22:08 MT @shipoffoolscom It is the 76th birthday of the theologian Woody Allen. "Not only is there no God, but try getting a plumber on weekends." #
20:31 Yes it is. #cricket RT @NHoultCricket: Great piece on the manufactured Tendulkar milestone. http://t.co/sK0nPwYF #
17:22 50 yrs since Papua's proclamation of independence. MT @westpapuamedia Morning Star flag flies atop Papua's highest peak http://t.co/jU6ESfr6 #
16:15 #cricket Somehow I think there will still be time for a result in this Test even if it rains every afternoon. #ausvnz #

Arthur Beetson, one of Australia's greatest rugby league players of all time, died suddenly on December 1 at the age of 66. A larger-than-life figure who was a brilliant play maker in the second row for Balmain, Easts and Parramatta, his last major game of football as a player was the inaugural State of Origin clash between Queensland and New South Wales in 1980. The first indigenous Australian to captain a national sporting side, Beetson became a coach, mentor and indigenous community leader in later years. And he even had a go at acting.

21:04 I'm glad that I'm catching up with Immigration Nation on #SBS1 having missed it first time around. #
20:44 Girl who Googled her way to US national #cricket team - Express India - http://t.co/xo99F45Y #
17:11 Congratulations to Steve Bernard @stevebernard37, appointed new ICC Regional Referee for the East-Asia Pacific (EAP) region #cricket #
17:02 Hey there's a thought. Ricky Ponting 12th man! MT @SENNEWS: Who should be 12th man for the first test? Will Ricky last the summer? #cricket #
14:58 Great pic of the opening of the 2011 county #cricket season under a full moon in Abu Dhabi. Great work @garethcopley - http://t.co/TaYcRj57 #
14:43 I should be a credit ratings agency. Chuck 200 countries into a hat and issue press releases like "Djibouti Retains Rolled Gold AAA Status" #
10:13 Never heard of them. As in Abercrombie & Fitch? RT @GrogsGamut: RT @Kieran_Gilbert: Fitch ratings upgrades Australia from AA+ to AAA #auspol #
10:10 "Welcome Back Kotter star and poker afficionado Gabe Kaplan..." So that's where the last 30 years went? #
10:04 Can I just say here and now that Java (the software platform, not the island) is so 1995? #grrr #

20:39 A brilliant, original film maker, vale Ken Russell 1927-2011 RT @guardianculture: Ken Russell dies aged 84 http://t.co/KdPyGuNw #
19:19 Great win @CricketNSWBlues! Sheffield Shield as dead as Test #cricket, ie, not! #
19:03 Damn my battery is going to run out before the game is finished. #GoTheBlues! #cricket #
14:27 Tis definitely the day to avoid #cityrail if you can. #
13:59 #nrl James Maloney signs to play for the Roosters for 2013-2015. But will the uncertainty about 2016 affect his game? http://t.co/2OQhBfOI #
10:03 Ah yes, the Monday morning after weekend City Circle trackwork... #cityrail #heygladys #
08:35 #nigeria #biafra I’m happy Ojukwu died as a Nigerian — Gowon: http://t.co/wLjYKbW6 #
08:24 Good to see Julian Assange dressed up for his night out at the #Walkleys #
08:22 News of the death of Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu brings back memories of the nastiest war of my primary school years http://t.co/ytA97DGK #
08:07 @sunriseon7 why are you giving this man publicity WHILE he is in the middle of a dangerous illegal act? #sun7 #brisbane #mediaethicsfail #
08:04 Yes it is. #auspol RT @BernardKeane: cracking piece from @murpharoo http://t.co/VmOBqUxx go read it now #
07:23 And out comes Richo. RT @sunriseon7: Richo - "It's like clockwork, Mel. Every time Gillard has a good week, out comes Rudd." #auspol #sun7 #
06:25 Disappointed that the NYT's obit of Basil D'Oliveira falls way short of their usual standards - RT @NYTObits http://t.co/mg0iwYoE #cricket #

19:02 #cricket Kurtis Patterson and Kraigg Brathwaite were among of the stars of this U19 Test played in Dubai this April - http://t.co/CyikMcBA #
18:55 Could Simon Katich be the Mark Ramprakash of NSW #cricket? Staying on years after his international career is over, scoring ton after ton... #
16:45 Will the Logies non-tweeting rule apply tonight at either the #arias and/or the #walkleys? #
16:43 RT @InteractSport: would have to give credit to the team at St George #Cricket club as well, plenty keep streaming through #Dragons #
16:40 #cricket Sri Lankan cricketers unpaid since February- http://t.co/o1XjzB98 #
16:19 #cricket And now Kurtis Patterson. Is there any better domestic-level development program, anywhere in the world, than at @CricketNSWBlues? #
13:44 Though I'm amazed that the City of Sydney council and Events NSW haven't branded the next four weeks the "Sydney Christmas Festival" #
12:51 Today is the First Sunday in Advent, therefore I am now willing to acknowledge the coming of Christmas in the shopping centres. #
08:45 #kindle RT @proverbsfeed: Like charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, So is a contentious man to kindle strife. http://t.co/e9shqvO4 #

