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.

In the meantime, you can keep up with me on Twitter

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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I've been in South Africa for a few days now and am getting into the swing of the England tour. One warm-up match has already been won convincingly and the second is taking place in Kimberley, a former mining town with an intriguing history, as it was central to the country's diamond rush in the late 19th century.

Having driven the two hours west from Bloemfontein, across wide red-earthed plains, and past a myriad of termite mounds as well as the odd ostrich, the attention of producer Louise Sutton and I was soon focused on Stuart Broad, after he got off the team bus with his right arm in a sling.

It transpired that he'd injured his bowling shoulder diving in the field during the warm up game against the Eagles, but fortunately, the results of scans have shown there is no major damage.

England will be hoping his shoulder responds to treatment by the end of the week, so he can play in the Twenty20 international on Friday. However, the fact that the ECB have said he'll miss the next two matches "at least" suggests they will err on the side of caution, with the one-day series taking priority over T20s.

The bowing department is certainly a lot lighter without Broad, who has genuine wicket-taking ability with the new ball, together in partnership with James Anderson.

Broad took a wicket in each of his first two overs against the Eagles in his first competitive bowl on this tour and Tim Bresnan, the natural replacement, doesn't possess quite the same qualities in terms of wicket-taking - and Broad offers that extra height and bounce as well.

Another concern for England at the moment is Graham Onions, who is still struggling with a stiff back and only bowled off a few paces in training on Saturday. He continued to do stretches on his own instead of training fully with the rest of the squad, but the coaching staff say he's improving and they're encouraged by what they've seen.

On the batting front, Jonathan Trott followed his century in the deciding Ashes Test by making an immediate impact in Bloemfontein. Once Kevin Pietersen returns, one batsman has to make way and Trott has made it very difficult for that man to be him. Joe Denly needs a big innings to apply some pressure.

Another encouraging sign from the first warm-up game was England's productive use of the powerplay - 57-1 in the 5 overs - with Eoin Morgan producing some clean hitting.

The squad haven't had long in Kimberley but after training on Saturday, a number of players took the opportunity to visit the town's premier attraction, the Big Hole. The huge, water-filled crater is the largest hand dug excavation in the world, created over a period of 43 years when prospectors seeking their fortune flooded to the town to dig for diamonds armed with nothing but picks and shovels.

They started coming in 1871. Some made their fortune, others died trying to. In all, some 2,722 kgs of diamonds were extracted up to point when mining ended in 1914. You can view the crater and then explore the reconstructed mining town adjacent to the site, complete with verandas and swinging saloon doors.

It felt like an eerie ghost town. There wasn't a soul in sight, but it was the cause of great excitement to discover that a colonial style pub called the Australian Arms was not only real, but also open, and serving exquisite evening meals!

The pub housed three aged pianos, all of which were dreadfully out of tune (either that, or it was just my awful attempt at bashing out Waltzing Matilda) but it all added to the authenticity of the experience.

You can see more photos from Kimberley on the TMS Flickr and via Ali's Twitter @AlisonMitchell

The Aussies were already overwhelming favourites and New Zealand, without their captain, simply couldn't match them with bat or ball.

A total of 200-9 was always too few on a decent batting pitch and despite the fine efforts of Kyle Mills and Shane Bond with the new ball, Shane Watson showed that his match-winning, unbeaten century against England was no fluke.

Following consecutive ducks at the start of the tournament, Watson demonstrated his worth as a versatile and powerful batsman with a hard earned 105 not out, hitting consecutive sixes to bring up his hundred and win the match.

Australia have now won the last two Champions Trophies, as well as the last three World Cups and the only consolation for New Zealand was that they didn't have to wear the cream and gold blazers dished out to the champions by the ICC.

ICC president David Morgan helps Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting into his blazer at the end of the match

As for England, they were dealt a ruthless lesson by Australia in the semi-finals, which served to remind them that they're still a long way off where they need to be in the one-day game.

During the recent home series against the Aussies, it was the middle order which caused the most worry. Here, Owais Shah, Paul Collingwood and Eoin Morgan played the important innings in England's inspiring victories against Sri Lanka and South Africa, but again, couldn't fire in the semi-final.

When Kevin Pietersen returns, England will have a batsman who can change a game, but arguably you need two to be world-beaters.

Morgan's performances in the first two games were a huge encouragement, and I like his audacity in strokeplay, but even he struggled to hit the ball off the square in the last two matches. Shah showed again that he has the talent to play match-winning knocks; they just come around too infrequently.

Collingwood, meanwhile, equalled Alec Stewart's record of 170 one-day appearances for England, serving as a reminder of his all-round abilities as middle-order anchor, canny medium-pacer and the side's best fielder.

