The World Cup déjà vu

Dale Steyn's form has been patchy in the Champions League so far, but his second ball on Thursday was one that would have heartened any fast bowler. Angling in slightly towards the stumps, Steyn had the ball hold it's line just long enough for Murali Vijay's hands to begin searching for it, before swinging it appreciably away, just before it pitched on a length. Already well committed to the stroke, Vijay chased the ball and edged it to first slip, to collect his second duck in as many innings.

Thisara Perera had as poor a day with the ball as he is ever likely to have had in his professional career, but before his figures truly took a nosedive, he was already visibly venting frustration. Suresh Raina swung a high full toss to the leg side, and when an advancing Hanuma Vihari dropped it in the outfield, Perera meted out an expletive-laden volley in Vihari's direction. When Perera turned towards the umpire though, his expression of anger turned to one of embarrassment. The full toss had been judged to be above waist-high, and as such, a catch would not have yielded Raina's wicket anyway.

Perera was on the field when MS Dhoni walloped a monster six to win the 2011 World Cup, and in an over that had already become acutely distressing for the bowler, Dhoni delivered an emphatic carbon-copy of the stroke that sunk Sri Lanka over two years ago. Perera pitched a full-length ball outside off stump, and Dhoni cleared his left hip to launch the ball into the second tier of the stand behind long-on. The six was the longest in the tournament so far, at 101 metres.

On a night in which 18 sixes were struck, Perera's only big shot was among the most impressive. Taking a full R Ashwin delivery from wide of off stump, Perera dragged it to the leg side with all the power he could muster into a slog sweep, and the ball didn't rise much above the ground, although it cleared the cow corner rope easily.

Michael Hussey played alongside some of the greatest cricketers ever, but his favourite cricketer according to the Champions League graphic was revealed to be Nathan Lyon - a choice that clashed with a somewhat predictable pick for favourite film; 'The Shawshank Redemption'. It is the second occasion on which he has shown unexpected affection for Lyon, after he had bequeathed Lyon the Australian victory song when he retired from cricket early in the year. At the time, that choice had also raised eyebrows, as Lyon's place in the team was far from secure, but Hussey said then that he believed Lyon "plays the game for the right reasons" and that is perhaps why Lyon has a place in his heart that not even Shane Warne, Ricky Ponting or Glenn McGrath could command.