A gloveman myself, I’ve always respected the men behind sticks. At club level, wicketkeepers range from excellent to unspeakably poor (more of the latter in the cricket I play, unfortunately), but it is more than skill that makes the pros stand out from the amateurs.

Yesterday, for the first time in a long time, I batted for more than 20 overs (46 if you’re asking), and even before I put the gauntlets on I knew I was in trouble. 20 overs in, cramp was setting in – every take down the leg side adding another knot in my grumbling hamstrings. Just as well we bowled the oppo out for 94.

Now, I consider myself to be in half-decent shape, but make no mistake – the likes of Matt Prior and MS Dhoni are not only super-talented, but super-fit too.

Lesson 1. A ‘bowler’s dozen’ = 12
Did you know that at the start of a Test innings, the fielding side get to choose a ball from a box of 12? You do now.

Lesson 2. Stuart Broad is an AOC man
England’s 11-wicket allrounder was spotted reading the latest issue of the mag (the one with his boss on the front) on the balcony at Lord’s on Friday. It’s official; we are the magazine the players (at least the good players) read.

Squint and you can see Alastair Cook’s head on the back cover

Lesson 3. Musical chairs isn’t what it used to be
David Gower came out with one of his less insightful observations today. In an effort to describe Andrew Strauss’ regular adjustments of the field, he was only able to muster a Colemanball of considerably quality: “It’s like very slow musical chairs, without the chairs… and no music”.

Lesson 4. Mark Butcher is getting better at golf
The former England batsman recently took part in a golf day involving members of Richmond CC at Finchley Golf Club. Having been roundly beaten in Dhaka by the deadly combination of Richmond’s current third team skipper Chris Austin and one-time England captain Bob Willis, Butch led his team to a third place finish on the north-west London course. Not bad for someone who plays golf right-handed despite having hit more than 20,000 professional runs as a southpaw.

Lesson 5. Sainsbury’s Local in Tooting is big enough to practise your bowling
I went for mince this evening, but I was also treated to a smooth, rhythmic approach and a textbook side-on action from a fleece-clad shelf stacker.

Click here to find out what AOC learnt last week

So, it’s not a bad way to announce yourself on the season by trimming up the England captain twice in the same match…

You know, to get Andrew Strauss is a bonus. He is someone people always keep saying you want to get out in order to get yourself back in the side, and I suppose there is a little bit of me thinking that is the case. But I’ve also got to do a job for Durham, and that is to get their best players out. Andrew is the England captain, he is a very good player and for me – obviously by the reactions that you probably saw – getting the wicket for Durham was pretty special.

I saw that opening spell, and to me you looked like an England bowler again. You’ve traditionally done quite well at Lord’s, where of course the first Test takes place next month…

Yeah, I’ve actually had quite a few good moments at Lord’s in my career. I think whenever you go to Lord’s any cricketer should absolutely love playing there and they should relish it. I remember the first time I was there I took a five-fer with Durham. I also got my name on the honours board on my debut against West Indies, and obviously I’ve just got my first 10-fer. These are moments in your career you’ll never forget.

I was impressed with the pace as well – do you feel you’re back to the same level of intensity and pace as you were a few years ago when you were tearing it up for England?

I think the injury that I had [Onions suffered a stress fracture of the back and didn’t bowl a ball in 2010] and the reason I had to have surgery was basically because I’d done a lot of bowling, and my body, and my back especially, took the toll. But that’s gone, I don’t really think about it. I feel good about my body now. I’ve done a lot of work in the gym to get my body fit and strong.

Have you had any twinges?

To be honest, no not really, I try to look after myself, I try to do my stretching, my workouts to keep my back strong. Pilates is a massive thing, I was massively grateful when I was coming back from injury, Pilates made a huge difference. They [Durham CCC] spent a lot of money on me, to try and get me back on the park and I thank them massively for that. It was certainly the toughest part of my career, but it makes it even better now knowing that I’m fitter, stronger and taking wickets.

When you were playing in 2009, you were sharp and at Test pace, say 85-87mph, even pushing 90 when it was coming out really well. Are you at that same kind of level now?

Yeah, it’s such a strange one, as a fast bowler you talk about this magical word ‘rhythm’ and last week [at Lord’s] I was probably bowling as quick as I’ve bowled but I felt as if I could bowl all day, which I did really, I bowled a hell of a lot of overs in the game. But I felt as though I was bowling within myself and people were saying ‘good pace’, but I actually felt I was running in quite easy. I try not to look at the speed guns, 90mph is just a figure, but if you’re bowling 90mph and bowling it outside off stump and you’re getting smacked everywhere then it makes no difference. I was only bowling at whatever pace I was bowling at, but I was bowling at the batter, I was bowling aggressively: hence the reason I got the wickets.

What’s it like bowling seam in April?

I’m not going to lie to you, the wickets that we’ve played on so far at Durham and then at Lord’s have certainly been helpful towards the seamer, but you’ve still got to put it in the right areas. When the ball isn’t doing as much, that’s when you need your skills as a bowler. You need to be thinking about swinging the ball more, or your bouncer comes into play a bit more. That’s when your experience helps, knowing when is the right time to do that. I think I’ve got that now. I’ll back to last year and when I came back from injury I took wickets at Sussex and that was one of the flattest wickets I’ve played on. You’ve just got to realise when you need to put a bit more effort in, or when to throttle back and pitch it on off stump, and that’s how you get your wickets.

