Wince as Mark Butcher did as Worcestershire�..s Phil Jaques and Stephen Moore kick-started a Twenty20-type charge to 287 at nine an over, the Surrey captain expressed pride in the early form of his oft-maligned attack, notably Ian Salisbury and Nayan Doshi.

�..Until mid-May it was very dry and we played both spinners. The way things are going, even when Anil Kumble gets here, maybe we�..ll play three. Sals has been magnificent. He worked hard on some technical difficulties during the winter and now he�..s bowling as well as I�..ve ever seen him.�.�

After he missed swaths of 2005 recovering from the broken hand that cost him his Test spot, Butcher�..s return saw juices and runs flow freely. �..I feel like I�..ve finally started being captain and it�..s gone really well. The toughest bit was starting with 11 days�.. cricket in 12; I haven�..t done that for years. But I feel right in the groove.�.� Does the calendar entry for November 23 read �..Brisbane�.�? �..What with all the injuries, nothing�..s set in stone. Australia is still on my mind.�.�
Rob Steen, The Wisden Cricketer