South Africa win their opening match despite missing Ntini, Nel and Langeveldt. A low scoring tight match which furthered the credentials of Lee’s batting and Hussey’s God status (a remarkable catch along with the superb inning).

South Africa continue the upward trend as a cricket team. Dippenaar, Boucher and Kemp were upto the task after a superb opening spell by Pollock.

I do prefer low scoring limited overs matches much more than run scoring feasts. A good contest between the bat and the ball is always more pleasing.

Cricket coverage may be better than ever before. Nine’s director of sport, Steve Crawley says:

Our ultimate goal is to have the best cricket coverage in the world for the Ashes next year. We are working on technology that has never been seen before - some of it will come through, some of it won’t. We’re spending a lot of time on this. That’s how big the Ashes are to us. There’s scientific stuff with ball paths and a camera that shows heat off the ball. Real CSI stuff. It might come off. But at the end of the day, you can have all the cameras in the world, but it’s really about people. We’re trying new things for the one-dayers this summer. We want to highlight the player in a way that hasn’t been done before.

Both type of players have their utility in a team. So just because player X scores faster than player Y, it wouldnt put him ahead in a test match.

Its a 5 day match and a team game and to build a score, a sheet anchor, anattacking player - all are useful.

A common arguement which people give to rate Ponting ahead of Dravid - in a scenario where quick runs are needed Ponting will be more useful - he is a far more attacking batsman with a higher strike rate.

1) Even in that scenario a Dravid at an end could be useful for the attacking players to pile the runs from the other end having the assurance of one player keeping an end safe.

2) There are scenrios where you have to play a defensive role (when encountering difficult weather conditions for instance where there is excessive swing, unfavourable conditions to pile the runs) and Dravid would be more useful there. Playing a defensive role in an inning or 2 sessions can contribute as much to a winning cause as an attacking inning.

It is too close to call but I would have Dravid because he adds solidity.

Looking back, I will not say the super series was a bad idea. I will speak regarding the test match because it is the cricket which concerns me much more than most one day cricket.

The match saw brilliance in parts. The bowling of Murali, the bowling of Warne, some tight contests. But where the match failed - lies in the fact that it was a match rather than a series.

It was really clubbed in the cricketing calendar which is really not the way to go about it. A proper cricket tour by the ROW would have been much better wit 3 tests, a few first class matches opening with a match VS the Prime Ministers XI maybe. People may argue that this is 2005 and not the 70s.

But all I am asking for is a space for the ROW like any other international team would have had. It would give players more team, focus their efforts properly at the right moments.

The World XI could have had more time to gel as a TEAM - the common arguement against the concept till now. And regarding the players not taking the whole thing seriously - this is cricket at the top level. Can they, despite being the best players, just create magic if they want to?

Even the best need preparation.

First they lose to a county side. Then Bangladesh thrash them in a one day game. Then they lose in a miserable fashion in a twenty20 match to England. Then McGrath keeps getting injured in the wrong moments to miss 2 of the 4 played tests of the Ashes.

And now, Essex has thrashed 500 in a day.

It could not have gotten any worse for the Aussies. Christmas has come early for England.

It all boils down to the Oval where Australia can still manage to save the summer by winning the match. A weird English summer of Ashes party comes to an end with the September 8th-12th final Ashes test.

The sporting world is full of anticipation.

Ahead of the historic Ashes test which marks the last test in which Benaud will commentate from England, the legendary leg spinner and comemntator spoke to cricinfo.

Some Benaud talk:

On the historic relevance of the series

Now, it’s my view - and people may disagree with it - but I think this series shades the 1981 tour. And that’s saying something, because a long time has passed since then. I’ve always held the view that `81 was the best but now I think that this series has just gone ahead of it in my mind.

Who will win?

Anyone even half-thinking of making a prediction would be out of his mind, when you take into account what happened at Edgbaston, Old Trafford and Trent Bridge.

And finally, on the future of Australian cricket

Warne has been talking about going on till 2007, while McGrath - as we’ve already seen this summer - bowls quite magnificently when he’s fit. There will be changes, but one thing you can be sure of, there won’t be any panic.

The big question is who should England play if Simon Jones does not recover for the 5th test. Does England include Chris Tremlett, inexperienced yet promising? He is the logical next in succession in the squad. But a debut in the moest crucial test for England is years will be a huge gamble.

Collingwood? I dont think so as bowlers win test matches and going for him is not an option from any angle.

What about bringing back some old war horses? Caddick is injured. He is not an option either.

So I ask the question. Not why Darren Gough but why not Darren Gough. Yes he has retired from test cricket but I dont think he will refuse a request for a come back for the crucial test.

Gough has been England’s best strike bowler since Bob Willis and Ian Botham writes cricinfo. And its not that Gough is now old and thus cannot match up to international standard. He is still active as a one day international and despite recent ordinary performances in the tri series involving Australia and Bangladesh and the Natwest Challenge, has shown he still has it in him.

Certainly a better option than raw Tremlett. Gough’s performance in the one day series in South Africa is a point in case:

England in South Africa, 2004/05 [Series]
SA 6 58.1 241 11 3/52 2/14 21.90 4.14 31.7 0 0

One day and test cricket are different ball games but that certainly indicates Gough has not lost it all yet.

When he have the facility to conclusively state out or not out, we should use it.

Hawk eye and other inconclusive technologies should not be used but if the fans and people sitting in the media boxes and dressing rooms can see a decision being made is clearly wrong on tv (like inside edge given out lbw), it brings the game to unnecessary disrepute.

The day saw some brilliant cricket. But we remember the error decisions most. It would not have happened 40 years ago to this extent as the cameras would not have been that conclusive and the media was not as strong and communication not as fast.

Ponting has been found wanting of ideas. First in the match versus Bangladesh and then on several other ocassions.

Today, the field placings were poor giving the english too many easy runs.

After the Ashes, I think its time for a change of leadership. Warne back as captain and a one day come back? He has a good cricket mind. If the Australians do not find it uncomfortable that his personal life is not a great example, then why not?

Or maybe Gilchrist. It is too early for Clarke to step into the helm.

I dont know but Ponting is not satsifactory as captain at the moment.

First McGrath is injured. He feels there are some voodoo charms behind the most imperfect of timings for his injuries. Then England bat like champions on a flat pitch after being 5 down courtesy of superb batting by Flintoff and Jones and captaincy lacking in innovation by Ponting - giving the English easy runs.

The pitch is flat. So you would expect the Aussies to target a score of atleast 400 if not go for a 600. They are 5 down at the end of the day. The batting form is woeful and the English bowling is unrelenting.

Maybe the English tabloids should apologise to the fans for their over reaction on their home team after the first test. Maybe the Aussie tabloids should learn from this and not create their own over reactions. Bleak chances of either of those happening.

The weather forecast says bleak chances of rain. Meanwhile in another cricket match, India and New Zealand play one of the strangest matches in one day cricket history. First the kiwis collapse but manage a total of around 220. Then India collapse, stage a recovery with 8 wicket down, only to lose the 9th and 10th before some thing dramatic could happen.

Cricket is a funny game.