Were you surprised that you got called up to the Test squad over the winter?

I felt as though I had done enough [Onions took 50 Championship wickets in 2011] to be picked on the tour. But there was Tim Bresnan, Chris Tremlett, James Anderson, Steven Finn and Stuart Broad! I was there as back-up, and as it happened Bresnan went home early and I got to stay. But obviously on the other side of things I didn’t get picked to go to Sri Lanka, which was very hard to take. But you go through ups and downs and I didn’t get dropped as such, they just played an extra spinner.

Do you expect to hear your name when the first Test squad is announced?

If I’m being totally honest, probably not. I think I’m certainly up there with the best bowlers in England but it’s just a case of who they pick at the right time. The reason why I say I don’t expect to be picked is because of what I went through in 2009. I don’t expect anything, that’s the way I look at things, I’ll enjoy myself, I’ll do everything I can to do it but if it doesn’t come along it’s not the end of the world.

If you do get that call-up and pull on that shirt again, it’ll be two and a half years since you last did it. Was there ever a time you thought it wasn’t going to happen?

All the time, all the way through my surgery.

It’ll be an emotional moment right?

It’ll be massive, absolutely huge. I will also be very proud. I never realised how hard it would be to overcome such a serious injury. It’s special knowing that you’ve actually had to work hard to get to where you want to be, and I feel I’m pretty close to it again.

Click here to read Phil Walker’s debut entry of The Grubber, featuring Graham Onions

Tim Bresnan

… it is an interesting paradox that Tim Bresnan can be named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year before becoming a regular in England’s Test side. At 27, he is approaching his prime and is living proof of Fred Trueman’s theory that the best bowlers are “broad in’t beam”. Broad, mmm. Therein lies another interesting conundrum. Once Stuart of that ilk is fit, it will be interesting to see whether the team can accommodate both allrounders. For Bresnan’s part, since he became Yorkshire’s youngest player for 20 years when he made his county debut aged 16, he seems to have done little wrong and let nobody down. His ‘heavy’ ball, robust hitting and uncanny knack of taking wickets when tossed the ball (Ian Chappell said he changed the game at the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne 2010) will certainly keep Bresnan in the squad, and perhaps Stuart Broad’s bad luck with injuries will even keep him in the team. Bresnan shares a birthday with…

Ian Smith

… whose clipped, acerbic commentary is well known, despite teasing by Simon Hughes about “Tist wuckuts” and what he dubbed “irritable vowel syndrome”. Smith’s days behind the timbers for New Zealand may be lesser known, but he shone in a team which often had little going for it other than Richard Hadlee, and the most revolting one-day kit in history. There was nothing beige about Smith though. In February 1991 he took seven catches in an innings against Sri Lanka, but his finest hour came the following season when he rescued his team against Pakistan with the not-so-small matter of 173 off 136 balls. It remains the highest Test score by a number 9 and was no fluke – his ODI strike rate is a whisker under a run a ball from 60 matches. Behind the mic he is also something of an allrounder, and contributed to Sky’s coverage of the Rugby World Cup in 2011. However, he will want to forget confusing French skipper Thierry Dusautoir with footballer Thierry Henry in a post-match interview. Both Bresnan and Smith share a birthday with…

Ross Gregory

… who only played twice for Australia, both times against England, but two stylish fifties suggested he could add to the legend already established by Archie Jackson and Bradman et al. Picked for Test duty after his century for Victoria against the tourists in 1936/7, his ‘exhilarating’ 80 overshadowed three Aussie centuries in a monster total of 604, including one from the Don himself. A blip in form meant he was overlooked for the 1938 tour to England, but the consensus was that the boy had class to spare. His potentially career-defining 80 at the MCG was ended by England bowler Ken Farnes, who lost his life in a wartime flying accident in 1941. With tragic irony Gregory too lost his life a year later at the age of 26, when he was killed in Assam. He was the only Australian first-class cricketer to perish in World War 2. Another flyer killed on active service was…

Geoffrey Legge

… from his early days in Malvern School, and then Oxford, Legge demonstrated what E.W. Swanton called “wristy off side play”, much in keeping with those institutions and initially encouraged by “short cover point boundaries”. He captained Kent with no-little skill, and was within a pip of leading them to the Championship in 1928. The brightest day of a short, breezy career came in the last of his five England Tests, played at Auckland against New Zealand in 1929/30. Wisden asserted that “in one of the best innings he has ever played”, he batted “faultlessly almost, until within four of a double century”. He dropped out of cricket in the early thirties, and like so many amateurs the lure of life outside the game could not be denied. When he was killed during Fleet Air Arm operations over Devon in 1940, he was only 37, another swashbuckler gone too soon. Another to captain Kent was…

