip.The spectacular forks of lightning that lit up the sky over Vauxhall and Westminster drove the players from the field for 30 minutes in mid-afternoon, and later returned to force an early finish. But none of it could faze Ramprakash, who currently seems to be the one man who can save Surrey’s season.

Mark Richardson’s decision to retire from all forms of cricket after one more first-class game for Auckland is a direct result of the nature of the itineraries around the world. Richardson’s style of batting meant that he was branded a Test specialist, and with tours increasingly consisting of more one-day internationals and fewer first-class games, he got fewer opportunities – and it finally took its toll on the mental side of his game. Richardson admitted that the constant demand to turn up for international matches with very little matchplay contributed to 99% of the burnout factor that forced him to retire.Richardson has been an inspiration to less-fashionable cricketers in New Zealand. Driven by the desire to represent his country from the age of ten, he started off as a left-arm spinner, then completely redefined his game and developed his batting after suffering from a case of the bowling yips. His was a classic example of what could be achieved by sheer determination and hard work.A player with immense powers of concentration, he was undisturbed by the pace of events around him. However, he revealed that he started contemplating retirement as long ago as last season, during the home series against South Africa. He was taking a long time to recover from his disappointments, and not getting so much joy from his successes. One of his best Tests was against England at Lord’s earlier this year, when he scored 93 and 101. However, after that game he felt he had left some desire out in the middle. After the series in England, he was further convinced that his time in cricket was limited: “When I came back from England I was absolutely exhausted and although I trained and worked hard, when it came to leave for the next series I just didn’t feel I wanted to be playing cricket.”A player who enjoyed a laugh, something that not many of today’s cricketers can claim, he also spoke his mind, and it was no surprise that having made the decision to retire he did it so promptly, without looking back. There is time for one more game, a match against Canterbury at Hagley Oval which will allow him the chance to score the 41 runs he needs to pass the 10,000-run mark.”I do not want people to think I’m quitting in the face of adversity. If this was the case I would have walked away a long time ago. I’m leaving in advance of the home series [against Sri Lanka] because I feel it would be doing my team-mates, the country and the Black Cap a disservice to carry on half-heartedly. I believe it is best for all parties that I retire now and give someone else the opportunity to bring some new talent and positive energy into the team.”I believe I am not leaving the game on a downer. I am leaving having achieved enough goals to be personally proud. I have a Test bowling average that is better than Sir Richard Hadlee’s, and a 50-50 record in the end-of-series running race.”Richardson said he had never been able to switch off from cricket and that was probably why his international career was shorter than it could have been. He thought it was a fault of his character that he tended to get too down after his failures and too up after his successes.He ends his career having played 38 successive Tests and scored 2776 runs at 44.77, including four centuries and 19 half-centuries. Richardson rated the Australian Test attack New Zealand had just faced as the most ruthless he had ever faced, and certainly a tougher opposition than New Zealand had experienced in the summer of 2001-02.His challenge to opposing sides for their slowest man to race him at the end of a Test series has become synonymous with Richardson’s approach to cricket. He retired with a 50-50 record in the races, his most recent success having been at Darren Lehmann’s expense.New Zealand have had problems with their top-order batting, and now have to find a replacement for Richardson as well. As a player who captured the attention of the nation for his distinctive approach from the game, he will be missed on the field, but there is every chance that his desire to get involved in sports journalism will see him still attached to the game.

Muttiah Muralitharan will miss the first leg of Sri Lanka’s tour of New Zealand after the selectors decided that he needed to prove his fitness first. Marvan Atapattu had urged the selectors to let Muralitharan accompany the team right from the start, but they have chosen instead to ask him to step up his rehabilitation at home.The selectors are also keen for him to bowl in a domestic match, and he will try to play in a board-organised internal practice game on Dec 27 to prove his fitness. This means that he will not be able to be monitored closely by CJ Clarke, the team physiotherapist, although he will have access to Sri Lanka Cricket masseurs. It will also reduce the risk of him being rushed back too early, as has happened in the past, particularly during the last tour of England in 2002.Nevertheless, Murali remains confident that his right shoulder will have recovered sufficiently for him to participate in the Test series, which starts at Hamilton on January 15. At the moment, he is working furiously hard in the team gymnasium at Sri Lanka Cricket’s headquarters, and is regularly treating the shoulder with ice-packs.He has also resumed bowling in the nets after Dr David Young, his Melbourne-based surgeon, pronounced himself satisfied with the speed of his recovery. Muralitharan currently bowls 24 balls every other day, and that workload will be gradually increased during the course of the month.The shoulder is still painful, but that was always expected to be the case until it had healed completely.

