Today would have been Day Six of the "Super Test" at the Sydney Cricket Ground. It seems an eternity since the game actually ended.

Meanwhile, in real cricket, Tasmania are following on against Queensland while Victoria have taken first innings points over WA.

There aren't enough Novocastrian bloggers out there, let alone Novocastrian bloggers about cricket. This from the city that gave you Greg Matthews, Gus Gilmour, Belinda Clark, Sandman Abbott, Dutchy Holland, Johnny Watkins, me...

From "One Salient Oversight" comes a thought-provoking analysis of Flintoff, Pietersen and the Jerk Factor.

I haven't had much to say about the unfortunately-named Super Series which ended two and a half days early yesterday. And I still don't.

Issue Four of the world's first cricket podcast series, The Net Sessions, is out now. A big thank you to everyone who has been waiting patiently for the next edition to come out. And thank you for all the feedback that I have received.

Yes it originated in a Murdoch fishwrapper, but this story is just too silly to ignore, as reported by The Register:

Coming Soon: The MP3 Breast Implant

It was heartening to hear Ehsan Mani announce at the awards night on Tuesday that the ICC had decided to donate $US 500,000 to the Red Cross to assist in relief for victims of Saturday's devastating earthquake in Pakistan, India and Afghanistan. There was also a moment's silence observed during the evening's function in respect for those affected by the disaster.

The ICC paid a fitting tribute to the memory of the late Don Adams in their announcement of the 2005 ICC Player of the Year in Sydney last night.

For the first time in the two-year history of the awards, the Gold Sobie was shared by Jacques Kallis and Andrew Flintoff. The two all-rounders each polled 86 points in the player of the year voting, thus equalling the number allocated to CONTROL agent Maxwell Smart, so lovingly portrayed by Adams, who died on September 25.

Ho hum.

It was a difficult enough decision for the ECB to agree to permit their touring team to stay in Karachi during England's coming tour. But now they're being asked to show solidarity with staff of the Karachi Pearl Continental by boycotting that hotel during their time in the city.

According to the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations (IUF):

It may be time for the ICC to allow the Power Play to be neutralised by the Super Off Switch, except on those occasions where it is run off the Mega Double Adaptor when the Ultra Fuse Box is not overloaded.

- Gideon Haigh, The Guardian, 6.10.05