The biggest concern in the semi-final defeat though, was how bland the bowling attack looked. The injured Stuart Broad would have added a bit of extra height and bounce, but there was no penetration, and no bowling change gave the feeling that something was about to happen.

James Anderson had bowled exceptionally well in the first two games, becoming skipper Andrew Strauss's go-to bowler, but against Australia, even he couldn't conjure any magic.

The attitude and game plan of Strauss and coach Andy Flower is certainly to start out boldly, to attack with the bat and risk collapse, rather than nudge and nurdle conservatively, which has dogged so many of England's one-day performances in the past.

It's not going to work every time, but with the right players and the right mindsets, it might work more than it fails.

From a domestic point of view, it has helped that England have somehow turned their fortunes around with their unexpected win over Sri Lanka and their unbelievable innings against South Africa, but being here at the event is incredibly exciting.

The 50-over game has come in for a fair amount of criticism as the Twenty20 game becomes ever more popular, but whilst it must be pointed out that crowds here have been very disappointing (except for South Africa matches and the India/Pakistan game) the format of the tournament means that every match has had something riding on it.

We've also had some tense finishes, and there have been more than a few talking points.

In many ways it's a shame the World Cup proper can't follow a similar format to this; short, sharp, easy to follow (no 'Super Sixes' - what stage of the tournament is that?) with every match a potential 'do-or-die' situation.

People talk about 'tournament football' whenever the European Championships or Word Cup comes around, and in cricket it should be no different.

A five (or heaven forbid) seven-match one-day series is the time to allow side to lose a few games then make a comeback. In a tournament, the thrill should be in knowing that a bad game will make life difficult and two bad games could mean it's all over. It's about hitting form at the right time, and pulling it off on the day.

Admittedly, in cricket, you can be scuppered by a poor pitch, such as the minefield England played on at the Wanderers in Tuesday's defeat by New Zealand, but on the whole this tournament has been a lot of fun, and having it staged between two grounds, based around one city, means you can't help but feel in the absolute thick of the world's best players.

The problem is, there haven't been enough people here to share it. It'll be interesting to see how many turn out for the semis and then the final.

I started writing this blog in the media room during the ICC Awards at the Sandton Convention Centre. The ceremony has just ended and Australia fast bowler Mitchell Johnson has just picked up the main gong of the night, Cricketer of the Year (Andrew Strauss missing out), while England's Claire Taylor has added ICC Women's Cricketer of the Year to her bulging bag of accolades. Ireland captain William Porterfield has won Associate Player of the Year.

Johnson is perhaps a surprise pick considering the crisis of confidence he suffered during the Ashes but he's still comfortably the most prolific strike bowler of the year, with 80 wickets in 17 matches.

There has been a lot of chuntering in the media here about the distinct lack of South African players shortlisted for awards, considering the success they've achieved in the qualifying period; not only winning the Test series in England last summer but then consigning Australia to their first Test series defeat at home for 16 years. Not one South African player attended the awards ceremony.

Unfortunately, there was a distinct lack of players overall. I was at the event here two years ago during the 2007 World Twenty20 (invited as a guest - I've clearly fallen down the pecking order!) and if I remember rightly it was held just before the tournament began.

All the squads attended and it gave the T20 a real lift off. On that occasion I understand the teams were required to attend by the ICC, whereas this time there was no three-line whip. And, of course, with some teams already knocked out, they're hardly in the mood to party.

Test Match Special will have commentary of England's semi-final against Australia on Friday and the final on Monday. Both games will be live on Five Live Sports Extra, Radio Four Longwave and on-line for listeners in the UK, the programme stsrating at 1315 BST.

Friday's coverage will include a full-length interview with England all-rounder Andrew Flintoff and news of Thursday evening's ICC Awards ceremony.

The change of scene, flying out of England and away from the pressures and scrutiny of a long domestic summer appears to have done the players some good.

They arrived here with little to no expectation on their shoulders, and their win over South Africa was the most compelling England batting display I've ever seen.

You had to keep blinking to make sure it was really happening.

One of the most pleasing aspects of the batting was the ability of Shah and Morgan to clear the ropes, something England have often struggled with, whether it be Twenty20s or ODIs.

Twelve maximums in the innings was a new England benchmark, with Shah hitting six of them, one short of Andrew Flintoff's individual record.

Eoin Morgan smashed 67 from just 34 deliveries at Centurion Park

Shah and Collingwood also manoeuvred the spinners around beautifully, knocking ones and twos into gaps, running well between the wickets and then stepping on the gas for a rare onslaught in the last 20 overs.

