MacGill solves a dilemma

Stuart MacGill has adapted to life as Shane Warne's understudy and the various accompanying stereotypes, but nobody realises he is tired of his wicket-taking celebration that looks like an angry boxer at weigh-in. So when MacGill points his finger in the air after watching Andrew Flintoff hole out at deep midwicket most people think he's in send-off mode. Not so, apparently.

"I've just been bored seeing the same picture in the paper," he said. "I've been trying to think of something else so I thought I'd try a Freddie and point to the sky." The stray hand prompts a sharp query from Rudi Koertzen so MacGill quickly dumps it.

Brett Lee knows how to patent a celebration and uses his triple-jump follow-through when he thuds into Inzamam-ul-Haq's pads. Before play he spends some of the warm-ups in the nets next to a large screen showing high- and lowlights of the Ashes. As he fine-tunes his delivery stride he gets another reminder of the winter of disappointment with a recap of his courageous roles in the two-run loss at Edgbaston and the tensest draw at Old Trafford. Not even wins over the world can make England go away.

The World XI warm-up is a sleepy affair with plenty of pre-match cross-training, including a game of touch football that forces Inzamam-ul-Haq into a jog. Daniel Vettori and Muttiah Muralitharan are again in partnership, working on their skills with an Australian Rules football. Muralitharan gets lessons on hand-balling but after a couple of tries he protects his fingers by hitting the leather with his palm. Rugby-style passes are also attempted with little success, but there is nothing wrong with his magical bowling.

Word filters through in the top of the Noble and Bradman stands that "The Boss" might make an appearance. Hearts of Bruce Springsteen fans start beating louder as they wonder if he's caught the cricket bug from Rolling Stone Mick Jagger. Alas, Born to Run has nothing to do with batting and the man in charge is John Howard, the Australia prime minister.

Glenn McGrath has been bossing Australia's opponents for more than a decade but is treated like a minion when replaced after one over, which includes bowling Graeme Smith. The dark conditions force Ricky Ponting to spell his fast men and when asked about the issue McGrath cheekily turns the spotlight. "It's rare for me to go on and off ... when I'm batting," he deadpanned. "It really feels like I batted for two sessions." McGrath made 2 during his interrupted innings and hopes the game doesn't last that many sessions tomorrow.

The World XI's batting line-up is brilliant yet underperforming, the bowling attack is an envious compilation, but the fielding is sloppy. A couple of times during the Super Series Shaun Pollock and Graeme Smith have said they miss a "gazelle" and Jonty Rhodes has been used as the example. Rhodes is in Sydney, but only as an ICC selector.

This morning Rhodes speaks at a breakfast for the Primary Club, which donates to disabled and disadvantaged children's charities, and fielding is again his issue. "There are a lot of good fieldsmen, but few are greats," Richie Benaud, the club's patron, said, naming Rhodes, Neil Harvey and Colin Bland as some of the best. The flying, stumps-splaying run-out of Inzamam-ul-Haq during the 1992 World Cup at the Gabba remains Rhodes' defining playing moment and is still a popular topic. While Rhodes watches the Super Test Inzamam is playing in, no one expects the same level of athleticism.

A similarly powerful tackle is completed by a gang of security staff late in the day after they are dodged by a streaker for longer than the most lengthy video referral. On contact the intruder assumes the same position as a set of stumps attacked by Rhodes, and it looks just as painful.

Shoaib Akhtar's omission from the World XI wasn't a surprise but he was still expected to turn up at the ground. It didn't work out that way as the Rawalpindi Express was delayed at the hotel feeling "unwell". The drink and towel running - to the players on the field, not Shoaib - was left to Shaun Pollock in a swift demotion for a man who directed traffic during the three one-day losses in Melbourne.

Another person with something to complain about was John Bradman, the son of Sir Donald, whose name is now associated with biscuits and batting. While John Bradman was roaming the corridors doing television interviews, John Buchanan made a tea-time announcement sans any type of treat. On the way to the New South Wales Cricket boardroom there's a painting by Arthur Mailey, the early 20th century legspinner, called "Stumps". It wasn't an omen for Buchanan, who signs until the 2007 World Cup.

The Super Series starts tomorrow but the Ashes won't disappear. Ricky Ponting is asked about the chances of reverse-swing at the SCG and after praising the England movement he starts talking balls. "The big difference for us over there is it's probably the only series in the world to use a different brand of ball," he said. "You use a Kookaburra ball in every other series, so [the England players] had a bit better idea of how to use their ball."

It's hard to believe Graeme Smith is only 24 and while holding a mature discussion about captaining the World XI he also mentions Kookaburra, which makes a strong push for word of the day. Smith plans an evening of team meetings, but is expects to talk cricket and video footage instead of native birds.

