As far as boosting attendances, there was nothing to suggest that the 500 or so spectators huddling in a sheltered stand or sipping hot coffee from behind the comfort of a glass window in the restaurant wouldn’t have turned out to watch Kent versus Glamorgan in their end of season dead rubber anyway, but it was intriguing to gauge how the pink ball, black sightscreen and free entry for the ‘night’ session for the England and Wales Cricket Board’s pink ball trial would go down with both players and supporters.

Floodlit, long form cricket is the brainchild of John Stephenson, the MCC’s Head of Cricket, who believes day/night Test matches could be the way to boost attendances in countries around the world who have struggled to fill their grounds in recent years.

It has been trialled in Abu Dhabi for the MCC v County Champions curtain raiser for the last two years, and a number of matches in the 2nd XI County Championship have also used a Kookaburra ball with a bright pink lacquer.

Kent and Glarmorgan were invited by the ECB to test the new pink ball with a view to introducing it during night matches. PHOTO: GETTY  

The experiment in Canterbury is being conducted by the ECB, but Stephenson was at the St Lawrence ground yesterday and was monitoring events closely.

This was the first time a pink ball had been used in a competitive First Class game in this country and there are plans for another floodlit First Class match involving the MCC in New Zealand in October, before potentially staging the first day/night Test as early as the New Year when New Zealand host Zimbabwe. 

As well as placating those who don’t wish to see the traditional timing of a Test or 4 day First Class game tampered with, the biggest stumbling block facing Stephenson remains the quality, durability and visibility of the cricket ball.

At Canterbury, pink Tiflex balls are being trialled for the first time whereupon the leather has been dyed, as opposed to the Kookaburra with its pink coating.

Only 12 balls have been specially manufactured for the game, which was one factor concerning Kent and former England wicket keeper Geraint Jones.

He was unhappy that the match had been thrust upon the players at the last minute and that they would be playing with balls which were totally untried and untested, with umpires directed not to change balls unless absolutely necessary because there were so few replacements.

It was then hastily agreed before the start that the teams would use the pink Tiflex for the 1st innings only, reverting to the Kookaburra for the 2nd. As it turned out, the stitching on the ball split early on in the match and the players just had to get on with it; far from ideal in a First Class match, albeit one which has no bearing on Division Two promotion. 

The performance of the ball got mixed reactions. The days play was quite unremarkable in itself, however a new red Tiflex is renown for its swing and seam whereas the pink Tiflex offered nothing and Glamorgan, asked to bowl first, turned to spin after just 7 overs.

The pitch didn’t help matters though, as it was slow and tired with little carry. Spin accounted for the first 3 wickets to fall but when the 2nd new ball was taken around 8pm, after 82 overs and under lights, it did just a little bit, nothing untoward, and Glamorgan seamers John Glover and Graham Wagg quickly finished off the Kent innings; 18 year old Glover finished with 4-49 off 18 overs as Kent lost 3-22 in 6.1 overs of the new ball and were all out for 237. 

“We got the spinners on very early,” said Glamorgan’s bowling coach Steve Watkins. “But we’re not sure if the wicket had an effect or the ball itself. The feeling from the bowlers is that the ball got soft very quickly and in the twilight zone, it didn’t really do too much.

“We mopped up the tail and it just swung a little bit like you’d expect from any normal ball. You have to judge these things over two or three games though and the wicket was a bit slow.

“In terms of visibility, the feedback from the dressing room was that when the lights came on it was easy to see the ball, but it came at you a little quicker than you expected.” 

“It wasn’t too bad,” said Kent’s Geraint Jones who batted carefully to make 48 and then kept wicket for 5 overs as Glamorgan closed on 2/0.

“Because the seam split, you didn’t get your value off the bat I felt. But also it was a very slow wicket so perhaps not an ideal way to judge the ball because of the slowness. 

“One suggestion would be to get the ball a bit brighter. Once it scuffed up a bit it almost went white, so that was a bit of an issue. And the ball didn’t shine like a red one. It didn’t really seam or swing so that’s maybe an area they need to look at."

There was a mixed reaction from Kent supporters, some of whom were proud that their club was taking part in an historical match, which could have an impact on the future direction of the game; others could not see the need to change the timings of 4 day cricket and felt that the credibility of the Championship and the professionalism of the players was being undermined by them taking part in such an experiment. 

Whether or not the ECB press ahead with further pink ball trials in County Cricket, John Stephenson maintains that the MCC’s trials have always been with Tests in mind, and probably outside of the UK.

“Whether it would be good to stimulate attendances in County Cricket, I don’t know, it might be. But I’ve always talked about Test cricket being the main beneficiary of it. It’s an experiment that is worth trying. 

“From what I’ve seen, this form of the game is viable; 4 day cricket under lights, with a pink ball, white clothing. It works. You can play a game of cricket. There are different nuances of the game that you have to get used to, but it’s interesting. It’s worth trying.”

The Zimbabwean has won successive Ashes series with England, and guided the team to a first global trophy at the World Twenty20 but still feels he has unfinished business - namely to take England to the number one spot in the Test rankings.

Flower was approached by India during the recent World Cup and was indeed tempted by the chance to work with the world champions, the chance to live in a different culture and of course the lucrative financial package.

However, Flower is a man of substance and despite his curious mind and appetite for a challenge, he made his decision to stay with England soon after returning from the sub-continent.

Flower's next job is to discuss the one-day captaincy with Andrew Strauss - photo: Getty

There has been much speculation about whether Flower's new contract would contain clauses permitting him to miss certain tours in order to reduce his workload, in the same way that a player might be rested.

I understand, however, that there is no such specific clause, nor any understanding with the England and Wales Cricket Board that there may be a need for Flower and even perhaps his assistant Richard Halsall to be rested from the odd trip.

As yet there is no plan for either of them to miss any tours, but it seems the conversation has been had, and further discussions on workload - for both players and management - will take place at a meeting today.

Rotating players is tricky; cricketers don't always like to be rested because it gives an opportunity for someone else to take their place in the side - and the paying public can also feel short changed at not seeing the top England players in action.

On the other hand, the players needed a break for both mind and body because of the sort of schedule this winter threw up.

Andrew Strauss missed the tour of Bangladesh last year in order to be fresher for the Ashes and the build-up that preceded it. The move paid off, but had the team lost to Australia down under, questions would no doubt have been asked about that decision.

Resting a coach wouldn't produce the same quandaries, but it takes a strong and immensely trustworthy management structure for a deputy to get a taste of leadership and be able to hand the reigns back a month or so later, slipping quietly back into the number two role.

