A while back I wrote that Tamim Iqbal had successfully graduated from the Sehwag School for batting. That was after his brilliant century 151 against India in January.

Today he decided to take his PhD and secure a spot in the IPL with his batting in the second test against England in Dhaka. And unlike Matt Hayden he did it without using a Mongoose.

Tamim treated Tim Bresnan with the disdain he deserves as perhaps England’s least threatening opening bowler of all time. And then he took a shine to Graeme Swann, newly installed as the second best test bowler in the World. Tamim treated him like a club 3rd XI occasional bowler. Steve Finn was carted for 22 from his two overs.

He reached his fifty off only 34 balls and had reached 85 (off 71) before he got a diabolical decision being given out caught behind off his arm to give James Tredwell his first test wicket.

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After coming aground abruptly against Sachin Tendulkar and the Mumbai Indians, I wrote that the Delhi Daredevils were similar to Liverpool Football Club in that tremendous success was normally failed by dismal failure. It’s not as if I wasn’t prepared either as my choice to support Delhi met with a chorus of warnings that the Daredevils were perennial underachievers.

Today with Virender Sehwag again at his scintillating best, Delhiposted 185/6 against the Chennai Super Kings. Game over. Or so I thought.

Enter that bully from days of yore, Matthew Hayden. But this time armed with a new weapon called the Mongoose. This new bat has a longer handle, is shorter and thicker than conventional cricket bats and apparently provides up to 20% more power.

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That is the question on the lips of every cricket fan around the world right now. Let me explain…

A few weeks back the IPL struck a partnership with YouTube (and therefore Google) to stream all the games and also put up the IPL highlights after every game. Well up until game number 6 they’ve honoured that agreement with all the highlights on their Youtube Channel. But game 7 and 8 were played last night with scintillating knocks from Jacques Kallis and M. S Dhoni and still they haven’t given us good cricket fans the chance to relive all that entertainment. NO HIGHLIGHTS!

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One of the most vivid memories of recent cricket history was when Andrew Flintoff found time amidst the euphoria and hullabaloo of victory to console Brett Lee after England had scraped home by two runs at Edgbaston in 2005.

Flintoff recognised a fellow warrior when he saw one and as throughout his career in the baggy green, Lee had given absolutely everything for his country and nearly shepherded them to another famous victory; one that would have undoubtedly retained the urn for Australia. Lee was to be similarly disappointed after an heroic bowling spell, with Shane Warne operating at the other end, also saw Australia fall just short at Trent Bridge two tests later.

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