Mark Benson

… who plied a stellar trade for Kent at a time when England had numerous accomplished, if functional, opening bats. Benson was unlucky to only get one crack at Test cricket and certainly didn’t disgrace himself against Kapil Dev and Maninder Singh at Birmingham in 1986. As it was, only Brian Luckhurst and Colin Cowdrey have scored more heavily for Kent since the war, with Luckhurst calling Benson “Kent’s greatest post-war opening batsman” and “his generation’s unsung hero”. On his watch, Kent were Championship runners-up in 1992, Sunday league runners-up in 1993, and went one better in 1995 as well as appearing in the Benson and Hedges Cup final that year. As an umpire he was the first to refer a decision upstairs, and it was a shame that before quitting the international panel, the final part of his career was overshadowed by ill-feeling and some contested decisions. Still, their loss is the domestic game’s gain, and he continues as a senior member of the county cricket panel in 2012. Benson was on duty at Leeds in 2006, when a young tyke had possibly his worst day in an England shirt, savaged by the evergreen Sanath Jayasuriya. With wretched figures of 2-0-29-0 that day, the hapless 21 year old was… Tim Bresnan!

Click here to read Following On: From Jayawardene to Jayawardene

To read Finny’s diary in full pick up a copy of the latest AOC, but in the meantime here’s a few prime picks from his monthly offering.

Finny on… getting lost

“It’s fair to say that we hit the beers pretty hard after winning the T20 series in Abu Dhabi to mark a successful end to the one-day leg of the tour. Fortunately there was a club in the hotel that made it a lot easier to stumble to our rooms. I still managed to get lost on the way to mine…”

Finny on… benefits with friends

“Jimmy kindly asked me to help him out by attending a dinner for his benefit – he’s never spoken to me that nicely before, so I knew he wanted something. When I turned up I found out I was the cannon fodder on stage for him and Swanny to verbally abuse me for 40 minutes or so.”

Finny on… after-dinner activities

“The evenings in Sri Lanka are beautiful outside the hotel, and beyond the curtains, but the most important action happens behind closed doors (get your minds out of the gutter).”

Finny on… Bressy’s literary skills

“Tim Bresnan has limited literary skills. Full stop. He was in charge of writing the lads’ names on the bottles for the first Test. I’d say the lads have some pretty easy names to spell. Cook, Strauss, Bell, Finn, Anderson. Easiest of the lot I reckon could be Broad… Bres couldn’t decide whether it had an extra ‘R’ in it.”

Finny on… ?

“It was about six-foot long, and had good thickness to it. It slipped down a drain, and for the next two days I was the most paranoid man in Galle.”

Click here to read extracts from last month’s edition of Finny’s diary

As we come to the end of the second and final Test, talk automatically starts of the next tour and the next time we’ll be back together again as a group.

Of course, there is the chance to come back to Sri Lanka in September for the World Twenty20. If it is anything like this tour it will be great fun once again, with a trip to Kandy included in the Super 8 schedule for England fans and the semi-finals and final will see the Barmy Army return to Colombo should Stuart Broad’s side make it that far.

One thing is for certain ­­– the Barmy Army will be there and in full voice, doing all they can to cheer England on as the look to retain the title they claimed in the Caribbean. Old Barmy favourite Colly will be missed of course, but Broady will be able to enjoy full vocal support (“He’s big, he’s bad… He’s better than his dad…Stuart Broad”).

The next away Test series is India and rumour has it that Eden Gardens in Kolkata is going to be included in the itinerary which has caused great excitement in the ranks. Our hope is that the BCCI announce the venues sooner rather than later so that travel plans can be made – but that isn’t likely. The more notice given about venues and dates, the more fans will travel. We already know it’s a four-Test series spread over several weeks and most people will need to make decisions as to when they travel based on the locations. We are looking forward to India – it’s provided some unforgettable memories for everyone who has been in the past.

Returning to the current series, we started the end of tour celebrations early last night with a party at the Golden Mile in Mount Lavinia. Again over a grand was raised for charity and both Chance to Shine and Their Future Together will be receiving half each. Thanks to everyone who gave their support. It’s fantastic how generous cricket fans are and it’s been great during the tour to make so many new friends.

Sri Lanka has, of course, been absolutely amazing and fingers and toes are crossed that England can tie the series and retain the No.1 ranking they fought so hard to earn ahead of a great summer of cricket.

Click here to read the thoughts of the Barmy Army’s musical maestro, Mr Billy ‘The Trumpet’ Cooper

The Cricketing Twits tried, and for the most part failed, to show their romantic side this February 14. Ladies you may want to look away now…

1. Plan ahead – remember, remember the 14th of February. Ok that doesn’t really work.
Jonathan Agnew @Aggerscricket
In the mire. Forgot to book a restaurant for Valentine’s. Everywhere full. Got about 10 mins till age gets back from hairdresser… There are some interesting programmes on Arabic TV on Valentine’s night…. working hard to salvage… .Arabian Corrie not going down well
Disastrous evening. How does ‘she’ become ‘age’ on predictive text? Lenses in the bin. Room service. Arabian TV…….Dog house

2. It’s the thought that counts – a gate? Really???!!!!
David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd @BumbleCricket
got a lovely quiche on the go ..then Emmerdale , then footy .’vipers’ in for a great night .she’s dressed up for it, too ….
valentins day gift gone down really well …new side gate …wrought iron , too ….Vipers only has to fit it …will look great !

