The following comments have been entered by Kieren Whittock, renowned expert on the geology of cricket. In requesting this entry I asked Kieren the question “What kind of rock was Dizzy?” In response Kieren discusses the formative processes that Dizzy Gillespie went through during and after his epic 6000 ball innings of 24 in the 2nd test:

Dizzy was not just a rock. A rock cannot be viewed as something static, it is dynamic, always changing, over millions of years of geological time. In this way, Dizzy was a geological process, subject to changes due to heat and pressure, and weathering process.

I decided he was most certainly an Ultramafic, volcanic rock.

His batting with Marto represented his solid state. He had reached chemical equilibrium at that point, all his elements had settled out into their solid form. His magma had reached its solidus. He was iron rich. Basaltic. Mafic.

Yet prone to weathering.

During his innings he was prone to high heat and pressure. He metamorphosed, he became Meta-Basalt. He became more prone to weathering. His iron rich solid minerals became iron rich clays, tending towards Kaolinites. He was losing parts of himself, becoming part of the orange (probably due to iron content) dust in Chennai. He was suffering intense weathering, returning his parts to the rock cycle.

Until finally there was nothing of him left. His wicket fell. He became clay. Dust. His iron spread all about the ground.

That vortex again. Millions of years of geological time had passed.

The rock cycle continues in time for Dizzy to reach his liquid form again at some point in the series, when he is handed the ball, and bowls, letting off his volatile elements. Millions of years pass.

Before the 2nd test began I spoke about how the Indian team had looked to Lance Armstrong for inspiration. Now that the Indians have failed the cycling god I am thinking the Australians should hop on the deserted bike and use Lance as a model of how to celebrate total dominance and create special little adornments to the mythologies that will spring out of their moment of glory, extending it infinitely. Immortality is not just acheived through deeds but through the style with which the deeds are presented to the world, I think Achilles knew this well. Lance Armstrong has ensured his immortality not just through winning 6 Tours de France but in the way he signified this feat of greatness to the world. On the final stage of this year’s tour his very own Myrmidons, the US Postal team, rode as a legion and, in defiance of race dress codes, had added golden strips to their jerseys, to match the maillot jaune of their magnificent leader – who himself rode a bike with spokes of gold and donned a golden helm. I would like to see something similar from the Australian team in Mumbai. As with US Postal they may have to cop a fine, the ICC may not like it – but anything the ICC dosen’t like has to be good for the game. We have seen Warne’s paltry attempt at gaining poetic immortality fizzle out – the small piece of red on his bowling boots was within ICC regulations and really, who saw it, and who cares – its Murali’s record anyway. They have to go bolder than that. What needs to happen is they need to go beyond even Lance Armstrong’s very effective yet very staid approach, they need to go to the pinnacle of sporting fashion extravagance. They need to give SOOOOPER MARIO a call! If he’s gonna cop a fine, he’s gonna make it worth it. I have no doubt Mario Cipollini will be being celebrated long after Achilles, Lance, or Warne have exited the cultural consciousness of the earth. If the Australian team can draw on the audacious dress senses of Cipo then there is no predicting how they will be decked out as they run onto the ground at Mumbai. My friend Katherine suggested that Dizzy should be wearing white robes and sandals. Imagine that running into the crease to bowl, sandals flapping, robes flowing in the breeze in unison with the mullet…

The epic poems are on their way; there will be movies made about this team, Brad Pitt will play all 11 of them (and the 12th man, Brett Lee, he will be played by Jet Li); there will be plastic figurines with their own web serials. Come on aussie, put your match fee where your wardrobe is and ascend to the pinnacles of glorious stardom.

As I sat watching the cricket at the Dick Whittington Tavern, I chanced to notice on the next tv screen along a big puffy mastercard zeppelin floating over the golf.

despite martyn depriving us of the joy of a third consecutive century, and gillespie depriving us of any sort of fight from the indian batting, it all ended happily. the indian tail got to have a bunch of fun belting warnie for sixers and mutter-man mcgrath for 4s, everyone was smiling (except maybe warne) and gilchrist thought it was all hilarious, he had little to worry about, except maybe getting his cap cleaned. its in a right state. i think the australians are having a grottiest hat comp & i blame steven waugh – if there were any pictures of warne’s hat id link to them in a flash but i think they may have all been banned by the censors due to extreme obscenity. when australia finally got that 10th wicket great joy was abundant. gilchrist wept throughout his post match interview as he thought of tugga back home. it was wonderful but now the sadness is setting back in. when gilchrist was asked what he was thinking about mumbai (upcoming 4th test) he said “mumbai. who gives a floating frik about mumbai.”

Simon Katich – “He is the son of a policeman, an amateur poet and, according to his captain, ‘the glue that holds the middle order together’.”

The banners in the Indian crowds are makeshift – texta on cardboard. They pen them as the game moves on to respond to the state of play. These cards make up a sort of haphazard ball by ball commentary, full of the game’s pathos and wisdom.

GILLISPIE FREE
HAIRCUT HERE
IN NAGPUR

Is Parthiv Patel
plays for Aussies?

(This one made me sad. The poor little guy gets a lecture from Dravid at first slip every time he misses a chance – as if he isn’t heartbroken enough)

not quite sure what articulation of pleading this next one expressed – somewhere around desperate pleading hope or resigned frustrated pleading:

KUMBLE
DO
SOMETHING

& there were many variations on this theme:

RAIN GOD
PLEASE

Not only did Katich’s innings ruin nearly all hope of the fightback, it also ended that elusive single too soon and thus denied the world the joy of the century. It was an innings that should have gone on forever. Katich’s feet were weapons, terryfying in their frenzied attacks on the pitch and line and entire being of every delivery. His feet pierce Kumble’s shape and leave his heart drained. They are missiles of frenzied anger yet the frenzy is so controlled and precise. Katich could almost do away with the bat altogether and just let his feet do the strokin. The voracious desire that fills his spikes is somehow restrained and rigorously directed to the boundary. Langer got himself caught up in Katich’s feeding frenzy and found himself madly frothing at the chops for Murali Kartik, he charged down the wicket and swung with nothing but insanity the ball travelled once around the globe and landed in the safe hands of VVS on the midwicket boundary. An opening batsman, having made a careful and dogged 30, loses himself in the fever of his surrounds- there is no controlling his ambition or appetite, he is doomed. A great test match moment.

Lehmann’s going to extraordinary lengths to be able to step aside for Clarkey – just when he starts really performing with the bat he tears a hamstring. He may never play another test match. I’ll miss his aberrant beauty and his experimentations with the crease. ] —— [

of course India could launch a comeback, and if they do it will be frighteningly incredible cricket, it will be up there with Kolkata 2001. But if they don’t the series could be over, the final test a dead rubber. Australia are playing awesome cricket and of course I want them to win the series – I’m not cool enough to get past that instinct – but I want them to win it in a thriller in the final test. Bring on the mega-fightback or bring on the rain.

McGrath 25 13 27 3
Gillespie 22.5 8 56 5