Flower and Halsall have worked together in the England set up since 2007 though, when they were respectively batting and fielding coach under Peter Moores..

Their relationship seems to be built on solid ground and Flower wouldn't entertain the idea of rest if he thought it would jeopardise the team and their performances in any way.

Now that Flower's continuing services have been secured, the ECB's next task is to determine whether Andrew Strauss wants to stay on as one-day captain - a decision which could be forthcoming within the next week.

Strauss knows he will not be playing in the next World Cup in four years' time and he is not the sort of man who will want to hang around knowing he is not part of the future.

Alastair Cook would appear to be the captain-in-waiting, but is it the right time to make the transition when Cook isn't currently in the one-day team?

There is rarely a 'perfect' time for change and this may be as good a time as any for Strauss to relinquish the role and carry on working together with Flower to achieve their joint aim of England becoming the number one Test side in the world.

Craning forward expecting to see another road block, we saw a small white car, which had braked and pulled up right in the middle of the crossroads where we wanted to turn right.

A teenage lad was riding on the roof of the vehicle holding aloft an Indian flag while a man in his twenties rode on the bonnet with a Punjabi dhol drum cradled in his lap whacking out a party beat.

Soon, out of every window of the car, came arms, followed by bodies, as the occupants waved and punched the air to the beat of the drum, whooping in delight at India's passage to the World Cup final.

As our driver detoured around it, we left behind an impromptu road party, car horns blaring, flags fluttering, arms waving, as that part of Chandigarh came to a standstill.

Indian fans celebrate victory against Pakistan. Photo: Getty

Scenes like that must have been replicated all over India, with jubilation tempered only by the odd story of tragedy, such as the fan who was reported to have fallen out of a car window celebrating in such a manner and later dying of his injuries in hospital.

The India team managed to speed back to the hotel in their convoy of coaches and police vans, arriving just seconds ahead of us.

There was a line of fans waiting to greet them, but they were some distance away, held behind a roadblock, so there weren't the wildly chaotic scenes we saw outside the team hotel the night Bangladesh beat England in Chittagong for example.

However, inside the hotel gates, staff and armed guards lined the driveway and the lobby, along with any number of hotel guests and VIPs, who were craning to get a view of the players over the top of a gaggle of photographers.

A small squad of dhol drummers cranked up the volume as the players climbed down from the bus and squeezed into the hotel amongst a carnival atmosphere, although it soon died down as the players headed for the lifts and the quiet of their rooms.

I wonder what captain MS Dhoni made of the clamour?

He gave an unexpected answer when I asked him post-match whether there was any relief that the India-Pakistan game was over, bearing in mind the extra attention that had been paid to it.

He cut the figure of a man who had had enough of the hype, complaining about the effect of "too many" VIPs and dignitaries coming to the game and staying at their hotel.
"I usually get up late, so at 11 o'clock I got up and said 'can I have breakfast' and I was told, 'Sir, for the next hour we cannot serve anything.'

"So then you come to the stadium looking for food, and all of a sudden you hear there is no food because the car or truck [with supplies] is stuck somewhere [at a road block].

"So the first meal I had was at a quarter to two, just before the toss. Hopefully the next game will be quite different."

Whilst having sympathy for Dhoni and fully appreciating the need for food (this author gets quite ratty if she has to miss breakfast) I find myself feeling a tiny bit of schadenfreude in learning that all the attention, high levels of security and road blocks result in a little inconvenience for the players too from time to time.

It's easy to presume that the players, stars as they are in India, have it plain sailing 24-7, while we mere mortals suffer our frustrations with queues at grounds, traffic jams and road blocks over a six week period.

These are, of course, complete trivialities, but it's nice to know the players have to have some patience too.

As for Dhoni's wish that the final be different - has he heard the rumour that Rihanna and Eminem might be in town to perform prior to the match? Bet your bottom dollar they'll be staying at the team hotel...

And so the teams left Chandigarh at lunchtime on Thursday and calmness descended on the Taj Hotel - no more soldiers stationed behind sandbags and no more policemen patrolling the corridors.

Pakistan will head home, but can do so with their reputation enhanced, for they have performed well in this tournament under the admirable leadership of Shahid Afridi.

However, paceman Shoaib Akhtar didn't get the fanfare exit he'd hoped for from international cricket.

In an in-depth interview we did ahead of the semi-final he had told me with real passion that the highlight of his career would have been to play in the last two matches of the World Cup and help win it for Pakistan.

India-Sri Lanka is a fitting finale, with two of the host nation teams having displayed quality throughout the tournament.

Sri Lanka have fitness concerns over both Angelo Mathews and Muttiah Muralitharan, but Murali, in his last game of international cricket, will bowl off one leg if he has to, despite missing training on Thursday.

Murali and Lasith Malinga may well hold the key for Sri Lanka against India's stronger batting line-up.
But of course there is Sachin Tendulkar, sitting on 99 international hundreds, and about to play on his home patch.

I interviewed him after the semi-final and he stated, in typical fashion, that it didn't matter whether he reached the landmark of a hundred 100s or not.

The only thing that matters to him is that India win. In doing so, they'd become the first nation to win the World Cup on home soil. I can't wait to see how it unfolds.

The newspapers here are awash with stories of the lengths fans will go to get tickets for this match - the first time Pakistan have played on Indian soil since 2007. One fan was pictured outside the stadium carrying a placard, which offered his kidney to anyone who could get him in.

India's biggest Bollywood stars and most famous business tycoons are expected to fly to Chandigarh but the airport is only small and there are already reports that it has run out of space to park all the private jets. Even the players are struggling to meet the demands of their friends and relations.

Shoaib Akhtar's family is making the journey by road from Islamabad but he was last seen at breakfast on the eve of the game, distraught that he might have mislaid their tickets.

The Pakistan-India border gate at Wagah.

The match is being depicted in various media outlets as 'war'. However, the vibe between India and Pakistan fans seems anything but acrimonious, and many of the players themselves get on well.

A player from each side happily chatted over a drink in the hotel cafe last night and there was a wonderful moment in the pre-match press conference when MS Dhoni came to the end of his duties and Shahid Afridi climbed onto the stage to take over.

As Dhoni stood up, the two men stopped to shake hands, causing photographers to surge forward, cameras whirring, making the two stop and pose as if it was a handshake of peace between two world leaders rather than two cricket captains simply wishing each other the best before a big match.

One Mohali family is reported to be preparing to welcome another family from Lahore to stay at their house, in order to reciprocate the hospitality shown to them when they visited Pakistan for India's historic tour of 2004, when bilateral cricketing ties resumed and India played in Pakistan for the first time since 1989. That particular tour was dubbed "The Friendship Series" and it was watched and cheered on in just such spirit.

