The Surfer

"Harmison's first ball said a bit about how nervous he and England were," said Ponting. "The first ball of the first Test and the last day of the second Test were pretty significant. They were unbelievably good moments for the Australian team. They were the defining moments of the whole series. When a big moment came along, it was the Australian team that stood up.

According to sources close to the team, the impending exodus from the Delhi team will leave the side starved of ‘star’ value. Though star Indian opener and Delhi skipper Virender Sehwag wasn’t available for comment, there are strong hints that the Haryana Cricket Association has approached him and that the offer is still open.

Oram has his own distinctive technique where he opens out his front hip and shoulder to create power and give him a hitting arc through the on-side. It can look agricultural and does shut off the off side but it is hard to criticise given his results over the last three games. "I used to try and bully it over the boundary, now I feel as though they can bowl different lengths and I can still hit them.

Disgruntled players believe the voting criteria gives too much credence to one-day matches and isn't a genuine reflection of Australia's finest overall cricketer during the summer period. Of all the 30 players eligible for the medal, only five can actually win it. Under the voting system, Ricky Ponting, Mike Hussey, Brett Lee, Michael Clarke and Adam Gilchrist are considered the only genuine contenders.

John Buchanan wanted pressure to be put on the bowlers, and the visiting batsmen have answered his call. On Friday, England reached 292. Yesterday, on a larger field and against livelier bowling, the Kiwis mustered 290. Quite enough to test the batsmen as well. Suffice it to say the test was passed as the fourth wicket pair rose spendidly to the occasion. After a summer of domination, the hosts have met some sturdy resistance.

The system that picks the finest player of the previous year every February needs an overhaul. At the heart of the injustice is the equal weighting given to Test and one-day cricket when it is clear that Test matches are far more important than the froth and bubble.

I was jaw-smackingly horrified as he revealed to me the rubbish he had just been spouting to The Greatest Fast Bowler who ever lived.

Plainclothes police will mingle with fans to help enforce the ban and video footage and photos will also be used to help identify anyone who starts a Mexican wave. Offenders will be ejected and anyone caught throwing an object faces a $210 on-the-spot fine.

Opening batsman Matthew Hayden and captain Ricky Ponting are both believed to have been forced to walk away from personal endorsement deals in the financial services sector because the Commonwealth Bank is insisting on a broad range of "category protection" in return for the estimated $6.5 million it is pumping into the game as sponsor of the annual one-day series.

It seems the game's national administrative body, Cricket Australia, believes our favourite summer sport exists solely at the pleasure of sporting bureaucrats and, more importantly, of major corporate sponsors.

The meek may inherit the earth in the bible but in professional sport they get trampled on. Australia's cricket team has healthy egos and some players do tread a fine line with their behaviour which could easily be perceived as being above the game…