Diagonally across from the squads' CBD hotel is a plaque marking the 1788 landing of the First Fleet's 11 ships, which left from Portsmouth for stop-offs at Tenerife, Rio and Cape Town before finally docking in Sydney. Smith's sailors have also come from across the world and have their chance to make a significant mark over the next six days.

Rain causes the Australians to head indoors for practice and disrupts their cross-training - or should that be cross-promotion? - with the national rugby union team at the SCG. Both sides had winters to forget, the cricketers giving up the Ashes and the Wallabies losing five Tests in a row, but they manage to spend some time together.

Not that the other code's players made much of an impact on Shane Warne. "It was good, but I didn't know that many of them," he said. "If it had have been the St Kilda footy club I would have known a few more."

It's a day for the spinners, with the four World XI and Australia slow men on show, while Richie Benaud stops traffic in Pitt Street. No, he's not in the middle of the road, but sitting at a desk outside Angus and Robertson signing copies of his latest book My Spin on Cricket. As composed as he was at the ICC awards the previous night, Benaud faces a long afternoon as the trail for his signature snakes through the pedestrian mall. He turned 75 on October 6 but can still pull a crowd.

The ICC Awards attract more stars than an outback sky so excuse the name-dropping. Literally rubbed left shoulders with Brian Lara while mingling, and took a photograph for Makhaya Ntini as he posed with a fan. Sunil Gavaskar, the World XI chairman of selectors, revealed Ntini has been the chief "leg-puller" in the squad and that Chris Gayle has earned the nickname Verucci - part Versace, part Gucci, I'm guessing - because he looks like a top fashion model.

Kevin Pietersen won two awards as well as the prize for most curt line. On receiving the One-day Player of the Year honour he was asked by the host Mark Nicholas what it was like going home to South Africa with England. "I went back to South Africa," he said, "but I didn't go home."

Rod Marsh also mentioned Pietersen - he was hard to miss - and remembered his time at the ECB Academy when "he didn't have a skunk on his head". It was a busy night for Pietersen, who stopped Brian Lara on the way out to get him to sign an autograph bat. Lara didn't bother asking for his World XI team-mate's scribble.

Taxi confessions carry more doubt than is necessary to refer to the third umpire, but this one from a Sri Lankan driver deserves a mention, especially after the public love-in and glowing reports of how quickly the World XI have bonded. On a ride from the team hotel at Southbank, the cabbie spoke of a previous journey with three of the international big guns who were unloading on their captain.

"Stubborn and useless" was one description from a player who couldn't believe Dravid, Sehwag and Muralitharan were fielding in the outfield despite carrying weak arms. "I also tried telling him not to bring Shoaib Akhtar back and to try out Chris Gayle, but he just wouldn't listen," the player said. One thing made clear was that the trio were intent on having a good time in Melbourne.

Lots of ears and eyes have been operating during the one-day series. The all-encompassing video technology for umpiring decisions has attracted a lot of reader feedback for the usual science-versus-nature debate.

The majority favour the camera for every decision to ensure consistent judgments and save players from having their careers ended with an incorrectly raised finger. (I can't think of a batsman who has suffered such a fate in his final Test, but am happy to be reminded.) The best suggestion came from Melbourne's Jeff Ward, who pushed for a "captain's referral" where each leader would be allowed a maximum of three appeals to the video official each day. Sounds like a suitable compromise.

Enjoy an interesting day of learning that includes the facts Kevin Pietersen is weighed down by a diamond-filled, cricket-bat pendant, Mike Hussey is stronger than he looks and Merv Hughes plays touch football. Pietersen's sparkles come only from his necklace today as he misses the game with a leg injury, but the most spectacular - and muscular - moment is due to Hussey's wiry arms and wooden blade.

In the 50th over Hussey literally hits the roof. It seems unreal that anyone could belt it that high - folklore says Lance Klusener did it at training, but only when lobbing the ball to himself before cracking it skywards - but Hussey thrashed the ball so hard that it rebounded off the roof to fall at midwicket for an immediate and unfair call of dead ball. The signal causes Hussey to jump almost as high as his strike, but the Telstra Dome costs him six runs.

The home squad has also been practising side-stepping this week and Big Merv, the newest national selector, joined in for a game of touch football. Merv has swollen since his playing days and his opponents were pleased there was no tackling, except perhaps for Damien Martyn, who was upset with Merv's comments when he was dropped from the Test side.

Inside the lobby of the teams' hotel at Southbank there is an ICC banner saying: "The measure of a world class team is often the size of its challenge." Using any tool the challenge Australia received in the first game was weak. There was batting improvement in the second match but Australia's fresh line-up out-performed their A-list rivals and the roar created from their Under The Southern Cross rendition was so loud it passed through the Telstra Dome walls to intrude on Shaun Pollock's late-night press conference.

Pollock has not been the only person disappointed with the World XI's game. The crowds haven't been convinced by the concept with only 47,000 turning up for the two matches, although the television audience has been loosely registered as a billion. Fortunately for visitors and unfortunately for international cricket, in early October, Melbourne is a city with lots to do.