Mohali is not too far from Wagah, which is the only road border crossing between India and Pakistan. Thousands of fans are entering the country from there and special buses are being laid on to transport people to Mohali.

Guards from both countries perform the elaborate border-closing ceremony. Photo: Getty

I visited Wagah when I was in Lahore during England's last tour of Pakistan in 2005. Six of us went to watch the elaborate border closing ceremony, which was a tremendous sight, full of pomp and posturing from the guards, who try to outdo each other in a semi-comical way on either side of the border.

The crowds sit in grandstands either side of a long, wide gangway in which the country's respective guards parade, with the border itself in the middle.

I was the only female in our group and I had to sit in a stand opposite my colleagues on my own, as men and women were segregated on the Pakistan side. Despite not knowing anyone and not speaking any Urdu I soon had a young local woman smiling shyly at me, and before long a small child sitting on my right knee.

What made the biggest impression on me though was the way people on either side of the border dashed down from the stands at the end of the ceremony to get as close as they could to the barrier, to crane their necks and wave at complete strangers on the other side, who were waving back just as frantically, with wide elated smiles on their faces. It gave the feeling of one huge family, separated only by a political tension of which they had no control.

A quote from a former Pakistani MP stood out to me in the paper yesterday. He said, "Hearts of people on both sides of the border beat together." It will be wonderful if, far from a bitter rivalry, the India-Pakistan match shows cricket fans at their most passionate but also their warmest... even if they end up on the losing side.

Thursday morning began with a pleasant interview with batsman Ravi Bopara in the serene garden of the opulent team hotel. Fifteen minutes later I was on the side of a clogged road outside the Chinaswammy Stadium, looking across six chaotic lanes of cars, tuk tuks, vans and buses, at an astonishing line of men all waiting to buy tickets to see India take on England in the World Cup.
 
I negotiated the traffic to cross the road and began speaking to the people in the queue, which snaked around the perimeter of the stadium. Some had been waiting in line since 4am; those nearer the front of the queue had pitched up the night before.

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This was nothing new, as I've seen queues outside cricket grounds before in India that stretch as far as the eye can see, notably in Indore when England toured in 2008. I've even read newspaper reports of "lathi charges" but as a mere cricket reporter it was altogether different seeing it first hand.
 
The police presence got heavier the closer I got to the ticket booths, and they used their long bamboo sticks (lathi) to beat back anyone who fell out of line. Rumours were flying of serious injuries earlier in the day when the booths first opened at 830am, causing a crush as the fans surged forward.

As I watched, the queue swelled on the pavement and people were six or seven deep, jammed up against the concrete perimeter wall of the stadium, some falling off the pavement into the busy road.

It was a chaotic scene, with police wielding their sticks and laying several blows to keep the crowd under control, but they also seemed to be plucking people out of the line fairly indiscriminately to give them a whack.

Those people may have been queue-jumpers, it was impossible to know. However there was certainly more than one person who claimed he had queued diligently since the early hours, only to feel the force of a bamboo cane across his forearm and the chance of a ticket gone.
 
At a bizarre media conference on Friday morning, we heard from Bangalore's police commissioner, Shankar Bidri, who defended the actions of his force. Questions from English journalists about the aggressive tactics used were met with a degree of mirth from both the commissioner and many local journalists, as he explained that this is simply what happens in India.
 
"People were falling over each other and there was a likelihood of stampede, therefore our people intervened. This is nothing new," he said.

"The Indian situations and the Indian dimensions are very different. It's difficult for the people who have lived in Europe and in America to understand."

Cue sniggers from the floor, as well as from police officers flanking Mr Bidri at the top table.
 
Policing methods are one of the numerous cultural differences found in India, but the images that were played on TV in the UK and beyond were met with concern, and it was unnerving to be amongst it, even though I was aware that this sort of policing is standard across India.
 
The bigger story for the Indian newspapers is now the probability of tickets being sold on the black market due to demand far outstripping the supply of only 7,000 tickets made available at the Bangalore ticket booths. The commissioner robustly exclaimed that anyone caught at the gate with a fake or duplicate ticket would be sent to prison "for seven years!"
 
Policing at the stadium is being stepped up for the India-England game, but again, this is said to be nothing new, all normal procedure for a big India match. There will be 3,000 security personnel in total on match day: 2,000 policemen, 700 traffic officers and 300 men looking after the players' safety.
 
If you're coming to the game to support either country, the message is to get there early. Gates open at 1030am for England's most eagerly awaited match of the group stage.

The move has been prompted by the alleged involvement of agent Mazhar Majeed in the scandal engulfing Salman Butt, Mohammed Asif and Mohammed Amir, with the PCB stating that every player under its auspices will have to register their agent with the board for approval, or be ineligible to play.

Majeed, agent to Butt, was arrested following the News of the World sting, where it was claimed he arranged for Asif and Amir to bowl deliberate no-balls during last month's Test against England at Lord's. Majeed was later released on bail without charge, while Asif, Amir and Butt have been provisionally suspended by the International Cricket Council (ICC) pending the police investigation.

A lack of regulation around agents on the subcontinent means there has never been a way of keeping track on who is getting involved in the game. Anybody is able to claim that they represent a player. Indeed, anyone can approach a player with an offer of representation and the player has very little assistance in checking the credentials and credibility of that individual.

Mohammad Amir, Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif recently returned to Pakistan. Picture: PA

In football, if a club or player wants to deal with an agent, that agent must first be registered with the Football Association. In cricket, the Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA) has always operated a voluntary registration system, but that is set to change.

BBC Sport understands that from 1 January 2011, anyone wishing to act as an agent to a cricketer in England and Wales will have to be registered with the PCA first. They will have to satisfy various requirements along the lines of a 'fit and proper persons' test, with checks carried out at Companies House.

The PCA will write to all agents known to them, instructing those currently registered to re-register, and those not already registered to do so.

Details of the new regulations were being hammered out in a meeting between the PCA and ECB at Lord's this week, and while it is understood that their plan has been in the offing for some time and is not a response to the allegations surrounding Majeed, it will in its own way play a small part in helping to police the game simply by keeping a record of who is involved in it.

So why are the PCA and ECB bringing in these regulations? Many agents or management companies who work in cricket have been around for years, are well known to the PCA and are widely respected in the game, particularly those involved with England players. However the appeal of the England team, the introduction of Twenty20 cricket and the advent of the Indian Premier League in particular, means cricket is now seen as a sport in which substantial money can be made. It is therefore attracting many more people keen to have a slice of it.