ScorecardSairaj Bahutule spun out Gujarat in quick time on the final day as Mumbai ran away to an innings-and-64-run win. It took just 25.2 overs for Gujarat to be wiped out as Bahutule and Ramesh Powar, the offspinner, claimed seven wickets between them. Mukund Parmar, the Gujarat captain, and Parthiv Patel couldn’t bat because of injury. Gujarat had struggled in the first innings as well with Powar being the tormentor in chief. Barring Parthiv Patel, who made a gritty 87 on the first day, none of the Gujarat batsmen passed 50 in either innings.
ScorecardGnaneswara Rao steered Andhra to a tense four-wicket win against Bengal at Vishakapatnam. Chasing 191 on the final day, Andhra rode on Gnaneswara’s 63, which included eight fours and a six. There were handy contributions from Prasad Reddy, the wicketkeeper, and Venugopal Rao, Gnaneswara’s elder brother. Ranedeb Bose, the Bengal opening bowler, claimed three wickets and reduced them to 143 for 5, but RV Ch Prasad joined Venugopal and the two took Andhra to their first win of the season.
ScorecardNarender Pal Singh bowled Hyderbad to a thrilling 22-run win over Uttar Pradesh at the Gymkhana Ground in Hyderabad. Chasing just 143 for a win, UP faltered against the medium-pace of Singh and Vishnuvardhan, and collapsed for 120 in 36.3 overs. Suresh Raina’s breezy 36 gave the innings a much-needed surge, but the rest of the middle order couldn’t chip in with enough. Ali Hameed and Ashish Winston Zaidi got UP close, but neither could clinch the issue as UP fell 22 just runs short.
ScorecardKulamani Parida’s eight-wicket haul gave Railways a great chance but their batsmen couldn;t manage the 138 required as the game at Indore finished in a draw. Parida, the offspinner, knocked over all the MP batsmen to fall today to finish with 8 for 68. But Devendra Bundela, with a fighting 98, managed to eat up valuable time before being the last man to be dismissed with a lead of 137. Railways began in rollicking fashion, racing to 32 in just the fifth over, but a few quick wickets pegged them back and they finally fell 56 short of victory and had to settle for two points from the game, by virtue of their first-innings lead.
ScorecardTamil Nadu didn’t push for an outright victory on the final day against Punjab at Chennai and were content to take away first-innings honours from the top-of-the-table clash. Sreedharan Sharath (112) and Subramaniam Badrinath (97) added 163 for the fourth wicket, and collected some useful batting practice as the game petered out to a tame draw. Rajesh Sharma and Navdeep Singh picked up three wickets apiece for Punjab but it was too late to force the issue.
ScorecardDelhi were denied their first victory of the season as the Karnataka lower order resisted on the final evening at the Jamia Millia Ground in Delhi. After gaining a 135-run lead, Delhi raced to 115 in only 18 overs in their second innings. Aakash Chopra led the charge with a 61-ball 66, and Delhi declared 250 ahead. Karnataka were in the hunt at 134 for 3, with Barrington Rowland anchoring the chase, but he fell at that point and the lower order ensured that a defeat was averted.