3. Tell them how you really feel – no love lost there methinks
Michael Vaughan @VaughanCricket
Message to customs… Don’t let Tevez back in the country please..

4. Make the lady feel special – ‘auditions’ might not be very special?
Herschelle Gibbs @hershybru
I’d love to have a valentine but none hear in dhaka, ill have to find one wen I get back to cape town in 2 weeks time..auditions soon!! Haha
Dwayne Bravo @Newbigdog
To all the sweet ladies out there, happy valentines day, hope you all getting spoilt today

5. Keep the mystery alive – keeping him on his toes Mrs Swann
Graeme Swann @Swannyg66
‘Thanks for the flowers darling’ said the wife this morning. ‘My pleasure’ I said. Now I just have to work out who’s sending my wife flowers

6. Get Bromantic – you heard it here first
Steven Finn @finnysteve
Happy valentines day everyone. Me and @StuartBroad8 will be having a romantic dinner tonight.
Stuart Broad @StuartBroad8
Romantic Valentines Day dinner for… ummm… 5.
Would like to say it’s me and 4 women but I’d be lying.

7. Help a friend out – pimping might be taking it a bit far though
Iain O’Brien @iainobrien
Currently on a Faux Date with @FlorenceMasoe. I’m marred, she’s single and I’m trying to hook her up with a yummy man.#VDaySolution

8. Be understanding – showing you care = quiet life. Simples!
Kevin Pietersen @kevinpp24
No earphones required today if you’ve remembered its Valentines Day… Have a great day x

9. The best things in life are free – but there is no need to tell everyone!
Stuart Broad @StuartBroad8
“@AbuDhabiDaz: the mrs enjoyed her valentines day treat at the ODI in Abu Dhabi.”>> with free tickets?! Wow you do treat her well!! Ha

10. Don’t panic – there has to be one good thing about being single on Valentine’s Day
Steven Finn @finnysteve
Also, like the other singletons, enjoying not having to panic about valentines day flowers!!
Graeme Swann @Swannyg66
I don’t suppose that there’s a postal strike or mass walkout by florists tomorrow to save my bacon?
Stuart Broad @StuartBroad8
The best thing about being single?! Watching the lads panicking about Valentines Day and what to buy the wife last minute…

You can follow all the cricketing action (and not just the lovebirds) in real-time on Tweetsport. You might just be surprised what you find…

In amongst the match-changing flurry unleashed by Stuart Broad on the morning of day three in Abu Dhabi, one shot shuddered into the fence at extra cover with such uncomplicated brilliance that the mystique of Saeed Ajmal was mocked in a single blow.

That morning session turned the match, and probably the series, and all because of Broad. The best cricketers recognise when the game’s destination lies with them and act on the force of their own charisma, and after four top-order wickets in Pakistan’s inadequate first innings (two clean bowled), Broad was already ticking. There was an edge, a fresh purpose, born of the knife-edge, as soon as he got out there. Ali Cook and Jon Trott had worn Pakistan down the previous day; now Broad was striding out to put the boot in.

And that long stride came in handy. After the crabby, tense shuffles of England’s middle-order both here and at Dubai, Broad’s long front-stride uprooted the spinner’s lengths. Deliveries that would have spat and fizzed yesterday against England’s play-it-late, under-the-nose technicians (poor Eoin Morgan needs counselling before another net) were casually met by Broad and launched, stroked or mullered through first the offside and then, triumphantly, and on one occasion for a maximum, in the parish of cow.

It was as if Broad was suggesting that batting – out there, against Ajmal, against the turning ball on these Arabian dustbowls – was either easy or impossible. The key shot itself, made possible because the spin had been smothered and the close fielders dispersed from under his nose, pierced a packed offside field, hit the gap and ran away for his fifth four. It was classical and smart and superbly executed. A true batsman’s shot. Soon after came the celebratory six, followed by his run-a-ball fifty.

There is something of the fantastical about him. The son of an Ashes hero, a schoolboy opening batsman turned hit-the-pitch tearaway who would ripen into the ideal fast-bowling allrounder. And now, even that image needs an upgrade. He is dangerously close to becoming a genuine allrounder.

Broad propelled England to a lead of 70. Thirty overs in to Pakistan’s reply, the matter seemed settled. The strangulation exerted by Graeme Swann and the quite brilliant Monty Panesar – whose three wickets included the ball of the series to upend Younis Khan’s off stump – constricted the top-order to leave Pakistan four wickets down and still behind. But a stirring counter in the shadows by the kids, Azhar Ali (46*) and Asad Shafiq (35*), has left the game tilted to England but not, by any stretch, in the bag.

Pakistan lead by 55. They have a long tail. But they also have a gifted keeper at No.7 who got runs at Dubai to buttress the burgeoning belief of two young’uns, both of whom found out something about themselves in that final session. And they have Saeed Ajmal. Just as Warne used to nominate a figure that he would need in order to win Australia a Test match, so Ajmal must be thinking of what he can work with. If Pakistan can somehow find a few more than a hundred tomorrow, this already absorbing (and well-supported) Test match will unfold into the classic it already feels close to becoming.

