I cannot believe that Brett Lee is not playing in this test match. It seems to me that it is one of the most ill made decisions the selectors have made in many years. Maybe it was made so that he doesn’t set any legal precedents in NZ. I think the inevitable deaths would have been set already in the hearts & minds of the NZ players on seeing his name in an announced team. Maybe it was a move to save the test series. They are all running scared. Fleming admitted as much. Maybe there would have been a mass walk out in the NZ camp had Lee been selected. Do you think there is any correlation between Lee not playing and Australia only taking 3 wickets on the first day? Absolutely completely bloody ridiculous. He could have at least been released for this weekend’s Pura Cup game, so I could go and watch him do his thing at the SCG. Victoria wouldn’t stand a chance.

At least Katich finally has a position in which he can cement himself. If he gets a bat that is.
KW

Editorial:

Of course if the selectors weren’t being so damn safe & conservative they could always have left Katich out of the side again, played Gilchrist at 6 and gone in with the four pronged pace attack & Warne. Katich wouldn’t have minded, he is used to sinking deeper and deeper into the frustrated despair of having his talents overlooked and his dreams dangled horribly close. Now that Katich has made what will be a match winning hundred Lee’ll probably have to sit back and wait for an injury. Or start leaving inconspicuous items (a rollerskate here, something slippery there) at strategic positions about the hotel’s corridors so that accidents may occur.

Unless they leave out Clarke. He hasn’t scored any test runs in a while. Good lord, imagine the outcry.

Here’s a classic test match photograph – late in the day, the field tight and dense with shadows.