Test match cricket - it's the most boring thing to watch. How they call themselves sportsmen I'll never know.
In tournament cricket, with a new opponent each game, I think you actually need to play to your own strengths more.
When I first came into the side as captain, I was accused of being quite conservative, quite negative, and just doing what Andrew Strauss did.
I don't bowl at 140 kmph or 150 kmph, so my best chance of getting the batsmen out is by bowling in the right areas and getting it to swing.
Whenever I have played a game of cricket, whether it is under-16, under-19, or State level, my approach has been the same.
The era of playing aggressive cricket and to have the mid-on up is gone. You now try to read the mindset of a batsman.
Cricket is not rocket science. Bowlers often get wickets through perseverance, accuracy and being patient rather than trying to blast opposition teams out.
Dhoni Is The Best Captain I Have Played Under
I am a big fan of the five-bowler strategy.
To score runs you have to be pragmatic.
I feel, as a captain, that when you face a batsman who plays spin well you feel as if you are a fielder short.
If I'm only going to play one more match, I want to take a wicket with every ball, not try and defend a boundary.
If you look round the world, most teams want guys who can bowl up at 90 mph because they can make things happen when it isn't doing much.
Playing with Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn, I am a very lucky guy. Not many people are going to attack those two, which means the batsmen will attack me. And if they attack me, there is always a chance I can get a wicket.
And in an Ashes series the best approach as a player is to not get caught up in feeling pressure for your position but to think only about the greater cause. How can I contribute? It could be a single moment, like a blinding catch or a run out. Think only of the team's needs.
On the field, MS epitomises calmness and, from a cricket point of view, has the best angle in terms of field placements.
Usually a captain will allow his bowler to set the field, while exercising overall control and maintaining the authority to step in if he sees fit.
I play a lot of cricket. I just want to play, play, and play.
You never want an Australian with his back against the wall. You put any 12 blokes together and you'll get a job done. Whether it's getting a bogged four-wheel-drive off the beach or standing in front of a cricket wicket and making sure we're in a dominant position. It's the same dog, different leg action, so to speak.
I still remember my quote from the 2007 World Cup, when I said scoring two threes was as good as hitting a six. That was me trying to justify what you couldn't. To me, and this was before I became director of cricket, we just couldn't do that again.
I want to be a high-order batter in the one-day stuff, to play some long innings rather than just go in and have a swipe.
I won the glare with the bowler every time, because I knew that at some time he was going to have to turn around and go back to his mark.
The IPL is just pure, intense. You don't need all the other stuff. I don't believe in coaches in international cricket.
I appreciate every batsman in the world for different reasons. If I want someone to tough it out in the middle, I'd pick Steve Waugh. If I want someone who I know is going to have the technique to survive, you want a player like Tendulkar.
I've always felt that when I've been successful in red-ball cricket it has been because I've left the ball well and sometimes in cricket the shots you don't play are more important than the ones you do.