A senior source at the PCA told me that a number of agents primarily involved in football have been in touch asking how they can get involved with cricketers. This is not to suggest that football agents would be unwelcome in any way, just an example of how interest in the commercial side of the game has increased, meaning it has become harder for the PCA to keep track of who players are dealing with - their primary concern being the protection of the player.

Which brings me back to Pakistan, where there is no players' association whatsoever.

In England and Wales for example, it is the PCA who take on the prime responsibility for driving home the anti-corruption education programme among county players. Who takes responsibility for it in Pakistan? It is down to the PCB, who have spent much of their recent time either implementing bans or imposing fines for various fall-outs or bust-ups.

When asked about it during the Twenty20 internationals in Cardiff, Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi insisted the team had all had the proper anti-corruption education. However if it comes to light that the implementation of anti-corruption education has been sub-standard across the country, it should come as no surprise. How can one board effectively carry out all the duties that both a governing body and a players' union are responsible for elsewhere?

When Lalit Modi was in charge of the Indian Premier League he robustly stated that he didn't recognise players' unions, not even Fica, the international players' association. Until those attitudes change there is little hope for players in either India or Pakistan having their own representative bodies.

Wet weather had us constantly and nervously looking to the skies; a leading all-rounder was felled by a bouncer and had to be taken to hospital; a giraffe overcame slippery conditions to win the Mascots Derby; six giant bananas did a conga beneath the scoreboard; and a fire alarm meant we had to evacuate the media centre, in the middle of our live commentary.

As climaxes go, the last six balls of the final provided a denouement that Dan Brown would have been proud of.

Hampshire all-rounder Sean Ervine had just been crucially dropped following two quick wickets then, needing eight to win off the last over, both he and Dan Christian swung at thin air. Craig Kieswetter missed the stumps twice with underarm throws, and tensions mounted as an increasingly soggy ball was changed.

It came down to Hampshire needing four runs off the last two balls, although three would be enough for them to beat Somerset by virtue of losing fewer wickets, should the scores be tied.

Looking for the boundary, Dan Christian pulled Zander de Bruyn fiercely towards the fence, and Hampshire's players leapt off the bench and started celebrating. But a stunning sliding stop prevented the four - and sent the Royals skulking back to their bench.

I was positioned right next to the dug-out at this stage, microphone in hand, and it really was a privileged place to be as the tension reached ridiculous proportions and the crowd lived every moment with the home team.

Hampshire captain Dominic Cork was padded up, practising fierce shadow shots and prowling like a caged animal.

But wait! Christian was in trouble after the second run! A runner would be needed. Cue the longest build up to the final ball of a Cup final surely ever witnessed. Jimmy Adams made his way out to the middle after lengthy debate.

A member of the ground staff trotted out with a pot of white paint and yard stick to mark out a crease line for the runner. Eventually we were ready to go. Two needed for the win, although again, a single would be enough. Did the two batsmen know? Did Somerset know? Did the crowd know?

The players in the dug out certainly did, as Christian faced de Bruyn and ran a leg-bye, instinct taking over as he forgot about his runner.

A good shout for lbw was turned down by the umpire, Somerset missed a chance to run Christian out, but by now the Hampshire players had raced onto the pitch in celebration. They froze half way though, suddenly unsure of the result because Ervine wasn't celebrating. What had happened? Was the lbw good? Scores are level. Who's won?

Then the announcement came over the tannoy and the Rose Bowl went mad.

Hampshire were the underdogs at the start of the day; a team with that good old clichéd blend of youth and experience, fielding three 19-year-olds and a 20-year-old. They are led by a wiley veteran, though, in Cork, who has done a tremendous job in creating a culture of collective achievement.

They were fully justified in choosing not to use Kevin Pietersen, who said two months ago that he would not return to the Rose Bowl after his contract expired and has not featured since.

Slow left-armer Danny Briggs impressed in the semi-final, taking 3-29 against Essex, and showing a canny ability to read the game, with intelligent changes of pace and flight.

Essex will rue their batting in the second half of their innings, after Alastair Cook showed a glimpse of finding form again with 38 off 22 balls, putting on 79 with Mark Pettini for the first wicket.

The only disappointment of the day was the manner in which Nottinghamshire went out of the second semi-final. A heavy rain shower at a crucial stage of the game meant the crowd were denied what looked like being a stellar finish, with Notts chasing a revised 152 off 16 overs.

Samit Patel and Dave Hussey were batting through light drizzle and keeping Notts just ahead of the par score, when Kieron Pollard pulled off a stunning catch at long on to dismiss Patel.

By the time the skies opened five balls later, Notts had slipped slightly behind.

It was a pivotal catch from Pollard, and it ultimately ensured Somerset went into the final, but the all-rounder's night took a turn for the worse in the final, when he had to be taken to hospital after being struck in the eye by a Cork bouncer.

It was one of those nasty ones that sneaks between visor and grill, and although Pollard was eventually able to walk off the ground unaided, I could see as he walked past me into the pavilion that his right eye was closed tight with swelling, and he'd been bleeding through his nose.

He looked like a boxer who had come off second-best in a heavyweight bout. We can only hope that his sight hasn't been affected in the long term and that he makes a swift recovery.

It certainly shook up Cork who, although a feisty competitor, never wants to see people injured like that and had rushed to Pollard's aid. Somerset certainly missed his bowling in Hampshire's chase.

Another name to stand out from the day was Somerset's 19-year-old wicket keeper Jos Buttler. With Kieswetter in the team he played as a batsman only, and it was his stunning 21-ball half-century against Notts which put his side in a commanding position.

He even eclipsed Pollard, with whom he put on 72 runs in the last six overs, dispatching World Twenty20 stars Ryan Sidebottom, Dirk Nannes and Stuart Broad as if he faced them every day.

England selectors will have been watching Craig Kieswetter with interest. He has struggled for runs since the picking up the man-of-the-match award in the World Twenty20 final but finished his innings powerfully to make 71 off 59 balls.

He did miss a couple of opportunities behind the stumps as tensions cranked up at the end, but it signalled a welcome boost of confidence ahead of the one-day series with Pakistan.

It was great fun to be part of our radio coverage on 5 live sports extra once again. Phil Tufnell, Chris Adams, Shaun Udal and former New Zealand fast bowler Iain O'Brien formed our team of summarisers and throughout the day we also heard from England fast bowler Steve Finn, who was on a day out with his girlfriend but was happy to chat on our roving mic from the bar.

The players were fantastic about coming on air from pitch-side. There were such an array on big names on show and managed to hear from most of them.

