The laws are quite clear on this. The umpires have the final say on the pitch. Also if the conditions or the pitch, ground etc are not dangerous it is playable.

In a test match in India vs England play was stopped and the match abandoned because the ball was bouncing so awkwardly that it could cause serious damage to the English batsmen. Hussain was right to protest and the umpires were right to stop play.

But if the pitch is not dangerous, and its within the laws So what is the issue why so many English fans are disgruntled with the pitches provided to them.

A great team wins even in the most adverse of conditions.

It is concerning an issue of this was not made earlier. Whoever’s fault it is for not making it an issue - the ICC, the ECB or BCCI’s or all of them. Players are humans and they should feel secured while playing.

That said, Indian crowds are not hooligans which such incidents potray them to be. Among thousands of spectators these are just few people who give every one a bad name.

I am surprised and disappointed Flintoff has to mention such an incident now, if even in his book. I do not have a problem with players saying the truth or what they feel of incidents honestly in their books. But such opinions and books revealing stuff should be written after retirement.

An issue was not made then. With it being talked about now, the case is of one person’s word against another. Chauhan and people not accepting it to be true. Creates unnecessary controversy before an England tour of India looked forward by every one.

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.

First things first. Congrats to England on the victory. Well played and they have showed without a shadow of a doubt what a quality side they are.

Second thing.

The series is not over. Whether England claim back the Ashes or not, no one will deny what a quality side they are. However, to gain appreciation as the best side in the world, a distinct possibility England face, the road is still a long one.

Firstly they have to win back the Ashes. A draw series will mean they would have to wait till the next Ashes in Australia to hope to get the title of the best side in the world. If they do get back the Ashes, they then have to have draws/victories in India and Pakistan. After that there is a fair possibility they will be called the best side in the world.

Exciting times ahead for world cricket.

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.

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.

With McGrath out of the 4th test, Australia decided to go with 4 regular bowlers which meant Ponting had to share the burden of the attack. That England have not amassed a huge total and lost 4 wickets is the good luck of Australia, helped by the rain no doubt.

I do not see England losing this match without doing some really stupid stuff.

Its a tough few days in the office for Australia.

The hype surrounding the Ashes has been proven to be real. With 3 tests gone and the score tied at 1-1, the 4th test is one of the most awaited test matches. I certainly cannot remember a match for which I have had more anticipation in my 14 years of cricket watching.

Champion teams have had their eras in test history. When Australia beat the West Indies in West Indies in 1995, they started their era as test champions ending a 20 year reign of the West Indies. I still do not fathom the current English team will be able to win the Ashes. But the possibility is very real. It is this possibility which elevates the 4th test of the current Ashes series to another level.

Can England win the 4th test? Or will Australia bounce back stronger than before? I am of the belief the second possibility will occur. But cricket is an unpredictable game.

England will not be proclaimed world champions isntantly. But if they beat Australia in England and then go on to show mettle in their winter tours of Pakistan and India, there will be many who will believe England is the best team in the world.

If England cannot manage to win or draw the Ashes, such thoughts of England replacing Aussies as world champs will be put to the trash can. This is why the match is eagerly anticipated. It has much more at stake than the outcome of a single match.

The only way left is to boycott the Karachi one dayer. Miandad has requested fans to not go to the stadium to watch the match.

I certainly will not be watching the match on tv.

After the PCB agreed to the ECB’s demand of not playing a test in Karachi, the ECB, it appears, are not pleased at having England play at Multan either. The PCB has not succumbed on changing the venue from Multan to Rawalpindi though. Roebuck would be pleased like me to an extent on the stand I think though the displeasure at ECB not wanting to play in Multan would be mixed with it.

It would surprised me if some more unnecessary hassles do not come up before the first ball of the series is bowled.