Sorry for the absence last week. I have no excuses, apart from the lame one that last Monday was very busy. So to make up, let me begin with one from the previous week.

Most of you will have noticed Osman Samiuddin's return. It was business as usual the moment he got back from his honeymoon (which, incidentally, Thai anti-government protesters chose to make memorable by coming out on to the streets to engage the army) and he was called on write about the ICC's decision to remove Pakistan from the list of World Cup hosts. This he did with familiar clarity and reason:

In such darkness, sadness is understandable, even desirable if it brings introspection, but there should be no place for anger

It's been mostly IPL last week, and though the cricket has been mostly tepid so far, the spicier pitches in South Africa have ensured that batsmen have had to fall back on traditional skills. Not surprisingly, the top performers have all been familiar names, and it gave Peter Roebuck cause to rejoice:

the first few matches of this year's IPL have reminded all and sundry that cricket is just a game played with a bat and a ball, that good cricketers will find a way, that determined and skilful players will adapt, that the leading lights in 10-day cricket are likely to prosper in 10-over cricket as well.

As promised, we've been having fun at Page 2. I highly recommend a couple of sections. The CV has so far featured Lasith Malinga, Andrew Symonds and Kevin Pietersen. Watch out for more. And to catch cricketers talking about their lives on and off the field, check out Quick Singles, which has featured JP Duminy. What would Harbhajan Singh grab first if his house was on fire? Find out here.

It's not just Page 2 alone. Over at Inbox, Andrew Hughes has been good form over the last week. Here's his take on the delights of sponsored commentary. Your writing can feature in Inbox, too. Use the "Submit your piece" link to send in your articles.

	© Cricinfo Ltd

I don't know how owners of large department stores that make you wind your way past things that they want you to see feel about doing so, but I feel a bit sheepish about luring you in with this headline. Though it does not lie, Harbhajan and Symonds are only bit players in this piece: the main agenda is something else.

Now that I have secured your attention, allow me to lead you on to a brand new section on Cricinfo. Unlike department stores, I won't guarantee satisfaction, but I have a hunch it will bring a smile to your face.

You have two choices. You can click on this link to check out the section right away and then come back read this if you need to. Or you can read on and explore later.

I recommend the second option.

So let me tell you what Page 2 is all about.

To start with, it will not have news and scores, which form the core of Page 1, otherwise known as the homepage. It will have elements of opinion, a blog or two, lists, games, byte-sized features, and even "stats" - though unlike the ones you have seen on Cricinfo.

With Page 2, Cricinfo is venturing into new territory. And after having put it together we are now wondering why we waited so long. It is no coincidence, however, that it is being launched during the IPL: Page 2 mirrors Twenty20.

	© Cricinfo Ltd

Twenty20 was born out of a strikingly simple idea. It stripped cricket of all its adornment - and even character, it can be argued - to pursue one objective: entertainment. You could say that it reduced a grand game to a merely entertaining one. But in doing so it has opened up a new world, and the sport is richer for it. It is a tribute to cricket that it can accommodate three
distinct forms.

By the same token, Page 2 makes no apologies about making entertainment its sole objective. It is not a deviation from our core values, but rather an expansion of our range. Cricinfo has always been, and will remain, a serious site for serious fans. But like Twenty20 itself, Page 2 will serve as an aperitif to a substantial main course.

Even though its scope is currently limited to the IPL, there is a lot to sample. Try out The CV, our alternative player profiles, or Quick Singles, where cricketers provide glimpses into their lives off the field as well as on it.

In Hit or Miss, poet, dancer and soon-to-be novelist Tishani Doshi will offer daily meditations on a love that she is hoping to reignite (with cricket, lest you get ideas), and in The Daily
Dose our reporters at the venues will bring you the sidelights from South Africa.

If you still don't believe that the IPL has changed everything, try this cricket dictionary, by Andy Zaltzman, of The Confectionery Stall fame. And for further evidence, sample Rules from Hell, inspired by the various edicts of He Who Must Not Be Named.

In You Asked For It you will find rubbish answers to questions our other q&a columnists on the site, Geoff Boycott and Steven Lynch, would dismiss out of hand.

EyePL TV, our daily cartoon, will take a look at the other side of the tournament; and there's more comic relief courtesy the exploits of Thwackman, cricket's first superhero, who stumbles into the world of the IPL.

