An interesting thing I’ve noticed looking at the Pakistan player’s profiles is the names of the teams that they play for back in the Pakistan domestic and grade competitions. They seem to play for commercial teams or laboratories – Shoaib’s major teams for instance are listed as: Agriculture Development Bank of Pakistan, Pakistan International Airlines, Rawalpindi, Somerset, Khan Research Labs, Durham, Pakistan. I really like that he plays for an airline. The sooner provincialism and nationalism are superceded as the basis for the constitution of cricket teams the better. It should be like cycling. I’d love to see the Euskaltel-Euskadi cricket team up against 3 mobile.

3 Mobile are well on top of Team Pepsi after the second day of the test. The highlight today was that there was a streaker. It seems to have been ages since we had a decent streaker interrupt the cricket. And this one was a ripper, apparently (of course Channel 9 have a policy of not showing footage of streakers as it is feared it may encourage the practice, but O’Keefe’s commentary on ABC local radio was fantastic) he made it all the way to the pitch and somersaulted the stumps before being run down by security. O’Keefe was recounting how, as he had vaulted past the batsman Ponting had given him a look of disdain, delivered, in O’Keefe’s words – “regardless of his appendage” which it seemed Kerry was quite impressed by. I think he felt Ponting should have given him more credit. Of course the whole event sparked sentimental reminiscences of the time Greg Chappell had whacked a streaker on his bare flesh with his Gray-Nicolls. Later in the afternoon another streaker tried his boozy legs out at the dash across the turf but didn’t make it too far and really it was a foolish attempt that could only end in disappointment in the light of the glory that the initial bare run achieved.

For those people who may be new to the game or have just forgotten what he looks like here are some old pictures of Matthew Hayden from when he was once more perceptible. He’s been a hard man to track down lately.

Today S.C.G MacGill made yet another return to test cricket after yet another prolonged period in the wilderness. He made this return on the ground after which he is named, and today the ground was kind to him – eventually. It took MacGill until just before tea to pick up his first wkt. Yasir caught by McGrath at mid-on. Upon taking the wkt MacGill walked slowly, with his head bowed, over to McGrath and buried his face in the mutterman’s chest. There he wept – it was as if he were sobbing words along the lines of, ‘I have another test wkt, finally I have claimed it, I had feared I would never feel this again, thank you pigeon, thank you terribly.’ After this MacGill really hit his straps. The last over he bowled before tea was the best over I have ever seen him bowl. His deliveries were coursing along peculiar lines, the ball was moving with a great resistance against the directions it was being forced to take. Warnie may be an incredibly precise bowler but he bowls according to a pure physics, it always seems quite logical where the ball is going to and where it ends up. Warnie’s balls make sense – they adhere to the law. Muralitharan on the other hand creates his own physics, a lawless, impure physics. Terrifying for a batsmen (and some match referees) to witness. MacGill is no Murali but today it was more like he was bowling floating & drifting freaky doosras every ball than just his regular leg spin.

Today’s other highlight was the Salman Butt ton.

Also, Dizzy’s first over today was the best first over of any bowler in any test ever. He narrowly beat the bat with the first two deliveries, found a thick edge with the third. The ball flew gently to Warne at first slip at a distinctly catchable height. Warne grassed it. The next ball found a thick edge and flew gently to Gilchrist’s right. Gilchrist didn’t have to move much but still managed to grass it. I have never seen Dizzy look so sad and forlorn. I think he may have even muttered. Gilgamesh had produced a perfect start to his spell and his trusty cordon had let him down. At the end of the over Dizzy trudged slowly off to fine leg with that full on I don’t want to play anymore look about him.