The day also produced a possible radio first. Mid-way through the Nottinghamshire innings in the second semi-final the fire alarm sounded in the media centre. As good pros, we ignored it and carried on broadcasting while our producer Adam Mountford went to investigate.

Suddenly an announcement came over a speaker in our box that we were being asked to evacuate the building. I was on air at the time with Iain and we looked at each other a little unsure what to do, and began speculating as to whether Tuffers had been smoking on the stairwell like a naughty schoolboy.

I then became aware of some commotion in the box behind us, as the door opened and a couple of stewards tried to usher everybody out.

I was still trying to keep my eye on the game but realised that Iain and I were going to have to leave our commentary position too.

What to do? I knew we couldn't just put down the mics and leave the listeners with dead air. Well, we could have, but we didn't want to.

Some very quick thinking from our engineer Mike Page saved the day. I was handed the roving radio mic and Adam's clear instruction came into my headphones: "Go onto the radio mic, take off your headset, we have to go outside."

Iain had gone by this point, so I downed my headset and proceeded to describe our evacuation out of the building and onto the terrace of the stand. Fortunately we had a good view of the pitch from our new vantage point.

It certainly added to the excitement of the day, sensed by several members of the crowd who were listening to us on their portable radios and who started turning around and waving. It really is the beauty of radio that you can be so flexible in the face of such a turn of events.

We never found out what set the alarm off, but our own, thorough, internal investigation put Tuffers in the clear.

Murali also revealed his belief that although he finishes his career with the record number of Test wickets, his long-term rival Shane Warne was always the more knowledgeable cricketer of the two.

Monty Panesar's first season at Sussex has been a steady one

This week Monty Panesar chatted to me as we sat in his car, parked on the boundary of Coggeshall CC in the Essex countryside, where he was playing for Sussex 2nd XI.

It was a far cry from where he found himself a year ago, batting heroically to save a dramatic opening Ashes Test in Cardiff. But Monty was on fine form and in such a relaxed situation his personality came out much more than in most previous interviews.

Gesticulating constantly with those enormous hands of his, he presented an impassioned case as to why he should make the plane for this winter's Ashes. He described how he and Graeme Swann could be a perfect pairing, replicating the success of off-spinner John Emburey and left-armer Phil Edmonds in Australia in 1986-87.

He talked about batting at number three and fielding at backward point for Bexhill CC, the club in the Sussex League who he has been playing for during the Friends Provident t20 competition. He spoke of his awe for Sachin Tendulkar (his first dismissal in Test cricket) and the terms of endearment and respect he uses for the great man whenever the phone rings. Yes, Sachin is in Monty's mobile.

He also recalled the moment he first saw a patka, mask and beard being worn in the crowd as his cult status grew. However, he was quick to point out that while the support of the fans is hugely important to him, his focus is on trying to rediscover his old self and the joy of bowling to get back into the England squad.

So how far away is Monty from the Ashes trip? He has not been on an England tour since the Caribbean in early 2009 and by then Graeme Swann had already taken over as first-choice spinner following a successful Test debut in India.

James Tredwell and Adil Rashid are officially above Panesar in the pecking order for the second spinner's slot, having been named in England's performance squad for this summer. However neither has had much chance to make an impact, which might just leave the door ajar should Panesar have a storming end to the season.

However, Sussex coach Mark Robinson told us that Panesar should not be rushing to get back into the international fold.

"This goal of his to get it back as quickly as he can is dangerous," he said. "He's got to find himself again. What we're working hard on with Monty is to forget England to a degree, get back to being that smiling person, that bloke who had fun with the crowd and with his team-mates, who met each wicket with a massive celebration.

"That's the guy we want back, and in the last three or four weeks he's certainly come to terms a lot more with himself."

Monty has taken stick in the past for both his fielding and his batting, despite that heroic blocking in Cardiff and the crowd-pleasing six he hit off Murali during the Trent Bridge Test of 2006. But the biggest criticism has been the inability to think for himself and set his own fields - and Robinson says that problem continues.

"Monty will never be able to completely set his own fields and do his own thinking. But what he will be is a top-class spinner who can get the ball up and down and spin it hard. If he relaxes on his fielding and stays switched on, he's as safe a fielder as anyone, and his batting is only going to go one way."

A half-century for Bexhill before he left will certainly have encouraged the 28-year-old. In the County Championship he has taken a solid 26 wickets in nine matches for Sussex. The ball was coming out beautifully when he appeared against Worcestershire recently in a Clydesdale Bank 40 fixture.

Rashid is having a strong season and is probably favourite to take the second spin-bowling position on the plane to Australia, but Monty's race is on.

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The best, most consistent, teams in the tournament were England and Australia. It should therefore come as no surprise that those two nations are well represented.

I didn't feel any of the skippers had outstanding tournaments, so I would probably hand the captaincy of this side to Mahela Jayawardene.

Jayawardene was the leading run scorer and one of only two centurions in the tournament - his 98 not out off 56 balls against the West Indies was pure class. Kieswetter edges Pakistan's Salman Butt out of the side, as he hit 11 sixes in the tournament to Butt's four.

Australia's David Warner and Shane Watson were contenders for inclusion with their bullying batting but a disappointing semi and final for both - Warner a duck in the semi and Watson a duck in the final - meant Jayawardene and Kieswetter got the nod.

3 - Kevin Pietersen (Eng)

Pietersen was England's form batsman and was Man of the Match in their first two Super Eight matches, with 73 not out off 52 balls against Pakistan and 53 off 33 against South Africa.

He returned to England to attend the birth of his first child but was able to slot back into the side to stroke an unbeaten 42 off 26 in the semi-final win over Sri Lanka and 47 off 31 in the final against Australia. Rightly named Player of the Tournament.

4 - David Hussey (Aus)

The younger Hussey had a good tournament with both bat and ball. He passed 50 twice, had a strike rate of over 130 and took six wickets with an economy rate of just 5.87. He would be the second spinner in this side to work with Graeme Swann (see below).

5 - Eoin Morgan (Eng)

His shot placement is excellent, he can clear the boundary or cream fours into parts of the ground bowlers don't think possible. Some of his shots, including the reverse sweep, are extraordinary.

6 - Kamran Akmal (Pkn)

Akmal led the way among the wicket keepers with the most dismissals in the tournament.
A hard hitter, he bats down the order here to allow Kieswetter to open with Jayawardene. The other option would have been to have Kieswetter keep wicket, and slot Cameron White of Australia into the middle order.

7 - Mike Hussey

'Mr Cricket' single-handedly won the semi-final for Australia, keeping his cool to smash 6, 6, 4, 6 off the final over of the match as they chased 192 to beat Pakistan. It wasn't the first time he had got his team out of trouble, but his performance in that game was simply extraordinary. He could obviously bat higher in this team if required.