Click here to read David Green’s account of Pakistan’s recent rollercoaster ride

There was plenty of chatter about the potential make-up of the team following the defeat in Dubai, and Chris Tremlett’s recurring back trouble intensified the speculation. Would England consider five bowlers? Probably not. But would they stick with three seamers and pick AOC’s new diarist Steve Finn, or give Monty Panesar a go as the extra spinner?

The evidence of those on the scene suggests even the England management didn’t know until the last minute. Nasser Hussain told us on the Sky commentary about an overheard conversation between Flower and Strauss, while they were all milling around on the outfield before play. It was at around 9.15am local time, just 15 minutes before the toss. Revealingly, Flower approached Strauss and said: “What are you going to go with, Skip?” to which the captain replied: “Two and two.” Two quick men, two spinners: Monty was in.

It’s intriguing that their minds weren’t made up before they reached the ground. Presumably Tremlett’s injury forced a late re-think about the merits of the potential replacements, but you’d hope and expect that the inclusion of Panesar as second spinner was in their thoughts anyway. It would be the first time England had fielded two spinners in a four-man attack since December 2003, in Sri Lanka.

And it proved a sound move. The first new ball didn’t do too much for James Anderson or Stuart Broad, now the only frontline seamers, and in just the 10th over we had spin. Strauss, getting Monty into the game at the first opportunity, must have known straight away he had made the right decision; two spinners was the answer here, with the ball turning from the off, and the hero of Cardiff 2009 (Panesar’s last Test appearance) bowled with impressive flight, drift and spin straight away. This was a positive return for Monty, who knocked over in-form Mohammad Hafeez in the morning after dropping a sharp caught-and-bowled chance the ball before. He has worked hard on his game all over the world as well as taking a hatful of wickets for Sussex since losing his place in the England team, and he ended up bowling 33 overs to Graeme Swann’s 18 on the first day.

The Strauss-Flower exchange before play is also an interesting insight into the workings of their partnership. Demonstrably, if Nasser’s words – and ears – are to be believed (and we think they are) team selection basically comes down to Strauss’s call. He and Flower had been deliberating together the night before and in the morning; looking studiously at the unused wicket for clues and discussing the pros and cons of the available options. But with 45 minutes until play, it was the coach who needed to ask “Skip” who was in the team.

You might well say that is all as it should be, and yes, maybe it’s not that big a surprise that the captain is picking the team on tour. Flower is not an egotistical man and you’d expect he’d be happy to give the captain his head on most issues, offering advice and exerting plenty of influence but knowing that it’s ultimately Strauss’s decision. But it’s a fascinating example of the hugely successful and much-lauded captain-coach relationship in action.

Read AOC columnist David Green’s reminder of Pakistan’s recent rollercoaster ride here.

England were on cloud nine last August after completing the team’s goal of becoming the world’s number one Test side but thousands of miles away, in alien conditions, they have been brought back down to earth with a bump after Saeed Ajmal put Pakistan in the driving seat on day one of the first Test in Dubai, bundling out the tourists for 192.

It could have been catastrophic for Andrew Strauss’ side had it not been for the rearguard action of Matt Prior, whose unbeaten 70 highlighted the importance of playing straight and the need to be more circumspect in shot selection – the Sussex stumper scored just three boundaries in his 154-ball knock.

The Pakistani openers followed Prior’s example as Taufeeq Umar and Mohammad Hafeez got through to stumps on day one with relative ease and brought up their half-centuries before lunch on day two on a flat, slow wicket that Graeme Swann was struggling to find any purchase on – only finding noticeable turn with one ball in the morning session.

But, with Pakistan looking comfortable at 111-0, Strauss tossed the ball to Stuart Broad, who soon showed the benefits of mixing things up by varying his length and sending down a short ball that took Hafeez by surprise and a resulting top edge should have been taken by Chris Tremlett at wide mid on.

Broad shook himself down, roused himself once again and cleaned up Taufeeq the very next ball with a full delivery from round the wicket that rattled the timbers. Four overs later he was at it again, finding the faintest of edges with some rare seam movement to send Azhar Ali back to the pavilion with just a single to his name. At 128-2, Pakistan were still very much in charge but Broad’s double salvo shortly before the lunch interval, as the game seemed to be slipping away, gave England a glimmer of hope.

From there the tourists continued to plug away, with Graeme Swann dismissing Hafeez 12 short of his century to break a partnership of 48 with Younis Khan, before Jonathan Trott provided the shock of the day by bringing one into Younis and rapping him on the pads bang in front. A further three wickets in the evening session, including two in the last two overs of the day from Swann and James Anderson, capped an industrious and disciplined day for England in the field and, while Pakistan hold the advantage with a first innings lead of 96 and three wickets still in tact, Andy Flower will be pleased with how his side responded after a poor opening day.

There’ll be renewed confidence within the England camp, and that is in large part to Broad, who provided the kind of burst of which we’ve become accustomed to help his side fight back from what was fast becoming a desperate situation. He’ll fancy his chances of knocking over a lengthy Pakistan tail on  day three, and then it will be over to the batsmen to improve upon a disappointing showing in the first dig and rack up the kind of matchwinning total we’ve seen them do on so many occasions over the last 18 months.