Yes the pitch was flat, and South Africa bowled too short, but the punishment metered out was exceptional.

Speaking of exceptional, Morgan is making a lasting impression on fans and commentators from around the world who have never seen him play before.

He also kept wicket tidily for someone who had only kept in a couple of Middlesex 2nd XI games and an ICC Trophy match for Ireland before.

Apparently, he impressed Strauss when he stood in briefly for Ben Scott during a Middlesex Championship game this season. With England's place in the semis now assured, it at least gives Matt Prior a little longer to recover from his viral infection.

A mention must also be made of James Anderson, whose is probably bowler of the tournament so far for his economy and accuracy. He was Strauss' 'go-to' bowler against South Africa, coming on in the 41st over and taking the wicket of Mark Boucher when he hit the top of off stump with his first delivery.

As for sportsmanship, well Strauss' nose has got a little harder since he recalled Angelo Mathews during the Sri Lanka match.

His decision to refuse Graeme Smith a runner has become the talk of the match, and it's difficult not to have sympathy for Smith as runners have been allowed for batsmen with cramp before.

England, in particular, have benefitted when struggling with hot conditions in the subcontinent. I recall, for example, last year's one-day series in India when Shah and Prior were both cramping up in the second match in Indore. On that occasion, Ian Bell came out as a runner.

Strauss was perfectly within his rights to refuse Smith, but surely the bottom line is that cramp debilitates a player's ability to run and is not an injury a player comes into a match with, so therefore he should be allowed a runner?

The problem comes with judging at what point the cramp is genuine and at which point it eases, leaving a player capable of running for himself again.

However, a runner is rarely an advantage, usually creating more confusion than anything else. It is a grey area though, the real problem being consistency, which needs to be addressed.

A sole security guard smiled a greeting at the barrier in the early sunshine, rubbish bags were piled high in the concourse waiting to be loaded into lorries, and the only activity came from two pigeons who pecked at a crumb on the floor.

Once I made my way up into the commentary box and looked out of the window, it was as if a wave of calm had settled over the ground. It was a quiet, serene view, not a person to be seen, not a movement to be detected, save for the pictures in my mind, replaying the moment the last Australian wicket fell, when the crowd erupted in mass jubilation and the urn was finally secured.

Once reporting duties were over (and a bacon sandwich devoured), the Oval started to creak slowly into life. Groundstaff were arriving, the dressing-room attendant pottered about. Beefy, Warnie and fellow Sky commentators had dragged themselves in and were filming in the stands.

I was lucky enough to get a peek inside the dressing-rooms, which, in England's case was still full of all their kit (most of the remnants of the celebration had been cleared away). Ian Bell's area looked very tidy, with his bats all lined up. Andrew Flintoff's less so (!) complete with a framed photo of his five-for at Lord's given to him by the MCC.

The away dressing-room is a lot smaller and less plush, but a famous feature is the white wall, which the dressing-room attendant has asked notable stars of the game to sign over the years. It was quite fun spotting the different signatures. A slot was there ready for Ashes-winning captain Andrew Strauss to sign when he returned this morning.

The dressing-room party wasn't of 2005 proportions - and rightly so for so many reasons. Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower see this victory as the start of something, rather than the pinnacle. Quiet but purposeful celebrations reflected that.

Both teams stayed in the dressing-rooms until after 10.30pm and the Australians shared a drink with their opponents - good to hear. The families had joined them earlier as well, and then, for some of the players it was onto a rooftop bar near London Bridge, where, again, it was more reflective socialising, rather than wild partying.

Just as I was leaving the dressing-rooms this morning, some of the England staff started arriving to collect their gear. I had a quick chat with Stuart Broad's sister Gemma, who became the team analyst this summer and who used to perform the same role with the England women.

Hey, this will be a good pub quiz question - who's the only person to have won the Ashes twice in one year? That will be Gemma - as backroom staff with the women in July and now the men in August!

Add to that the World Cup in March and the World Twenty20 in June and she can almost claim bragging rights over her father and brother, who have now both been part of Ashes-winning sides.

Given the glimpse of the future we've seen though, Stuart will undoubtedly come out on top, given time.

What a week this is turning into for speculation, counter-speculation and player watching.

Once Bopara and Cook were dismissed at Lord's, England selector James Whitaker sat in the media centre, glued to the television, awaiting news of Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott from Trent Bridge.

The skies were leaden and it wasn't a good day for batting. Who'd be an England selector?

As dreadful as the bowling was in Leeds, it's the middle order, bereft of Kevin Pietersen, which is England's big problem. Whilst Bopara has flair and talent, he is shot of confidence against the Australians, and another batsman should be brought in at three. Bopara undoubtedly has a bright future, but he's woefully out of form. Should he be dropped to four?