Plus, there are lists, quizzes and crosswords, and we also have Ian Chappell, David Lloyd, Sanjay Manjrekar and yours truly trying to beat each other at Fantasy cricket.

So, welcome to Page 2. The section is evolving and lots more features will be added as the tournament progresses. If you're missing a navigation that helps you get around, that will be taken care of in a couple of days too.

For once we urge you not to take us seriously. Join us in having some fun. And let us know what you think.

Before I go, here's the piece that made the headline possible.

EyePL TV, our daily cartoon, will take a look at the other side of the tournament; and there's more comic relief courtesy the exploits of Thwackman, cricket's first superhero, who stumbles into the world of the IPL.

Plus, there are lists, quizzes and crosswords, and we also Ian Chappell, David Lloyd, Sanjay Manjrekar and yours truly trying to beat each other at Fantasy cricket.

So, welcome to Page 2. The section is evolving and lots more features will be added as the tournament progresses. If you're missing a navigation that helps you get around, that will be taken care of in a couple of days too.

For once we urge you not to take us seriously. Join us in having some fun. And let us know what you think.

Before I go, here's the piece that made the headline possible.

	Raees Ahmadzai - not a sportsman trained in the art of replying to the media but one who was direct, honest, witty and generous © Leslie Knott

It's not unusual for sport to provide cheer at times of misery. The rise of its cricket team has been one of most uplifting stories to have emerged from Afghanistan in recent times. Will Luke, who went to South Africa to cover the ICC World Cup Qualifiers, brought us the extraordinary story of Raees Ahmadzai.

As with many good stories, this one just happened. Will spotted Raees in the press box adjacent to the one he was in, chatting to the lone Afghan journalist at the tournament, an ardent cricket fan, who works for the BBC's Pashtun service. "So I seized my chance," Will says, "not knowing who he was. Fortunately he spoke eloquent English and, even more
fortunately, he knew and loved Cricinfo."

The piece wrote itself. "There wasn't much cricket chat, and perhaps that helped me. I was talking to a human being instead of a sportsman trained in the art of replying to the media, which is nothing short of a disease spreading through the modern game.

"Afghanistan had already lost two, maybe three, wickets and he was due in at No. 6, but he didn't care. Instead, he made sure I was spelling Kacha Gari correctly, and scribbled other notes down. He was as keen as I was to tell his story, and in modern sports journalism how often does that come about?"

Halfway through the interview, Will even had a title in his head - "Cloth for balls, shoes for stumps". The piece took about an hour to write the next morning. "He was direct, honest, witty and generous. The piece was all there, already written. A stroke of luck really."

We are glad we sent Will out there. Thanks to Martin Willamson for arguing the case.

Sidharth Monga was in terrific form throughout India¹s tour of New Zealand. He was both prolific and able, every once in while, to produce a piece that was off-the beaten track. He also sent in diaries through the series, which provided glimpses into a touring cricket writer's life. Before he went missing in New Zealand, he sent us this one.

Out of nowhere, South Africa has landed two high-profile cricket tournaments. Peter Roebuck, now a part-time resident of the country, writes that South Africa won because it had the interest and the infrastructure, the space and the desire. But while the gains for South Africa have been substantial, he argues, the cost to the game, and the world, has been high.

I am amazed that Suresh Menon has managed keep his excellent column on cricket literature running for as long as he has. That's because he has not only read every cricket book worth reading, but even the more obscure ones. His latest is about Edmund Blunden, the English poet, one of many men of letters to have had a more than passing acquaintance with cricket.

Here's another plan to make you part of Cricinfo. If you are a cricket fan in South Africa and are keen on the IPL, you could share your experiences of watching the games with the world through us.

We are looking for volunteers to send us really short reports of the fan experience at the upcoming matches. If you are going to be at any of the games (the schedule is here) - in Durban, Cape Town, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, Bloemfontein, Centurion, East London and Kimberley - you may be able to help us.

Send us a brief note (under 100 words) about yourself, telling us what you do, mentioning which city you're going to be in, and anything else you think may be relevant.

Unfortunately we can't pay you for your efforts, but you will be read by a large audience, and we'll be happy to publish a thumbnail picture of you and a brief bio, with a link to your blog or other webpage if any. Interested? Mail fanfollowing@cricinfo.com.

And here's what you ought to have read on Cricinfo last week.

What does Kevin Pietersen really want? Andrew Miller goes to the heart of the question and finds a simple answer: like a lot of us, he merely wants to be loved.

