KP mingles with commoners, Tendulkar with royalty

Pietersen v the mortals
Imagine you're a bowler looking forward to a village cricket match. You're decently talented, so you fancy your chances of taking a few scalps, maybe even five. And then you see Kevin Pietersen turning up for the opposition. That's precisely what happened to the opponents of Newick CC last week. Pietersen turned up for the village match as a repayment of a favour. Piers Morgan, the newspaper and television personality, got KP a meeting with Simon Cowell, the reality TV judge, and in return asked him to play for his side.

Pietersen's arrival shook things up. "Morgan," said Cameron Jones, one of the opposition, "this is not fair ..." Soon a crowd gathered. They watched Pietersen ask a batsman whether he was ill, considering how boring his batting was, drop a catch off his own bowling, and get hit for 57 off six overs for two wickets. One left-hand batsman even attempted to switch-hit Pietersen but got bowled, prompting Pietersen to ask, "Was he taking the piss out of me?" However, when it was his turn to bat, KP pummelled 158 runs before voluntarily spooning a catch towards cover. He walked off the ground laughing even though it was dropped. Despite his presence and his innings, Newick CC lost the match.

Captain at cards
Shane Warne may have never got to captain Australia at Test cricket but he's been given the honour of leading a national team in the World Series ... of poker, in Las Vegas. Warne had said his cricketing acumen would hold him in good stead for poker was "all about reading the player". He wasn't kidding. Making his debut in front of 1158 players, with reflective sunglasses hiding his eyes, Warne told the Sunday Telegraph he had "$25,000 in chips" at the end of the first break. But he then lost one big hand of $10,000, before winning a massive pot of $29,000. He expressed surprise at how mentally taxing poker was and said he was "running on adrenalin". Wonder how straight his poker face was when he said ""I'll probably collapse tonight - I'm exhausted."

Styris' SMS salvo
Not taking kindly to an article written by Mark Richardson, in which the former New Zealand opener sympathised with Paul Collingwood regarding the Grant Elliott run-out controversy, Scott Styris whipped out his cell phone and "flicked him [Richardson] a text message". The furious text, laden with words that wouldn't pass abusive-language filters, prompted Richardson to file an informal complaint to New Zealand Cricket and the Players' Association manager Heath Mills. Styris, who later said he "was pretty fired up about it" has apologised for his hissy-fit, and Richardson said he was keen not to make the matter public. It didn't stop Richardson from writing an article in the Herald on Sunday, though, in which he said: "I've no doubt this attack came about due to the delicate balance an ex-team member faces when they step out of the dressing room and straight into the media. I believe the player involved would not have been motivated to approach the likes of a professional journalist in the same way they did me when they were angered by what was written."

Keeping tabs on Pup and his charges
Ricky Ponting's Caribbean tour ended prematurely with a wrist injury that forced him to return to Australia leaving Michael Clarke in charge. However, on his journey home Ponting regularly sent text messages to the team officials for constant updates on the goings-on at Warner Park in the fourth ODI. He was in Miami when texts informing him of Australia's last-ball one-run victory reached him. His deputy, Clarke, handled the post-match questions with panache as well. When a reporter asked him "If Australia win on Sunday ..." Clarke interrupted him saying "When we win on Sunday". Sure enough, Australia took the series 5-0.

Roger that, Sach
While his team-mates have been sweating off kilos playing back-to-back matches in the Karachi summer, Sachin Tendulkar, who is sidelined with a groin injury, has been been taking in the action at SW19. Tendulkar was among several sport legends invited to Wimbledon's Royal Box on "Sporting Saturday". "We are having a blast," Tendulkar told the Times of India, and said he was looking forward to seeing Rafael Nadal play. "He's [Mahendra Singh] Dhoni's favourite," Tendulkar said. "I have always been a [Roger] Federer fan. Make no mistake about that. Nadal has improved a lot on grass and he will come out all fired up. But I still believe Federer will be the champion once again." On Sunday, Tendulkar also took in some F1 action at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

Lost grave found
The Week That Was had said last week that the unspecified location of Norfolk cricket legend Fuller Pilch's grave in St Gregory's disused churchyard was holding up the building of the Canterbury Christ Church University music centre. That problem has now been solved with Pilch's great great great great-nephew locating the grave using an old family photo. Peter Pilch showed the university a photo from the 1950s with his mother Doris standing by a grave towards the south of St Gregory's Church. The music centre was to be built on the north of the church, so Pilch can rest in peace.

Headline of the Week
"No knee-d to worry"
A Sky Sports report says Michael Vaughan is adamant he will be fit for the series against South Africa