8 - Angelo Mathews (SrL)

Mathews put in a good all round performance with bat and ball and offers a right-arm variation to the two left-arm strike bowlers below.

9 - Graeme Swann (Eng)

Swann was used in the middle overs after the fielding restrictions had been lifted and consistently produced economical spells, as well as taking vital wickets. He finished with 10 wickets in the tournament and an economy rate of 6.54.

Pakistan off spinner Saeed Ajmal was the leading spinner with 11 wickets, but I'm afraid too many dropped catches (remember those howlers against England) and that unfortunate over to Mike Hussey in the semi means he misses out here.

10 - Ryan Sidebottom (Eng)

England's skilful opening bowler has perfected the art of the slower ball and was instrumental in restricting the scoring of opposition teams in the first six overs. He took two early wickets in the final, setting up England for their ultimate victory.

Australia's Shaun Tait was a contender with nine wickets at an economy rate of 5.53 but Sidebottom fully deserves his place.

11 - Dirk Nannes

Nannes won a place in the Australian team after helping the Netherlands shock England in the opening game of the 2009 tournament. He regularly delivers the ball at more than 150 kph and was the leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 14.

Now he is the voice of Afghanistan cricket, and has described, in Pashto, every ball of their incredible World Twenty20 Cup experience to a captivated a passionate audience back home.

His eyes lit up as we began to chat and he explained how, after his family had moved out of Nasir Bagh in 2000, he got involved with the radio station Salam Watandar, which translates to "Hello Countrymen", picked up by 38 independently owned community radio stations around the country, making Ibrahim almost as well known as the cricketers themselves as Afghans huddle around radios straining their ears to pick up news of their new-found heroes.

"My father has two wives, I have nine sisters and four brothers. After two years I got a job with Shamshad TV in Kabul. I was working as a translator, translating documentaries into Pashto - I speak Urdu, English, Arabic and Persian."

"I first read about the Afghan cricket team in the newspapers, and, from 2005 to 2009, I was reporting on them for Shamshad. Then suddenly I got a phone call from my current radio manager asking if I wanted to work for them."

Mohammed Ibrahim (right) with the Internews team during Afghanistan's match against South Africa

The organisation Ibrahim is referring to is Internews, an international media development organisation, which aims to empower people by sharing and making information accessible through journalism.

Programmes, including Ibrahim's cricket commentaries, are produced on a daily basis and are picked up by the various stations and broadcast around the nation.

"I received a call from my friend after the India game telling me how many people have been listening back home," he laughed. "I can't believe how my ugly voice gets on radio!"

Like many of the Afghanistan team, Ibrahim's knowledge and love of the game comes from playing in the dust of the refugee camp and following the fortunes of Pakistan as he was growing up.

"My first live television game was in 1999," he enthused. "A friend of my uncle had a TV and we travelled to his house to watch Pakistan against Australia in the World Cup. We could only watch the first innings as we had a long way to go home.

"We were certain Pakistan would win (they posted 275-8 in the group game), and only heard the result once we got home. That was my first live cricket on television.

"When we got older we all wanted to be Shahid Afridi. We loved his batting style. We wanted to be Afridi but we had no opportunities and no facilities for us to play cricket."

Instead, once he moved to Kabul, Ibrahim would watch the students playing at the Medical College near where he lived and sometimes fetched balls for them. That is, when he wasn't working, studying or spending time praying.

American Keith Roznowski is the programme manager for Internews in Afghanistan and joined Salam Watandar's four-man team in the Caribbean, along with Ibrahim, technical manager Khalil Sadat and Momtaz Shah, another producer who also commentates in Dari.

"The illiteracy rate is so high in Afghanistan, which is why radio is so important. Most people have access to it, while TVs are only in the major cities."

Ibrahim tries to watch television when he gets the chance and absorbs cricket and commentary like a sponge.

"Every day I learn something from senior commentators. I listen, then I translate it into Pashto in my head to make my commentary come alive. I love Tony Greig, Michael Holding, Ravi Shastri and Ramiz Raja."

Until he began travelling with the Afghan team, Ibrahim had never been beyond the borders of Afghanistan or Pakistan. When I asked him what strikes him most about Barbados, his response reflected his own humility and human warmness.

"It's the hospitality. It's not new for me to be sitting here watching cricket. What's new for me is sitting here in the West Indies with their hospitality and their behaviour. They're so friendly. It's like a dream that I'm in St Lucia and Barbados."

Unfortunately the dream of the Afghanistan team ended with a hefty defeat to South Africa, which knocked them out of the World Twenty20. They may be heading home for now, but they are determined to come back and make a mark on the full international scene.

When they do, Ibrahim will no doubt be there with them too.

England first meet Australia, their traditional foes, before matches against the West Indies and South Africa in Group A.

They also welcome back their best batsman, Claire Taylor, who smashed 76 off 53 balls in last summer's thriller at The Oval, when England were set a formidable 164 to book a place in the final.

Taylor got them there with three balls to spare, and will be the prize wicket of every bowler in the tournament.

Coach Mark Lane told me "Tails (Taylor) is back to her brutal best. We've got Holly Colvin and Sarah Taylor back as well, so we're looking strong.

Our preparation has been first class with a four-day camp at Loughborough before coming out here and we're looking forward to taking on the Aussies again."

The build-up in St Kitts has gone smoothly for England, with warm up wins over Sri Lanka and India, who make up Group B, along with last year's runners up New Zealand, and Pakistan, who are the lowest ranked side in the tournament.

Australia are missing their injured captain Jodie Fields, so Alex Blackwell has taken the reins and Alyssa Healy, niece of former Australian wicketkeeper Ian, takes the gloves.

"I think if you lose the captain it's going to be disruptive" commented Lane. "Alex Blackwell is a smart cricketer and she'll lead the side well, but you'd always want your captain and best wicketkeeper in the side."

The 'big four' of England, Australia, India and New Zealand will be expected to make up the semi-final spots but the side emerging as the biggest contender to cause an upset is the West Indies.

Buoyed by their T20 series win over England last November, the team are much more organised and more highly drilled than in previous world tournaments.

Watch out for off-spinning all-rounder Deandra Dottin, who hits a hard ball, and in Jamaican Stafanie Taylor the Windies possess an aggressive top-order batsman and the only West Indian player to feature in the top 10 of the world batting rankings (eighth).

She's also ranked fifth as an all-rounder. Outside of cricket her face is becoming well known across the region as she features in a TV commercial urging viewers to "protect your wicket in cricket and in life" as part of a 'Thinkwise' initiative to combat Aids.