The Australian one-day specialist Andrew Symonds has admitted he thought about giving up cricket for a shot at rugby league for the high-flying Brisbane Broncos shortly before his somewhat surprising selection for the 2003 World Cup-winning squad. Symonds made the revelations in an interview with Australia’s Inside Cricket magazine.Symonds, 29, was a talented rugby league player when he was younger, and contacted the Broncos’ coach Wayne Bennett towards the end of 2002. “I just poured it all out to him,” he told the magazine. “I told him how I was feeling, that my confidence had taken a battering and that more and more I wasn’t being fulfilled by cricket any more and that now I was thinking of trying something else – footy.”Wayne didn’t bat an eyelid: he said, ‘Are you sure? It’s a serious step.’ I told him I was deadly serious. ‘Then I’ll help and support you if I can.’ Obviously his biggest issues were my ball skills and ability to withstand tackling, but he was definitely interested. He could see the passion … what I wanted more than anything [then]: to achieve that pinnacle of Queensland sport and run out onto Lang Park wearing that maroon jumper.”But Symonds, who had scored only two half-centuries in 49 ODIs before the 2002-03 VB Series, stuck with cricket instead – and made it to the World Cup a few months later in South Africa. In their first game against Pakistan – a game he probably would not have played if the banned Darren Lehmann or the injured Michael Bevan had been available – he rescued Australia with a career-defining undefeated 143, and has since been an automatic choice for the one-day side.

Got a story? Write to SundriesFebruary 16Dear Bob…“Does Shoaib Akhtar smoke?” asks a person on Bob Woolmer’s website, suspecting that his constant chest problems stem from there. “Please work on the calling between the wickets,” he helpfully adds later. Another wit suggests Woolmer play cards with Shoaib during the India tour so he stays in his room. Someone else announces, “Behold, a bold proposal…”, and then goes on to boldly propose that Pakistan should not be a Test-playing nation. But it all ain’t one-way traffic. One questions, “What combinition of fast bowling are you looking for in the test matches in indian tour? [Many sics]”To which Woolmer replies, “The best possible.”Heart-breaking vandalsImran Khan has expressed dismay at the recent attempts by vandals to damage pitches, according to Fox Sports.com. Stadiums have stepped up security after vandals entered the Mohali stadium last week and damaged a small portion of the pitch. “Attempts to dig pitches by the extremists to disrupt Pakistan’s tour of India and statements calling for cancellation of the tour are disheartening and uncalled for,” said Imran. “Fans in Pakistan and India are really hurt over such reports.”Cricket can further the peace process … Indian team and spectators were received so warmly last year and people here expect the same in India.”* * *February 1515 minutes of historyIn a move straight out of left field, the BCCI has announced that it will produce a 15-minute documentary covering the history of Tests between India and Pakistan. However, in keeping with the cricket board’s luck in recent times, the venture has run aground because there’s no footage from before 1986. But that wouldn’t stop them from trying, said Amrit Mathur, the man in charge of communications for the BCCI. He told IANS he was in touch with Doordarshan, among other companies.Has anyone tried Zee?* * *Oh those mad mad scientistsA source revealed to the reason behind the Pakistan board’s quest for a bowling coach. “Fast bowling is not about sprinting in and throwing that ball at full force,” chuckled the mysterious squealer. “It’s a science now and you need scientists like Waqar Younis or Wasim Akram…”And we’d thought they were magicians.* * *February 14

10,000 visas minus 1The Indian High Commission has announced that 10,000 visas will be issued to Pakistanis travelling to India for the upcoming series. Preparing the ground for this visit was the RSS, a hardline Hindu political party, which hoped that everyone would overcome narrow politics and reciprocate the affection showered on the Indian team when they toured Pakistan last year. The statement was unexpected because the two parties it is affiliated with announced their displeasure at the Pakistan board’s hesitancy to play in Ahmedabad, calling it a “compromise on the prestige and honour of the country” and whatnot.Meanwhile, the multi-tasking Javed Miandad has one more problem to contend with. After considering taking the PCB to court, slamming Bob Woolmer and then telling an Indian political group that the tour had to go on, he now has the All India Anti-Terrorist Front to deal with. The group issued a press release stating that they would take action if Mianded visited. Why? Visit Google, type ‘Miandad + anti-terrorist front’ and find out.* * *Sarfraz frets over black-out and those greedy foreigners ushers us into Valentines Day with Sarfraz Nawaz, that delightful man seemingly always in the know, accusing Pakistan of having no plan, vision or preparation before the tour. He predicted that India would steamroller Pakistan within three days on turners with a mix of regular and part-time spinners. Why? Because, said Sarfraz – using his imagination – they had “the habit of finishing a Test in three days”. But he feared that Pakistan could suffer a worse fate if Shoaib Akhtar did not take off, for this would leave Danish Kaneria as the sole wicket-taker.Sarfraz then took aim at Inzamam-ul-Haq, Bob Woolmer and the management, mocking one for refusing to act on the field but doing it in a commercial, and claimed the others’ loyalties did not lie with Pakistan. “How would foreigners be interested in Pakistan’s progress, they would muster the wealth and go away.”* * *February 13Afridi on applicationThe battle-scarred Shahid Afridi has professed to that the Australian tour has hardened him and his team-mates, and this will help them during the Indian tour. Afridi stated that he was keen to earn “honour and glory for the country against the arch rivals”, which would only be achieved if the team batted for long periods. Also, in what could be deemed a significant shift in policy towards bowlers, he admitted trying not to hit every ball for a six. This would come as good news to observers who have long stated that Afridi’s overt aggression has resulted in untimely dismissals and wasted talent.But Afridi’s frank assessment of his own batting line-up – “we have only two good batsmen in Inzamam and Youhana” – is less likely to be appreciated by the others who, he said, have to “be consistent to help in building the innings”.* * *