Click here to read day one’s Game Changer in Dubai

A new year, a fresh start. Nothing but potential ahead. So what resolutions have you made? To be a better person? Get fit? Use more of the herbs, spices and condiments in your kitchen cupboard?

Working on that work life balance has been the focus of sportsmen too. So what did those Cricketing Twits get up to away from the field?

1. Join a gym – but don’t overdo it!

Herschelle Gibbs (hershybru):

Back to Perth now, cortisone injection at 330 and a week off til the next game..wat to do that is the question!! Where’s the party at Thursdays in Perth…

Right injection done and dusted wasn’t too bad..docs orders to put feet up tonight but tomor we can let things down again..aviary look out..

2. Get outdoors more – is camouflage really necessary (see main picture!)?
albie morkel (albiemorkel):

Great weather in Slummies. Day off time for some fishing!

3. Take a break – pace yourself now…
Dwayne Bravo (Newbigdog):

Relaxed @ the beach earlier today then went onto a gr8 win 2nite! Thx 4 all ur support #RedForce

4. Stretch yourself – mush! hike!
Matthew hoggard (Hoggy602):

Anybody got any husky’s to help me pull this?

5. Try approaching things differently – could catch on?
Michael Vaughan (VaughanCricket):

Always great to bump into @Jess_Ennis .. But slightly concerned that she was making sand castles in long jump pit..

6. Learn to cook – didn’t work out so well last time Shane, mind yourself now.
Shane Warne (warne888):

Slipped into my sexy new diesel jeans and having a BBQ with my 3 children and their friends – wind still howling , but sun shining ! X

7. Get a new hobby – Herpetology anyone? (Study of amphibians, thank Google.)
Dale Steyn (DaleSteyn62):

A little visitor just came hopping into the house…

8. Lose some weight – who ate all the pies? Kevin apparently…
StuartBroad8 Stuart Broad

Too many mince pies over Xmas @kevinpp24 ?!

9. Get engaged – sorry Ladies
Jason Krejza (JK404):

Proposed to my girlfriend yesterday. She said yes! Officially off the market

10. Get some sun – but cover it up!
kevinpp24 Kevin Pietersen

Today will be spent on a sun lounger until the sun sets.. But, I just realised reading a book on an iPad in the sun is a no go.. #damn

StuartBroad 8 StuartBroad

England have done, but when will the whole world realise its unacceptable for men to wear speedos round the pool?! #horrendi

You can follow all the cricketing action (and not just the New Year’s resolutions) in real-time on Tweetsport. You might just be surprised what you find.

1. Stuart Broad – England

6-46 v India at Trent Bridge

The AOC readers judged the England seamer’s spell at Nottingham as the finest Test bowling performance of 2011 by a distance. Having coming into the series under a cloud of criticism after a poor series against Sri Lanka, Broad responded in emphatic fashion – taking seven wickets in the first Test win over India at Lord’s before this sensational burst on his home patch.

After rescuing England with the bat to take his team to 221, Broad set about dismantling the Indian batting line-up, removing Sachin Tendulkar before a spell of four wickets in the space of eight balls including a hat-trick to dismiss India for 288 and keep his side in touching distance. The hosts went on to complete a comprehensive victory by 319 runs and India never managed to turn the tide for the rest of the series.

2. Vernon Philander – South Africa

3-63 & 5-15 v Australia at Cape Town

Having stacked up the wickets in domestic cricket for the Cape Cobras, Philander was finally given his chance in the Test arena having made his ODI debut four years previously and immediately made up for lost time by finding Phil Hughes’ edge after surprisingly being handed the new ball on a juicy Newlands track.

Two further first innings wickets followed but it was in the second dig that he really found his groove, tearing through the fragile Australian batting order to finish with a five-fer as the visitors briefly flirted with the lowest score in Test history. Philander scooped the Man of the Match award and South Africa ended their search for a third seamer to support Steyn and Morkel.

3. Doug Bracewell – New Zealand

3-20 & 6-40 v Australia at Hobart

Having bowled New Zealand to the narrowest of victories on his Test debut against Zimbabwe, the 21-year-old seamer had given it the big talk in the lead up to the two-match series with Australia, claiming the Black Caps’ neighbours were there for the taking.

His press conference remarks seemed rather foolhardy after a first Test that saw New Zealand pummelled by nine wickets, with Bracewell returning figures of 1-112 and looking well short of international class. But he came roaring back in the next rubber at Hobart, routing Australia’s middle-order in the first innings before an astonishing spell in the second that saw the hosts collapse from 159-2 to 233 all out to give New Zealand a first Test victory over their rivals for 18 years.

4. James Anderson – England

4-85 v India at Edgbaston

The king of the swingers at his very best. After England had forced India to chase leather in the field for 188.1 overs, racking up 710-7 in the process, it was the turn of the dispirited tourists to bat for a second time and they swiftly found themselves 56-4 with Burnley’s finest claiming all four wickets.

Sehwag (for a king pair), Gambhir, Dravid and Laxman all came and went in quick succession; all unable to counter the movement found by Anderson who looked near unplayable on a pitch that just 15 minutes earlier had looked a batsman’s paradise.

