Critics wide of the mark

THAT ball in Brisbane on the 2006-7 Ashes tour didn’t set the tone. We weren’t good enough to beat Australia whether that first ball of the series (above) happened or not. Do I mind talking about it? No. Is there anything good to come out of it? No. Is there anything bad to come out of it? Even more no. Those people who say that ball set the tone for the whole series are the same as those who said I set the tone in England when I hit three batsmen on the opening morning at Lord’s – but we got beat by 239 runs.