Tendulkar masterclass doesn’t stop – InziWinning valuable brownie points before the series, Inzamam-ul-Haq was effusive in his praise of Sachin Tendulkar, saying that watching him was educational, and that he expected Tendulkar would play in “the mother of all series” even if he was only half fit. Press Trust of India quoted him as saying, “We have been under Sachin’s hammer quite often but I have always enjoyed watching him bat. Each time he bats out there, he teaches you something new. He is a thorough entertainer, a great cricket teacher and a true model for the youngsters.”The gushing stopped when he rushed across the border and donned an outfit that hinted he’d be teaching someone a lesson.* * *Can’t match an India-Pakistan contest, says GavaskarSunil Gavaskar, in his weekly column for , says nothing beats a contest between India and Pakistan. But what of cricket’s other great rivalry, the Ashes? Not even close, says Gavaskar, because “nobody’s house gets stoned…and the losers can still go down to the grocery store, but not so in an Indo-Pak series. None of the Ashes contests can match that feeling of fear and insecurity and certainly have none of the intensity that an Indo-Pakistan series has.”While the fear and insecurity provide an added edge to contests between the two countries, players on both sides have expressed dismay at fans’ extreme reactions to defeats, saying this puts unnecessary pressure on them to perform. Incidentally, players from both teams claim that they get along famously with each other.* * *February 12Inzamam to visit India before tourInzamam-ul-Haq is scheduled to visit India for a commercial shoot and to offer prayers in Ajmer before the series begins, according to a report in . A spokesman for the company that looks after Inzamam’s profile in India said, “This is a personal trip but Inzamam will be doing some commercial activities too. It has nothing to do with the coming India-Pakistan series.”Au contraire, it has everything to do with the series. TV watchers, prepare yourself for a barrage of commercials prominently featuring Inzamam. And if Doordarshan broadcasts the series, the product shot will inevitably coincide with the first ball of every over.* * *Majid plays down Pakistan’s chancesIn the same paper, Majid Khan is afraid Pakistan won’t be much of an opposition. India get his backing because of their superior consistency – a wily claim that will no doubt stun the Indians with the tour only a fortnight away.”For the last four years,” said Majid, “we have not been able to prepare a team that can consistently win matches. I am afraid Pakistan’s chances in Tests and one-dayers don’t seem to be bright.”The fact that India have lost four one-dayers on the trot to Pakistan and that a number of Indian players aren’t in form counts for very little, it seems.* * *Inzamam reassured of captaincy“PCB chief assures Inzamam of retaining captaincy for India tour,” screams a headline in . Beneath it, the ever-popular `source’ confides that Inzamam and Shaharyar Khan had a meeting in which Inzi “told the chairman that many of the players were making their debuts in Australia and took their time to adjust to the conditions and against the top opposition.”

ScorecardSyed Abbas Ali brought up his 12th first-class hundred to take Central Zone to a comfortable position on the first day of the Duleep Trophy game against Bangladesh Board XI in Delhi. Electing to bat first, Central lost both their openers, Sanjay Bangar and Amit Pagnis, early.But Ali, the grandson of the former Indian opener Mushtaq, and Devendra Bundela revived them with a solid partnership of 214 for the fourth wicket. Ali smashed 20 fours and a six in his 122 before being dismissed by Alok Kapali, the legspinner.Bangladesh, after facing a heavy defeat against East Zone, struggled throughout the day and their bowlers didn’t have too much to celebrate.