5. Pat Cummins – Australia

6-79 v South Africa at Johannesburg

Thrown into a pressure cooker of a contest at the Bullring with Australia needing a win to level the series after the humiliation at Newlands, the 18-year-old with only three first-class matches under his belt produced one of Test cricket’s most sensational debut performances.

Having returned tidy figures of 15-3-38-1 in the first innings, the teenage paceman ran riot in the second dig taking six wickets – including those of key men Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers before decimating the tail – to put the Aussies in with a shout before walking out to bat grinning from ear to ear to knock off the winning runs. A star was born.

Click here to read the top five Test innings of 2011, as chosen by the AOC readers. 

Cricketers – hardened athletes at the top of their game, professionals in every aspect of their performance, leaders of men. Off the field they are a big bunch of animal loving softies. Here at Tweetsport we’ve been checking out the little fluffy lovelies who have stolen our cricketers’ hearts.

Warning – you will want to go “aw, soooo cute!” Yes even you at the back. Oh, and as its Christmas, there’s a little Christmas bonus at the end. No peeking now!

1. Too Cool for Cats

Graeme Swann’s little helper takes a well earned nap. Don’t wake him up!
Here are paddy’s jaguar-esque paws @Swannyg66

2. Broadband Burnley Style

A little animal themed sledging from Vaughan and Co.
“RT: Burnley does have internet” ha ha.. Best yet!!! @VaughanCricket

3. The Lion Sleeps Tonight

And as Mark Butcher found out, if the lion wants to sleep on the windsreen of your car that’s exactly what she’s going to do… and she’s not going to be careful (see the image at the top of the article!)
check out my new fox repellant. nice having you around guys @markbutcher72

4. It’s a Dog’s Life

Matthew Hoggard spends some quality time with the lads.
One of my boys having a snuggle @Hoggy602

5. Finding Tudor

Apparently even Alex Tudor conceded there was a passing resemblance.
@scottynewms: If @alextudorcoach was a fish! “I don’t know how 2 do funny pictures so some1 finish him 4 me please.. @alextudorcoach

6. Man’s Best Hangover Cure

After helping his master recover from last week’s liquid lunch Jonathan Agnew’s pooch had a dress up Friday.
here’s one modelled by @aggersbracken @Aggerscricket

7. A Watched Dog Never Steals

David ‘Bumble’ Lloyd keeping a close eye on developments. As if he would be so bold?
Don’t even think about it! @BumbleCricket

8. Andrex chose their logo well

Yes Rob, we all have to make sacrifices.
Missing x factor not because I’m out but because I’m back on #poohwatch #mischab @robkey612

9. Your pets are like your children

Adam Hollioake seems to think they are.
Similar? @adamhollioake

10. Festive and Fashionable?

Stuart Broad last Chrismas Day getting a little festive with the family. What did the neighbours think?
Walking the dog this morning, getting some funny looks for some reason…@StuartBroad8

Your Christmas Bonus – A walk on the wild side

Those seagulls are a cunning bunch – as spotted by Graeme Swann
This is getting crazy now @Swannyg66

Merry Christmas all and have a great 2012 from us here @Tweetsportcouk! You can follow all the cricketing action (and not just the cute animals) in real-time on Tweetsport. You might be surprised what you find…

Thursday December 8
As all of the lads were feeling a little sore after the bowling the day before, we had just a half day. The morning was filled with some so-called ‘easy sprints’ which would consist of ten 80m shuttles. It was supposed to be easy but as it turns out the lads got a bit competitive and they ended up being flat-out races. This was followed with some boundary fielding work and some technical throwing.

Not only did we have the afternoon off but we also we had a masseuse coming in to give the boys a bit of a rub down. This helped the mood in the camp massively and we were all very relaxed afterwards. The evening proved to be even more eventful. Again, not really fancying eating with the other athletes in the sports village, the coaches decided to treat us to a meal out. Beef Boys was once more the venue, a fillet steak was on the cards and the evening was going swimmingly until the waiter came over with my steak, tripped and threw my meal all over me! Only in the movies does that happen; yeah right. The boys of course had a field day.

Friday December 9
The plan for the day was to bowl two spells against the under 19 lads but then the unspeakable happened. It rained all morning! We all played a bit of football tennis in order to pass the time before we were summoned to the gym to do a rowing and bike session. That afternoon though, we did manage to get outside and bowl a couple of spells. We were still supposed to be running in gently but the sight of a batter at the other end pretty much meant that the red mist came down and everyone charged in.

Saturday December 10
Now that the under 19 lads have arrived, it meant that we could all get out in the middle and play some cricket. The idea was to split up our boys and the under 19s into two teams and have a full-on 50-over game. It was ideal because we could all get some match overs into the legs and have a good contest. When the boys were not on the park we would go off for some strength and fitness work and then come back and bowl when your team was fielding.

As the senior England boys had now arrived we all decided to take them to Beef Boys for a steak. All was going well once more until Brooksy [Jack Brooks] knocked his drink over Mr Broad and then proceeded to ask someone on his feet who didn’t work at the restaurant for some serviettes to clean up his mess. The gent whom he asked took it very well and we all had a good chuckle. It must seem a bit boring that we ended up at the same restaurant four times in a week but Potch really is a very quiet, sleepy place and the food is just that good! It may well be the best fillet steak I’ve ever eaten.

