A miracle. Sri Lankan airlines calls at 6:30 in the morning to let us know that the missing carton has arrive. A good start to the day which only got better when we went for practice to the picturesque Nondescripts Cricket Club. The Indian team was playing just next door at the SSC in Colombo.

The weather was not unlike Kolkata, humid and in the early thirties – and it was heavy going for the boys as they went through a grueling 3 hour session. While most of the boys went back to the hotel, coach Owen and Dav held back four of the younger boys for another two hour indoor nets.

In the evening, there were some interesting scenes at the airport as the driver at the airport could not recognize the only seven footer on the flight, and Irfaan had to wait for 45 minutes before they located him. Obviously, none of the standard gear fits him, and we will have some interesting tailoring to do before we can give him a full uniform.

Tomorrow is our first  match, and word is that the likes of Jehan Mubarak and a couple of other Lankan internationals could be playing against us. Great news, as there’s nothing better than tough opposition to get the best out of the boys.