Across from the team hotel is the Immigration Museum and the Aquarium while the National Gallery of Victoria is a short stroll away in Federation Square. This building houses the Australian collection where there is a footballer, a pioneer and many mermaids, but no cricketers. After an hour of careful looking there are none in the paintings - or the gallery. The international works have an impressive reputation and are a couple of lofty hits away on St Kilda Road, but like the rest of the world team the jaw dropping quality hasn't yet been seen.

On the big screen before play Justin Langer narrates his way through the streets of London for a Johnnie Walker television advertisement. Smartly dressed and philosophising about numbers, Langer's monologue ends with the company's motto "Keep walking". Start walking might be a more appropriate phrase for JL, who has a reputation as one of the most reluctant to depart on dismissal.

The ground atmosphere is more upbeat than on Wednesday and Andrew Symonds and Adam Gilchrist make it an interactive experience with six sixes. Three are caught by safe-handed civilians - Symonds' second effort is taken in the second tier - but the chance Gilchrist sends into the players' enclosure at square leg is not attempted by Glenn McGrath, who rushes from his seat to avoid the white bullet.

Ruled out of the match with leg stiffness, McGrath is employed as the chief drinks and headwear runner and sprints on and off the field faster than he does in his run-up. He has to focus even more intently on the play for the first 30 minutes of the second innings because the television in the enclosure is showing the news programme A Current Affair. The signal is from Channel 9's coverage instead of the ground feed, which televises every ball on a split-second delay.

No naughty-boy nets for the World XI today. It's an optional afternoon session and about half the squad turns up for a run and a hit under the sky instead of the roof. Daniel Vettori tries handballing an Australian Rules football, the usual sport played in the stadium, John Wright stays for throwdowns and the batsmen practise launching missiles. Andrew Flintoff is undoubtedly the best, but he also shows his appetite for furthering his game when he has a long chat with Wright. The focus appears to be footwork and he has another bat to apply the lesson.

Muttiah Muralitharan delivers a few overs and the spectators try to pick his doosra. Think I succeed only twice before it bounces. Flintoff, a Lancashire team-mate, is facing and gets it right most times, usually hitting it through or over cover. In the next net Virender Sehwag is up against three club bowlers, which is a thrill for the young men but not ideal preparation for Brett Lee on Friday. Towards the end of the session the roof closes surprisingly quickly and the arena again feels like a well-lit cave.

The cover is being used rain or shine for the three matches but after seeing it shut so smoothly why can't it be called on whenever the rain arrives? Play could resume after a short delay and the structure would be praised for allowing more overs instead of being criticised heavily as totally unnatural.

Shane Warne: centre stage even when he is not © Getty Images

Spots of rain fall on the way to the ground and the wind causes a few shivers, but sheltered under the Telstra Dome roof it is 20C when the match begins. Melbourne is gripped by news of Australian Rules Football player trades, and the cricket season has apparently come too early. However, there is a stream of people crossing the bridge over the Spencer Street train station to get to the ground. It's deceiving because inside it turns to a trickle.

In the eighth over Andrew Flintoff receives the ball and attracts a roar from a pro-England section under one of the two electronic scoreboards. Later chants of "Freddie's a wanker" start to rumble, an upside-down way of Australians showing him respect. Just ask Richard Hadlee, who was a sustained target in the late 1980s.

Not such a good welcome for Kevin Pietersen when he bats - a mixture of Ashes applause and boos - or Muttiah Muralitharan, whose first over carries a group chorus of "no-ball" at delivery. Ten years after being called at the MCG, he still suffers. Surely it's time to leave him alone and enjoy him. As the World XI bat, Shane Warne slips into the players' enclosure at the boundary edge and there are cheers of "Warney, Warney". Even when not part of the game he can steer a spotlight.

Ricky Ponting - nothing in his speech tells of the pressure of having lost the Ashes © Getty Images

Ricky Ponting seems to have spoken publicly every day for the past week. Today he arrives fresh from the match referee's meeting for his final pre-series conference dressed in a tracksuit so green he could easily have pinched it from Shaun Pollock. The logos insist it is Australian clobber instead of South African and his manner is satisfyingly confident. Nothing in his speech tells of a captain under Ashes-loss pressure. Representative coaches demand positive body language and Ponting models it well. He leaves as quickly as he talks and appears to be one of the few people who can navigate the ground level of the Telstra Dome.

Buggies ferry drinks, supervisors bark instructions and cooks prepare food that looks pretty good even if it's a day early. The flurry inside the stadium has not yet been matched outside it, even though prominent Super Series advertisements are carried around town and on airport buses and visitors' guides. Melbourne seems to be in post-Australian-Rules-season slumber and early ticket sales are slow. Ponting is positive about that, too, tipping a significant walk-up crowd.