remember cricket, its the thing they play between hearings and press confrences

A lot of people seemed to miss this, but while Australians were being hypocrites and Indians were throwing hissy fits, there was a test that got played.

I’m going to do something radical here and talk about the cricket.

Australia has two bowlers of test match standard.

Brett Lee, the reformed Indian singer, who has suddenly learnt how to combine bowling fast with taking wickets, and Stuart Clark, the middle management specialist who just continues to take wickets.

Then they have Mitchell Johnson, whom I have mentioned before, has two personalities. One day he is a fire breathing dragon, the next a puppy with a wet nose. If he finds conditions that swing he is damn good, if not he is damn annoying to watch. Luckily for him, Rick(y) seems to like him, which may account for the amazing amount of overs he bowled in the first innings, even when he continued to bowl dribble.

The last of the quartet is George Bradley Hogg, the man who is not talented enough to be related to the great north suburban fire brand Rodney Hogg (Yes googlers, Rodney Hogg is not Brad Hogg’s daddy/uncle/cousin or husband). I never though he was up to test match standard, judging from the last afternoon in Sydney, neither does Rick(y).

Players who do not have full support of Rick(y) tend to go the way of Jimmy Hoffa. Mind you Rick(y) may not have to stomp his foot, Hogg is injured and under investigation, plus the fact the selectors are dying to bring Tait in at the Waca.

Their batting is quite solid, but there is one major question mark, Michael Clarke. No one doubts this guy can seriously bat, but he does struggle under the strenuous nature of coming in when wickets are falling and the pressure is at its hottest. He is a long way from being an automatic selection in my eyes.

India too have their problems.

I love Yuvraj Singh the one day player. Arrogant, clever, stylish, brutal. A run machine capable of taking apart a bowling attack piece by piece and mailing it back to its family in some sort of sick game. But I hate Yuvraj the test player, frightened, lost, alone, cold, blocked sinuses. A scrawny man at a Xena Warrior princess lookalike contest. Where is the Yuvraj I know and love, cause this one stinks.

Wasim Jaffer can bat, I am positive of this fact. Unfortunately right at the moment, he is not. As I write this he is on the street in front of his hotel, waiving his bat at cars and expecting them to magically swerve and not hit him.

Perhaps in the 2nd dig Rahul Dravid again found some semblance of form, but the Waca will test that out once and for all.

Setting aside what happens to Harbhajan, the 4th bowler is the only concern for India’s attack. But that said Sharma is a shoe in for Perth, I mean what is this guy, like 8 feet tall.

Remember when we used to talk about cricket, back in 2007, it seems like only yesterday.www.cricketwithballs.com "the hooking & pulling specialists"