The countdown to the English summer has begun and we warm up to the job by introducing a weekly column on county cricket, once the nursery for the world game, but now English cricket’s favourite scapegoat, by Lawrence Booth, who writes regularly in the Guardian and occasionally on Cricinfo. Booth starts with a lament about the diminishing coverage of domestic cricket in newspapers, but ends with hope. A new saviour is at hand: the web.

Topicality was the last thing on Sidharth Monga’s mind when he got Mark Greatbatch to chat about his monumental match-saving innings against Australia in Perth in 1988-89 (655 minutes, 435 balls, 146 not out). But the piece became instantly relevant when Gautam Gambhir put up his own marathon (643 minutes, 436 deliveries, 137 runs) to save India the Napier Test.

And here’s a piece that I wish had been published on Cricinfo. Apart from his intellect and rigour, the thing I find most remarkable about Mike Atherton is his ability to look at the time he spent as an English player with dispassionate objectivity. He writes here with candour about his own Lewis Hamilton moment in 1994, when he was fined for lying to the match referee.

	Rahul Dravid has all the ingredients of a good slipper: good anticipation, swift movement, perfect timing, and soft hands © AFP

Now I believe that everything happens for a reason. So despite waking up at 4am and getting to the airport well in time I have missed my flight to Chennai for a reason so silly that I can't bring myself to own it up in public. But what makes the misery bearable is that it ensured I didn't miss Rahul Dravid's record-breaking catch. I didn't want to miss it, though I always feared I would.

I remember telling him jokingly before the series that if he wanted his countrymen to watch him break the record he better make sure that it came after lunch, or better still in the final session. Of course I have been up to see the first session on most days and I saw him take the first catch of the series, in the seventh over of the first morning's play on March 18, but the next one has taken some time to come. But when I left home in the morning just after India declared, I had a feeling that I would miss it.

And despite sitting in front of the TV in the airport lounge I almost did; had I got up in time to catch my flight, I certainly would have. It was just in time that I shifted my attention from the laptop to watch Zaheer Khan induce the edge from Tim McIntosh and Dravid go down to his left at second slip to pick the ball few inches from the ground. It was a good catch, not spectacular, but not as easy as Dravid made it look. It was a result of what makes Dravid such a good slipper: good anticipation, swift movement, perfect timing, and soft hands.

Dravid has spent a lifetime in Sachin Tendulkar's shadow and the big batting records - centuries, number of runs scored - were never going to be his, but he is quite on his own in the slips. Mohammad Azharuddin will rank as the greatest all-round Indian fielder, and he was quite brilliant in the slips, but as a specialist and for sheer longevity, Dravid stands alone. Sunil Gavaskar was pretty good at first slip too, but I reckon Dravid has taken more difficult catches, and made them look easy.

	Slip catching requires good technique and lots of practice © Associated Press

There are many theories about what makes top-order batsmen such good slip fielders - Bob Simpson, Mark Waugh, Mark Taylor, and Mahela Jayawerdene are the names that spring to mind immediately - but perhaps the ability to concentrate for long periods is the most accurate. But like everything else in cricket, slip catching requires good technique and lots of practice. Mark Waugh, whose record Dravid has broken, took far more spectacular catches and he was superb in the outfield too, but what has marked Dravid out is his catching off spinners, an art in itself. It requires standing closer, reading the bowler and anticipating the batsman's response. In the recent years, Dravid has sometimes moved away from the slips against the quicker bowlers, but Anil Kumble would have none other.

I can't afford to miss the second flight of the morning, so I will wind up with my favourite Dravid catch. It came in Adelaide in 2003, in what must count as his finest Test. In the first innings he rescued India from 85 for 4 with a double-hundred, and stayed unbeaten in the second to see his team through to the unlikeliest of Test wins, but his catching was sensational too. Sachin Tendulkar took two wickets in the Australian second innings that began the collapse, and Dravid caught them
both. The more spectacular one by far was the one that dismissed Damien Martyn, who drove hard, edged, and Dravid, who had very little time to react, flung himself to his right to bring off a spectacular one-handed catch.

This record is likely to stay with him for a while. At the average rate for catches, the men behind him, Ponting, Kallis and Jayawardene, will need about three years to catch up, and given how well he has played in this series, Dravid, if he chooses to, still has a season or two left in him.