Now that we’re well into our bowling, the idea for next week is to continue to push on with that, as well as work on some new skills and tricks for the tour in the New Year. It’s been great having the England boys around so far and hopefully we can spend some more time with them next week, see how they operate and pick up some new skills.

Click here to read part one of James’ second week in South Africa with the EPP.

With that in mind we trawled the internet for tips on how to improve our bowling and we came across this chap called Stuart Broad. You might have heard of him? Apparently he can play a bit.

In the final video of a five-part series England’s Twenty20 skipper talks us through fitness.

With that in mind we trawled the internet for tips on how to improve our bowling and we came across this chap called Stuart Broad. You might have heard of him? Apparently he can play a bit.

In the fourth of a five-part series England’s Twenty20 skipper talks us through line and length.

The former England skipper had so much to say on the subject we couldn’t fit it all in the magazine, so rather than waste his words of wisdom we decided to share the bits that didn’t make the final cut with you here.

Has the role of captain changed since you skippered England?
This England set-up is so professional in terms of preparation that a lot of what captains used to do is taken away from them. Now England have Flower, Halsall, Gooch, Mushtaq, Huw Bevan the fitness guy, the psychologist, the analysts and dieticians. The whole backroom is so professional now that the actual management and preparation of the side is all down to those people. The captain now just goes out in the middle and captains.

That’s changed since your time then?
There are more backroom staff, yeah. When I took over the captaincy in 2003 we didn’t have a massage therapist on tour; we had to pay for our own and then the ECB covered the cost when they realised we were going to pay for it. Everything moves forward and changes but I think the actual stress of captaincy is still the same.

Because the captain is still the guy the players look to on the field of play?
That will always be there because you’re the individual that’s in charge of the team and you feel it more than the rest of the players because the buck stops with you. You’re having to make all the tactical decisions out on the field and you should be getting involved in all the man management of the players. I hope that still happens. I hope that Cook, Broad and Andrew Strauss manage the players and I’m sure Strauss probably does it more than the other two because he’s been around a few years more.

And Test cricket is still the ultimate challenge for a captain?
In Test cricket you’re with each other for a lot longer and there’s more mentally that can go wrong in Test match cricket than in one-day cricket. You’re having to always man-manage the players over a period of time. If someone maybe gets nought on the first day, you’ve got to make sure he’s still with you for days two, three and four before he might potentially have another bat. There’s plenty in terms of psychology for a captain to do.

You’ve experienced split captaincy. Is there any danger that it erodes authority?
That is absolute bollocks. It works all right, it’s fine. People put me in the same situation as Nasser, which is nonsense because Nasser felt that I’d moved the team on and that the team had moved into my place, and I could see that. I was a different type of captain, completely different in my approach with different ideas. There were younger players in the one-day team and you could sense that they enjoyed playing under my style of leadership. There was nothing at all wrong with the way Nasser captained; it was just a different style of leadership.

And how about when you passed on the ODI captaincy but remained Test skipper?
When I resigned the one-day captaincy for Paul Collingwood to take over and came back and took the Test team after one-day tours it was no problem whatsoever. The problem came with my knee; it was just knackered. The captain has to be at the forefront of everything. You lead by example and I just got to the stage that I didn’t feel I could lead by example because my knee wouldn’t allow me to. That affected my form on the pitch; I couldn’t work in the nets as much as I’d like to in terms of the batting because if I did that my knee would swell up. And it became a mental problem because of that; if you don’t feel that you can get the best out of yourself then you think ‘well, how can you tell him to do what I can’t do’. It was very, very difficult.

How would you compare your style of captaincy with Andrew Strauss?
I would say that I haven’t got a clue because I’ve never played under him, but I guess I would be more instinctive. I’d make a decision on the spot. I think Straussy likes to gather information and take a bit more time over making decisions. I guess that’s one of the things that you see in the current England side; they have the numbers man who has the analysis, the plans, and this bit of equipment that tells you exactly where you bowl to someone and what average they have if you bowl in that position. That’s all done by the numbers man and I think that’s given to all the players now and to the captain in terms of planning. Whereas we had to pretty much sit in a room and devise plans by what we’d seen on the TV screen. We didn’t have 100 per cent proof of what the right areas to bowl were, but we just watched.

To read the full interview and see who Vaughan rated as the best captain at the World Cup (it wasn’t MS Dhoni) pick up a copy of All Out Cricket issue 86. 

With that in mind we trawled the internet for tips on how to improve our bowling and we came across this chap called Stuart Broad. You might have heard of him? Apparently he can play a bit.

In the third of a five-part series England’s Twenty20 skipper talks us through the perfect action.

With that in mind we trawled the internet for tips on how to improve our bowling and we came across this chap called Stuart Broad. You might have heard of him? Apparently he can play a bit.

In the second of a five-part series England’s Twenty20 skipper talks us through the delivery.

With that in mind we trawled the internet for tips on how to improve our bowling and we came across this chap called Stuart Broad. You might have heard of him? Apparently he can play a bit.

In the first of a five-part series England’s Twenty20 skipper starts by telling us how we should grip the ball.