The West Indies have already caused an early stir by beating New Zealand by three wickets in their final warm-up game, and with the local crowds behind them, England will be rightly wary of the threat they pose in the group.

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Driving from the airport, the roundabouts, named after Bajan cricketing heroes, immediately instil in you that this island has a proud history and tradition in the game.

Unfortunately the signposts don't stand so proud and after three laps of the Sir Garfield Sobers I took the wrong exit. Not my favourite roundabout.

Here in St Lucia, cricket is competing for attention with the 19th St Lucia Jazz Festival. On arrival, I climbed down the steps of the propeller aeroplane onto the tarmac following a group of Cuban musicians with guitars strapped to their backs. The arrivals hall was adorned with banners promoting the jazz. Cricket was nowhere to be seen, but now that the tournament has started in Gros Islet, the crowds have come.

They have brought their conch shells and their drums, and are determined to have a party, demonstrated by the conga style procession, which danced behind a drummer around the stands on Saturday.

I watched the Afghanistan team for the first time as they took on India in Group C. They put up a respectable fight and there is no doubting their commitment and potential.
Afterwards, the Afghanistan captain Nowroz Mangal reiterated that it was a "huge honour" for them to be playing in the tournament and said it was "unbelievable" to stand on the outfield and hear the Afghanistan national anthem ringing out.

There was a moving moment yesterday as both the team and band were practising at Gros Islet; as the band started going through the Afghanistan anthem, the players stopped what they were doing to listen, and then stood to applaud the band at the end.

A special guest was watching them on Saturday: acclaimed British film director Sam Mendes has joined up as executive producer with a group filming a documentary about Afghanistan's incredible rise through the ranks, to be shown on the BBC.

The group is made up of the Times' former Afghanistan correspondent Tim Albone, together with Canadian photojournalist Leslie Knott and Lucy Martens, who is glued to her camera lens.

The support of Mendes will no doubt give the film much wider exposure. Who knows, maybe a cinema blockbuster will result. The heart warming story of the Afghanistan team is well documented on this website.

As for the tournament itself, Pakistan showed you can still score runs on these slowish pitches, as they posted 172-3, albeit against a Bangladesh attack, whose spinners weren't on top of their game.

The outfield at Gros Islet seems as slow as the Kensington Oval, but Kamran Akmal and Salman Butt struck powerful blows and found the gaps nicely, or better still, chose the lofted route. It's a big outfield at Gros Islet too.

I'm staying in St Lucia for Sunday's top notch line-up: India v South Africa followed by Australia v Pakistan. Aggers is with the England team in Guyana, and so the next ball by ball commentary will be from there on Monday. There's full commentary on every game once we reach the Super Eights.

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It was the least England expected against a Bangladesh side who showed flashes of promise but proved they still have plenty to learn. It was a satisfying result for Alastair Cook in what is still a banana-skin of a series, and the way he pounced upon a commemorative stump at the end of the final game in Chittagong showed just how much pride he took in securing a series whitewash, in his first serious outing as England captain.

On the evidence of the last game, Cook must know that Craig Kieswetter is Andrew Strauss' opening partner-in-waiting when Strauss returns to take over the captaincy. I remember a day in Taunton back in 2006 when I was chatting to the Somerset director of cricket Brian Rose. He spoke in gushing terms about a wicketkeeper/batsman he had in the second XI at the time. Kieswetter, then 18, was finishing his education at Millfield School, was a hard hitter of the ball, Rose said, and a handy gloveman too. Brian had a knowing glint in his eye, and now the wider public can see why.

Plenty has been written about Eoin Morgan, since he completed victory in the second one-day international with an astonishing unbeaten century. In the likeable Irishman, England have found a batsman with a cool head, an outrageous stroke player and, most importantly, a middle-order finisher who can calculate and pace his innings.

The cricket world got a glimpse of what he could do during an audacious half century against South Africa at the Champions Trophy in September, and his display in Dhaka confirmed his precocious talent. He will now pit himself against some of the world's top players at the IPL, and England will benefit from him honing his skills in the game's shortest format when it comes to the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean in May.

It was another disappointing series for Kevin Pietersen, who made scores of one, 18 and 22. We should wait until the Test series is over before too many judgements are made, but he will know only too well that the pressure is on like never before. He was returned to action (rather hurriedly it must be said) in the early part of the South Africa tour, and he is yet to return to the standards he has set throughout his career.

Alastair Cook celebrates England's win in Chittagong

While England continue to win, his poor scores can be carried. England need a firing KP by the time Pakistan visit in the summer. Having him back to something like his best at the World T20, before paternity kicks in, would help too.

Without Ryan Sidebottom or Stuart Broad, Tim Bresnan carried himself and the attack highly competently in the final game of the series. His career-best 4-28 ensured he finished as England's leading wicket taker with eight from three matches. Elsewhere, fellow Yorkshireman Ajmal Shahzad showed himself to have good pace and Graeme Swann had another consistent series, reaping rewards with his attacking brand of off-spin (7 wickets at 17.42).

What the side needs now, and which was stated in no uncertain terms by coach Andy Flower after the Chittagong game, is a spinner to complement Swann and crucially, add variety. Flower identified a left-arm spinner, also an all-rounder. Samit Patel, he was asked? The Nottinghamshire all-rounder was dropped from the England team in March last year amid public criticism of his poor (or lack of) fitness ethic. He's been out in Adelaide this winter training at the Darren Lehmann Cricket Academy, and if ever a call to arms was put out by an England coach, this was it.

Patel will have a lot to prove to a number of people within the England camp if he's to get his chance again. But whilst his fitness has been a problem, his talent never has been. Adil Rashid, for all the variety that leg-spin can bring, is clearly not the ticket England are looking for, after his couple of winters carrying the drinks.

Looking at the series from Bangladesh's point of view, Tamim Iqbal's century in the opening ODI will be remembered for quite some time. It has long been a trait of Bangladesh batsmen to go for their shots early, often resulting in a collapse or inability to see out the overs. OK, Bangladesh were ultimately bowled out in that innings but Tamim's onslaught was one of sheer guts and flair. It was breathtaking, and he carried the innings to a respectable total. More Bangladesh batsmen need the ability to concentrate for longer periods, and this will be their biggest challenge come the Tests.

The army of spin bowlers at Bangladesh's disposal will always be their weapon on slow subcontinent pitches, but the country is yet to hunt out a real aggressor to come in behind the experienced Mashrafe Mortaza, who missed the ODIs for personal reasons, and who has been suffering fitness problems for some time now.