Well, it would be difficult to drop Bell after he made a half century at Edgbaston and was simply as bad as everyone else in Leeds. Bell should be given another go. He's also a specialist close fielder - crucial if spin is to play a big part next week.

In theory, Jonathan Trott is next in line, as he was in the squad for the fourth Test. But he is a number four, not three, for Warwickshire - and it could be a risk to hand him a debut in a deciding Ashes Test.

Rob Key looks the part to me. He opens the batting for Kent, so has no qualms about walking out to face the new(ish) ball if necessary. He's found his form after a terrible start to the season, narrowly missing out on what would have been a fourth hundred in seven innings the other day at Wantage Road. Yes, his runs have come against Second Division bowlers, but you can only score runs against those in front of you.

He's also familiar with the England set-up, the routine, the dressing room, having been England Lions captain and in the World Twenty20 squad. Disruption would be minimal, and we saw what disruption did to the side before the Headingley Test started.

But what about the other perceived contenders? When it comes to talk of a recall for Mark Ramprakash, I can't help but think this: why would the selectors do an about turn and opt for a player who hasn't featured so far in their plans?

England want to win the Ashes, they've wanted to win from day one of the first Test, and they wanted to win at Headingley.

If the selectors seriously thought Ramprakash was the man to help them do that, they would have, and should have picked him by now. Their thinking shouldn't change because it is a decider, and certainly not because of a media frenzy.

There is no denying Ramprakash's county record (County Championship average of 100 for Surrey this season), but question marks have still been raised about his ability to cope with the big occasion under pressure.

He says he learnt a great deal from his experience on Strictly Come Dancing, but it must be telling that when he reached 99 first-class hundreds in his career last summer, it took him 11 innings to reach his 100th, with the media following his every move. Going back to the start of the 2007 season, without the media scrutiny, he'd gone no longer than five innings without a century.

The idea of Marcus Trescothick returning for a one-off Test also doesn't sit well. The club's chief executive Richard Gould believes Trescothick could be talked out of retirement. Trescothick himself says if he was asked, he would listen. But national selector Geoff Miller says Trescothick has retired and until he hears otherwise, that's the way it stays. So it seems there is stalemate anyway.

England should stick with their plans, remember how they outplayed Australia at Lord's, remember how they got the upper hand before the rain came at Edgbaston, and be attuned to how much the Aussies would love to see them veer off course and make drastic changes after one - albeit very hefty - defeat.

Lo and behold, wicketkeeper Brad Haddin broke a finger in the warm-up and 30-year-old Manou stepped in at the 11th hour to make his Test debut. The guy's either a psychic or simply very professional.

So, Graham who? Manou came out to bat to cries of 'who are ya? who are ya?' from the Eric Hollies Stand. But while Australia's stand-in keeper may not be familiar to English cricket fans, he's captain of South Australia and has been highly regarded as a gloveman for some time, taking over duties from current national coach Tim Nielsen when he retired.

Manou rather underperformed with the bat in the early part of his career, but blossomed under the tutelage of former South Australia batsman Kim Harris, with whom he has worked closely.

After being dropped by his state side following a poor run of scores in 2006, Manou forced his way back in and was appointed captain last season. And he was the leading scorer among wicketkeepers in this season's first-class Pura Cup, averaging 46, with two centuries to boot.

Manou is a big football fan (as in Association) and also follows athletics closely. He doesn't really have a choice, as his girlfriend is Australian middle-distance runner Tamsyn Lewis.

He also has a hole in his heart, discovered when he experienced chest pains at the age of 11. Two years ago he set up the 'Tour de Heart' cycle race from Alice Springs to Adelaide to raise money for cardiac research.

Gillespie (a close friend and former South Australia team-mate) described him to me as "determined, a hard worker" and, in good Aussie parlance, reckons he can be "a bit of an angry ant" when the competition hots up. We wait to see exactly what that means...

If England captain Andrew Strauss had refused opposite number Ricky Ponting's request for a late change, the Aussies would have been able to have a substitute fielder, but the keeper would have had to come from the remaining 10 names on the original team sheet.

Furthermore, the sub wouldn't have been able to bat or bowl. Maybe they would have been forced to strap Haddin up and inject him session by session to get him through. Not ideal.

As it is, Manou has his chance, and as relayed in a phone call to Gillespie last night, he got back to his hotel room after play, sat on his bed, and in the first moment of quiet since being told he was in the side, still couldn't quite believe he was the proud owner of a spanking new baggy green.