The way he is, he shouldn’t be a batsman. He shouldn’t even be a sportsman. Where other batsmen stride to the crease, Inzamam-ul-Haq lopes and mopes to it, shoulders hunched. He drags his bat along with him like a scolded schoolboy would his satchel. Not for him the bravado entrance of a Mathew Hayden or a Virender Sehwag, chest out, brandishing the bat as weapon. Increasingly when he is dismissed, he loiters despondent for an eternity, not as protest but because of an acute awareness of its implications. Hayden and Sehwag can afford bluster; if they go, they have Ponting, Gilchrist, Sachin or Dravid. But if Inzamam falls, as John Wright’s fist-pumping celebration atKolkata in the second innings suggested, half the battle with Pakistan is often won.As with all his best innings, Inzamam’s 100th Test has crept up on us almost unnoticed. Only three Pakistanis – Javed Miandad, Wasim Akram and Salim Malik – have played in over 100 tests and it somehow seems right, bearing in mind the larger-than-life personality each possessed, that they achieved the landmark. With Inzamam, it sounds mildly implausible; 100 tests? Really? He will probably end up eclipsing Miandad as the greatest batsman Pakistan ever produced. How, given his inert demeanor, has he managed it?He stretches the traditional confrontation between ball and bat. Not till the very last moment, at which point the ball invariably looks like winning the battle, does he react. By that time, motionless almost apart from an incongruous shuffle here or there, the length is clear in his mind and it remains only for him to bring down his bat, with strength or otherwise, but always, always, with quick hands. Energy conservation is maximised and only as much as necessary is ever spent. You see it in his running and his fielding, especially in the short cover position he lately loves.

It’s not so much a technique as an attitude and with it he has become the most important Pakistan batsman of his time, possibly ever. Two innings in the 1992 World Cup made him, and won it for Pakistan. His undefeated 58 decided the Karachi thriller against Australia in 1994-5, but it has been only since 2000, by which time both Miandad and Malik were gone, that his value has become clear. For much of the time since, Pakistan’s batting has disintegrated, while his, in inverse proportion, has flourished. The most wretched and vivid example of this dependence came at Multan in 2003, where but for his 138 not out, Pakistan’s batsmen would’ve contrived to lose to Bangladesh. In 41 tests since 2000 he has averaged nearly 57, with 12 centuries. How important is he to Pakistan? More than statistics will ever tell you, for they don’t tell you of the thin support and heavy load he has had to bear. Still, they are revealing. Of his 20 test centuries, 15 have contributed to Pakistan wins and he averages over 75 in all their wins since 2000.So what, you say? In a golden age for batting, does he really bear comparison with the greats? Lara, Sachin, Hayden, Ponting, Dravid after all have better figures, players who, when that ludicrous question of having someone bat for your life is asked, would rightly get picked before him. And he won’t be remembered in the same way a Lara or a Sachin will be. Where they have saved their very best for the best – Australia and South Africa of the nineties – Inzamam has average, even poor records against them. No, even though he may not lack their batsmanship, he lacks the drive, the ruthlessness, the sustained pursuit of excellence, the sheer force of will and personality which has marked their greatness.But of course he does; it is a result of the very attitude which pulls us to him in the first place. Despite his apparent insouciance and the pressures on him, his lumbering starts, his unsportsmanlike appearance, he has managed to achieve all that he has; 100 tests, over 7000 runs and an average threatening 50 and that is worth appreciating. Occasions such as his 123 at Karachi last year against the Indians, or his 86 at Mohali last week, when he outshone even the most stellar batting line-up of our time are worth cherishing. These are occasions when everything clicks, when his very casualness suddenly becomes hisredeeming feature and not a glaring hindrance. These are occasions where his genius emerges, where he fleetingly and slyly hints, rather than emphatically asserts, to being the best batsman in the game today.Osman Samiuddin is a cricket writer based in Karachi. He is following the Pakistan team on their tour of India.