Sadly, this game would prove to be the high point of the whole trip and our morale seemed to dip with each day of cricket we played. One of the main reasons for the tension and irritation was the umpiring. It set the already unstable camp on edge because we felt it was in favour of the home side. Hang on, I’ve been too kind there. We were sure it was in favour of the home side.

Once you see something with the naked eye, you should be reporting it and having it assessed and measured properly.

To that, I say this: a few may not agree, but one of the greatest men to have walked the earth in my lifetime is Nelson Mandela. He and his people suffered tremendously under the apartheid regime, but when he took over the mantle of governing South Africa, he did not vindictively return the favour to the opposition, which would probably have sent South Africa into chaos and terminal decline. Instead he charted a way forward that started with forgiveness and inclusiveness, bringing about a smooth transition instead of possible revenge and bloodshed. Maybe some folk in cricket administration can learn something from the great man.

I believe that Paul Collingwood, the England captain, should have called back the New Zealand all-rounder Grant Elliott after he was run out while lying on the floor following a collision with a bowler at The Oval in 2008. Worse was New Zealand running out Muttiah Muralitharan when he left his crease to congratulate Kumar Sangakkara on a century in Christchurch in 2006. It’s easy to defend those actions by saying no rules were broken but surely the game is bigger than that.

The ugly scenes created on that 1980 tour of New Zealand, England’s tour of Pakistan with the Shakoor Rana v Mike Gatting incident and the sight of Sunil Gavaskar and Arjuna Ranatunga leading their teams off the field in Australia in protest at the umpiring might not have occurred if the independent umpiring panel had been in place.

Australia and New Zealand were by far the worst countries to tour for home bias. In fact, although I’ve toured Australia on far more occasions than New Zealand and therefore have seen far more poor decisions, both playing and commentating, I’d put the Kiwis slightly ahead. That 1980 tour left a lasting impression. India and Pakistan umpires had reputations, but as far as I was concerned, nothing could top what I experienced in New Zealand.