The mountain of support continues to gather particles. (Scroll down the linked pages to find comments).

All week he’s been crumpled & rumpled and unshaven, today he is so hungry for runs that, while he’s all spic & happy again, his stomach’s turned nasty. Beware the wrath nz, beware the fever & be consumed.

Far more sad than any of this is the continuing stupid bitter nonsense about the umpires. Australia wins cricket matches because it outplays opponents, utterly. Being unable to face up to shortcomings the umpires get the blame. The thing is, if a player from Pakistan or nz get a decision going their way no one notices because the player will not go on and capitalise on the opportunity. In contrast, Adam Gilchrist makes the opposition pay for not being definitive in their attempts at dismissal – it is clear to the world how the umpires decision has affected the game. Umpires are as athletic as any cricketer and make judgments as fine as any judgment any player makes, these judgments have an impact. A batsman builds an innings out of thousands of minor decisions, a bowler constitutes his spell in the same way. A fielder captures, restricts, redirects the flight of the ball. An umpire’s decisions are only ever as minor as all the other decisions that make a game of cricket function. Sometimes the tiniest error by the batsman is fatal, sometimes a much larger error has no effect. Nothing is able to be calculated. An umpiring decision does not decide the game. It is a minute element in a massive series of minute elements. Pakistan and nz lost to Australia because they played poorly, and they have both responded poorly to their insufficient performances. To blame the umpire is grossly offensive, disrespectful and displays a lack of ability to take responsibility for their own flawed decision making. The umpires do not blame a poor decision on the sun or the pitch. Its a rant but fuck it it has to be said & said.

From a stupid Pakistani coach to a Pakistani superstar. Shoaib is facing an inquisition!

To the greatest pm Australia has ever had?

Over the last week, since Matty Hayden was dropped from the one day side for the vb finals, every night on the news he has appeared in a different airport, with the same grumpy face, clinging to, or resting his head on the same pillow with little red flowers on the pillow case. There’s something delightful about it.

But today he was named in the one day squad to tour nz and he was on the news upright and smiling and claiming to be more hungry than ever. Will nz flesh be able to satiate him? Lambs to the slaughter. It won’t be a matter of Matty trading the sweet pillow in for something more intimadating, he will retain its delicacy and let it infect his batting which will be remade no less powerful than before only the power will be less blatant and far harder for the nz lambs to counter. He will take the pillow out onto the pitch with him and rest his head between balls, drawing on its soft intricacy between dispatches to/over the boundary.

On the other sad hand (though it had to be) Lehmann has been overlooked. He has taken it very well. So well that the decision is clearly the right one. Lehmann doesn’t really mind if he plays cricket for Australia anymore or not, hasn’t for a while. We will miss the geography of his head and his utilisation of the crease.

I was just waiting for this moment. Mutterman has finally brought up his one-day international century. 100 runs in only 201 games. It is in honour of the mutterman that I too raise my bat and acknowledge the applause of my readership, revelling in my 100th entry.

Last night Kerry O’Keeffe was claiming that McGrath is a better bowler than Lillee ever was, and at least one journalist has named a corridor after him.

Now, to take the 100th entry to the heights it deserves – if you look at the picture in the right hand corner, its frikkin Derrida playing backyard cricket!!! He’s using a Kookaburra bat and his technique is decidedly rudimentary. He looks fabulous.

As do the Reds.

I was so glad that Andrew Symonds won the one day player of the year prize despite his 6 ducks in the last 7 games. After watching him field v Pakistan on Sunday night I don’t really mind if he never scores another run in his life, he needs to be on the team. Frankly he deserves the medal for just looking so damn good anyway. If only it was Dizzy with him in that last picture, Dizzy was resplendant as well – as usual. They would make the absolute perfect couple. (Enough of those blonde haired cricketers and their blonde haired escorts!)

Justin Langer cut a lone figure and was talking himself up to win the most handsome cricketer award. He was right on the money.

For all the drama and the wonder of the evening, the VS Medal really is the most awkward few hours of television you could ever possibly watch.

Channel 9’s 3D wagonwheel of Lara’s mega innings v Pakistan yesterday was probably the most moving, beautiful graphic that Channel 9 have ever produced. It was a true supernova. I am developing a plan to make a sculpture of it using pipe cleaners. Or maybe a cake. I probably wouldn’t be able to afford that many pipe cleaners but it is a nice dream. There has long been something astronomical about Lara.

I love it when Brett Lee’s taking wkts for his country.

One great thing about the West Indies is that they aren’t a country. They can have no national day or national anthem. This picture is altogether mysterious – its caption is misguided.

The West Indies do not represent a State. They can play for nothing but the team. The supposed national anthem must be nothing but a team song. When I grow up I want to play cricket for the West Indies cricket team. On the team’s ensign there is a sun, a palm tree, the sea and a set of stumps.

The only thing better than seeing Brett Lee take wkts for his country would be seeing him take wkts for the West Indies.

Today in the newsagent’s I came across a little black book with ‘Collins 2005’ etched in gold across its top righthand corner. It is, I believe, an omen. Within the next 11 months Pedro will attain the greatness anyone who is called Pedro & plays cricket for the West Indies deserves. 2005 belongs to Collins.

There are two very important articles on baggygreen today.

The first is an agonisingly sad interview with Michael Slater.

When Pakistan last toured Australia in 1999 Slats built up a momentous combat with Shoaib Akhtar. Now it is the man who took Slater’s place at the top of the order back in the 2001 ashes series who is haunting Shoaib’s dreams.

Slats & Shoaib both love their Ferraris.

Justin Langer would never drive a ferrari. More likely a holden ute. This assertion has nothing to do with analogies based on speed, its simply all in the stance. On the paddock Justin has a holden ute stance. For Matty Hayden this could be awkward territory but he’s never seemed to mind all that much.

(Shoaib is such a superstar)

My research team has just provided me with the latest match report from the timeless contest between the Sherlockians and the Wodehousian Golden Bats – with functional pics.

& a report on the recent(ish) thriller played out between the Golden Bats and the Dusters from Dulwich. (Oh my god, check out the teas).