Mark Ramprakash: What I've Learnt This Week

The media have been a factor throughout my career. When I started out I saw how nice they can be but also how they can label you and create an image for you which may not be accurate. I had a good NatWest final in 1988 and got cracking reviews and felt on top of the world but the next season wasn't so spectacular and suddenly I was "overhyped" and "underachieving" according to the press.

Late in '89 I broke my toe playing for Middlesex but went off to captain Young England anyway as I wanted to play. After the game a guy called John Woodcock - unaware of my injury - wrote a personal attack on me. Not just about my cricket but about my whole attitude. He wrote that I limped about in the field and had poor body language. It's amazing what some members of the press believe they know from 100 yards away.

We read an article in The Times by David Townsend after the first day of our Championship game with Northamptonshire last week. The headline read: "Surrey Lose Initiative With Moments of Silliness". It criticised our "hit-and-giggle approach". The piece attacked me and my attitude while batting which was apparently "typical of the malaise".

The justification for this was that when Sourav Ganguly was bowling I tried to hit him over his head a few times. On the fifth occasion I got hold of it. The fact was the wicket had a little bit of life in it. I had just seen a ball fly at Scott Newman and lift off his glove to the wicketkeeper. So I wanted to be aggressive at every chance. But still be selective.

Our coach, Alan Butcher, and me had a laugh about it. My whole career I've been accused of being tense and now here I am being told I'm not taking the game seriously enough.

For a lot of my career, particularly with England, I've been affected by press opinion. For a long time I was almost happy to get out to a defensive shot rather than risk being out to an aggressive one which would look worse in the eyes of the media.

A good point for young players is stay true to your attacking instincts. Play your own game. Listen and learn but do what you think is right. That is maybe why we don't produce instinctive stroke-playing batsmen in this country.

I get on well with a lot of cricket writers: Geoff Dean, Pat Gibson, Mike Selvey, Gus Fraser. They come and talk to you and find out what is going on and are conscientious in their reporting.

All reporters have their likes and dislikes but you know there are some who never write favourable things. I came back from a tour of the West Indies in 1998, having been away for three months and with the county season three days away. I had a mountain of mail and everything was hectic. About two weeks later I opened a letter from Matthew Engel. It was rude and abrupt and told me I hadn't answered a previous letter he had sent which I never saw. I rang him and tried to be conciliatory but he wouldn't have it that I had never seen the original letter. Later in the year I had the pleasure of sitting next to him at an England players' lunch. Let's say we had to agree to disagree.

2. Langer isn't put off by heat or sarcasm

At Guildford on Wednesday against Somerset we had the joy of fielding first on the hottest day of the year.

Before the game I'd suggested if we got my old friend Justin Langer out for under 200 we'd have done well. Unfortunately he got 342. In the first few overs Langer looked in good touch, watching the ball very well. His first two scoring shots were a thumping cover drive and then a savage short-arm pull, both off Mo Akram. He was a picture of concentration and the first time we beat his bat, he was on 217.

On Thursday morning I saw Langer - not out on 234 - in the little boys' room and asked him what his best score was. He wouldn't tell me but I did say that it may be a good day to try and beat it. On 249 he played and missed again and I said to him "concentrate you little twat" with a hint of sarcasm.

3. Panesar deserves encouragement

Andrew Strauss played very well in the second innings of the Test against Pakistan last week. After the disappointment of losing to Sri Lanka in the final Test England seemed happy to come out of it with the moral high ground.

It was amusing the way the Strauss went out of his way to praise Geraint Jones afterwards for his 16 off 54 balls. Nayan Doshi and me were listening to the commentary on the way back from Northants and Geoffrey Boycott was saying: "How come everyone is saying 'Jones kept well this match'? When Alan Knott kept well it was the norm, shouldn't that be the case with Jones?"

He has had 30 consecutive Tests now and it is a fine line between backing a player and being stubborn in keeping them when they are not producing.

When England went into the last day we were told Steve Harmison would be key because the pitch was uneven and yet at close the emphasis was on Monty Panesar only taking 2 for 60. Every week I rattle on about Monty but I've got to redress the balance. He is not the finished article but he bowled well. He got criticism for bowling too quick but with four men around the bat you don't throw too many up. A young Phil Tufnell used to bowl quickly but as he developed he learnt to vary it. Monty will do the same given the backing that Jones has been afforded.

4. Difficult decisions have to be made

Mark Butcher and Al Butcher left out Martin Bicknell - 1,000 first-class wickets and a Surrey legend - against Somerset at Guildford this week. It must have been a difficult decision and the sort I didn't envy Mark having to make. If Martin is fit and not selected I will feel sorry for him because of the cricketer he is. He is desperate to retire performing well. I'm sure he still has a part to play in hopefully helping us win the Second Division.

The other tough decision for Surrey came up when Anil Kumble arrived and we left out Doshi, our second highest wicket-taker this year. Surrey are going through a transition and we want to win but keep half an eye on the future. I feel that if the youngsters are good enough they will be selected on merit. Sometimes you need to give a kid a chance to show if he is capable of stepping up a level. The ideal is for a young player to come into a successful side. That helped me and experienced team members playing well hid my mistakes.

5. Awful jokes can lift the gloom

On Thursday at lunch we were in the sweltering dressing-room, knackered and silent. Ally Brown walked in with his head in the paper and deadpan he said: "Have you heard about Sophie Ellis Bextor? She has been found murdered in a French footballer's flat." We were all genuinely shocked. Still with a straight face he said: "Yeah, it's murder on Zidane's floor."

When the commotion died down Clarke said that it was like that other joke about the American actress Reese Witherspoon being killed. The punchline went: "No, with a knife."

The comedy continued when we went out on to the pitch after lunch and noticed two people in the crowd dressed as Laurel and Hardy. With Somerset on their way to 686, some bright spark in the stands suggested they open the bowling.

6. Spin is sweet when conditions are right

At tea on Thursday we were all sitting down to eat and Langer walked past Kumble and said that Somerset's spinner Michael Munday recommends one and a half teaspoons of sugar in your tea to make you spin the ball more. Kumble, who had taken 1 for 127, replied: "you need three on that wicket."

Ally Brown has played for 18 years at first-class level and has taken two wickets. In Somerset's innings he took 3 for 25. It left our five Test bowlers - including Anil - shaking their heads.

Me, Al Butcher, Ian Salisbury and Kumble went out for a curry on Thursday night- a second evening on the bounce for me but I enjoy it: Once after touring India, where it was chicken tikka massala every night for six weeks, I returned to England, had fish and chips twice, and was violently ill.

Anyway, I felt sorry for Anil after his first couple of days with a new team in searing heat on a flat wicket up against Langer. I asked him why had he chosen to join Surrey. He said it was a new challenge and that he wanted to be part of a successful side. He also said he is aiming for 600 Test wickets and one more World Cup.

We talked about young spinners and all agreed they need to be given confidence and seen as an attacking option not just as a way to speed up the over rate.

7. Waiter service leaves much to be desired

We had also gone to an Indian restaurant on Wednesday night and while ordering our waiter said to me: "Do you play cricket?" "Yes," I replied. "What is your name?" he asked, so I told him. "Oh yes," he said, "I like your bowling." I didn't bother taking the conversation any further.