Ultimately, international cricket is a slow learning curve, especially for young players. And Bangladesh continue to learn.

So England have negotiated the one-dayers. Next up are the two Tests, and whilst Sidebottom has been sent home injured, the news on Broad and Graham Onions seems more positive ahead of the first Test, which starts next Friday. For Cook, this is where his captaincy will be most thoroughly judged. Two-nil? Again, the least England will expect.

Monty is in Johannesburg where he's playing for the South Africa domestic side Highveld Lions, with a view to getting his career back on track. A bid to win back his England place is also behind his recent move from Northamptonshire to Sussex.

He now insists he was misunderstood, that he had no intention of criticising the club and is adamant his relationship with Northants has not soured since signing a three-year deal with Sussex. In a flurry of introspection he also told me he believed it was his fault - if he was still performing for England, none of this would have happened.

Monty pictured with Highveld Lions assistant coach Lawrence Mahatlane during a match in Potchefstroom

When we spoke on the phone, an animated Monty was anxious to smooth over a few things and stress how much his home club means to him.

"The pitch changed at Wantage Road and didn't suit my style. It used to be a turning track but it's become more seamer-orientated. The way the pitch has changed meant it was going to be better for my cricket to move somewhere else."

"It was portrayed that Northants didn't help me with my England career, but they did. I think for whatever reason things have been written to create a difference between me and Northants. It's my home club. Northants have done an awful lot for me and have always been really supportive."

Northants coach David Capel has a great deal of affection for Panesar, having worked closely with him through the ranks over the last 10 years, and was surprised by Monty's initial quotes, thinking it was out of character, and that some things were inaccurate.

Here's what Capel had to say:

"It was a little disappointing to read the comments initially, but I know now that Monty tried to contact me on Friday night to say he felt there might be some quotes coming out that he was worried about. Northants have never been anything other than supportive of Monty's England career and throughout all stages of his move to Sussex there's never been anything other than harmony between us.

"In fact all communication between Monty and the club and Monty and the management has been completely amicable. As far as we are concerned he is still part of the Northants family and he has many friends and admirers. Everyone at the club still supports him and wishes him well for the future."

It is widely understood that once Panesar lost his ECB central contract, it was going to be difficult for Northants to afford his wages. Panesar's deal with Sussex is thought to be worth in the region of £125,000, but he insists the move is about helping his game.

"I had another year on my contract but it was going to become more difficult to accommodate two spinners in me and Nicky Boje (another slow left-arm bowler) in all the Championship matches.

"He's captain so you couldn't really leave him out. Northants always accommodated me when I came back from England duty and then wasn't in the England squad. The media have made it sound like there was conflict but it was an amicable and mutual decision when I sat down with the club's management.

"If I was still performing I wouldn't have left Northants because I would still have been playing for England and these things wouldn't have come up. It's all down to me. I haven't performed for England. It's my fault."

Panesar will still face competition on the south coast though, where Sussex boast promising leg-spinner Will Beer, as well as off-spinner Ollie Rayner.

It's clear that Monty regrets causing a stir with Northants, who continued to play him last season, despite taking just 18 wickets in 13 Championship matches. He's even donated £10,000 to the club as a way of saying thank you.

With an eye to the future, he says he's now enjoying the responsibility of being an overseas player with the Highveld Lions, and (although it's hard to believe it) insists he wasn't thinking about England's tour when Graeme Swann got injured and off spinner James Tredwell was brought in ahead of Panesar as cover.

In a moment that sounds more Bishan Singh Bedi than Mudhsuden Singh Panesar, he says: "If I focus on the future I'm diluting the present. If I focus on the present and on what I'm doing here, the future will take care of itself."

His fervent hope is that the future will one day involve playing in an England shirt again.

Once they take to the cricket field though, they'll find South Africa somewhat less submissive than those playful purring cats.

Although, it must be said that for the first one-day international to take place at the Wanderers at all, the rain storms of the last two days have to stay away. The forecast isn't good and England were forced to practise indoors on Thursday as puddles formed on the outfield.

Never ideal, particularly as the Wanderers' nets are in an underground car park, with no space for fielding and fitness drills. Matt Prior carried out a wicketkeeping drill on the concrete alongside a silver estate.

While the South Africa team did bonding exercises of their own on Wednesday (which included ten pin bowling, go-karting and team tasks), their coach Mickey Arthur has been busy getting the media eating out of his hands, providing plenty of juicy copy in the build-up to the series.

Although he denies a deliberate plan to undermine the opposition, he's certainly stirring things up against a side, who, if things had turned out differently, he might have been coaching at this time.

It started with his view that it was "criminal" that Adil Rashid only bowled one over in the second Twenty20 international. Almost in the same breath he claimed England were "predictable" - something the South Africa side have often been accused of.

He also joked that when Jonathan Trott and Kevin Pietersen were batting together there were 15 South Africans on the field.

Whether it has any effect depends upon just how much the England players bother to go online and read the British newspapers, and even then, whether they take any notice of comments which seem designed, as Arthur eventually admitted, to "create a subtle message and perhaps put a little bit of doubt in the opposition camp."

Going underground: An unusual venue for Matt Prior's wicketkeeping drills

Andy Flower, who I believe has a good relationship with Arthur, has so far declined to become embroiled in a game of tit for tat, but by saying nothing in retaliation he's succeeded in speaking volumes about the moral high ground.

Strauss, similarly, seems less than concerned about what the opposition may or may not be saying about them.

However, it must be a source of frustration to England to see their former coach Duncan Fletcher imparting his knowledge to the South Africa camp as a consultant.

Arthur admitted with a grin that Fletcher has been great value when it comes to inside info and expertise on England's players. Fletcher was on view at Potchefstroom watching as England chased down 280 to beat South Africa A.

England's cover bowlers Liam Plunkett and James Tredwell have both now joined up with the camp on the back of their glut of injuries.

Graeme Swann misses the first two ODIs with his side strain, which is a big blow as his bowling was by far the most economical in the early 50-over warm up games he played. He was also in wicket-taking mode, which England have certainly missed at the top of the innings with Stuart Broad still out due to his shoulder injury.

James Anderson (knee) and Paul Collingwood (back) both practised and are expected to be fit, while South Africa will be without fast bowler Wayne Parnell for the first two ODIs. If Collingwood plays he'll pass Alec Stewart's record of 170 ODI caps for his country.

A footnote to end on, but watch out for Anderson if he bats on Friday. He's supposed to be using the Mongoose bat for the very first time.

It's the one with the shorter blade and elongated handle, which Stuart Law used in county cricket last season. Just one to look out for, but I wouldn't expect miracles!

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