23:26 #cricket Counting the sleeps till Christmas? Add one extra and count up till the First Australia-India Test. Good night. #
23:20 Solid piece by Suresh Menon in @tehelkadotcom contemplating the end of Indian #cricket's current golden era - http://t.co/CnFYnRcJ #
23:18 Test #cricket's had some good times lately. RT @crick3t3st: And then the Friday-week before that! RT @rickeyre: Best since, oh, last Monday. #
23:05 Wonderful article by Ramachandra Guha on the great Vijay Merchant and his off-field humanity - http://t.co/5XxN6OUY #cricket #
22:35 Best since, oh, last Monday. MT @bcciindia: That has to be one of the best days of test #cricket in a long time #
22:28 OK this proves that Test #cricket as a competition is alive and well. Now, to keep it viable within an insanely crowded calendar... #
22:22 #cricket Oh my. Can you believe it? #
22:07 #cricket I can't help but notice that Chris Gayle has just taken 4/22 in a T20 in Zimbabwe. #indvwi #
21:19 So in NZ the Labour Party will win just over a quarter of the seats with just over a quarter of the votes. Could be worse... #votenz #
21:01 @TheMatchReferee Yes it is, but he has an IPL hundred for the Mumbai Indians, and people can and will do amazing things with stats. #cricket #
20:26 #cricket So when will some bright spark decide that Tendulkar already has 100 hundreds by adding Test + ODI + IPL together? #
19:59 What former WI batsmen are doing. RT @zimcricket: #ZimT20 Wicket: Gayle (c Mushangwe b Harris 61). Tuskers 98/2 after 13 overs. #cricket #
18:15 #cricket And Harbhajan Singh is not coming to Australia! Though I know he was expected to be left out... #
18:02 Wow. That's one way to make the BCCI Annual Report inaccessible. A 97 megabyte PDF! #
17:00 @FireUpOnFBI I keep thinking of that German political party from the 1930s when I see NSP #
16:55 #cricket India will need to lose two wickets quickly if Tendulkar is to provide The Required Fairy Tale Ending. #indvwi #
16:48 Oh no! Did Inverarity really say "Weet-Bix" Sheffield Shield?? #cricket #bupasheffieldshield #
16:38 Or should we applaud the genius of the Wankhede groundsman for delivering a pitch that rapidly self-destructs on the fifth morning? #cricket #
16:34 Oh. The scriptwriters have been hard at work in Mumbai overnight. Tendulkar to open the Indian 2nd innings? #cricket #indvwi #
16:03 RT @AustralianNSP Thanks Rick. We're still learning this Twitter thing, but Bic has been helpful. His main contribution so far actually. Rod #
15:59 Welcome back! RT @AustralianNSP: Sorry @bushrangers, Michael threatened to do more Bonds ads if we dumped Haddin. Maybe next year? Rod. #
15:23 #cricket Copeland, Cowan unlucky, but considering all the injuries a good Aus XII. #ausvnz #
15:15 Hilditchspeak lives. #cricket MT @bushrangers: John Inverarity said: “The NSP has today announced a versatile and exciting squad." #
15:13 #cricket Ponting Haddin retained. Warner Pattinson Starc Cutting in. Warner and Hughes to open together. Fancy your chances, NZ? #
14:21 Great moments in consumerism - "Pepper spray, shooting mar Black Friday shopping" http://t.co/bpiTnZfg via @USATODAY #
13:50 Beach volleyball promoting the Millennium Development Goals - http://t.co/Hcf6Utwo #mdg #
13:13 @SeanNic roughly: 100s Northern beaches; 200s north shore; 300s east subs; 400s inner west; 500s outer west eg Ryde, Parramatta #

23:09 +1 RT @liamvhogan: #ff @peterphelpsmlc. Holy hell he's great value #
22:42 #cricket From January 2007, my bloggage upon Shane Warne taking his 1000th international wicket - http://t.co/7jasIHdG #
21:19 Can the BCCI suddenly proclaim this game an eight-day Test to guarantee Tendulkar a second innings? #cricket #indvwi #
19:58 #cricket Would Sammy be willing to bring this Test to life? Some Bravo bravado required? #indvwi #
19:55 That's not a milestone: #Sachin. THIS is a milestone: #Ashwin. #cricket #indvwi #
18:17 #cricket Repeating from earlier today my blog post on "Two-off Tests" - http://t.co/uq3t55GO #
17:19 Surely! RT @TheReverseSweep: At least Tendulkar can now say he has equalled Bradman. 99 100's and a 94 equals 99.94. Surely? #Sachin #IndvWI #
16:22 #cricket Dear India, please remember that the West Indies are not compelled to enforce the follow-on. And it would be good sense not to. #
16:19 Speaking of contrived stats, I've just learnt that J.Bieber B.Spears and L.Gaga combined have more Twitter followers than the Aus population #
16:14 Ah but he has 159 all up. RT @InsideCricketOz: At least Tendulkar joins Allan Border on a record 63 Test half centuries. Dravid is at 61 #
15:42 OK. India *must* follow-on so that Tendulkar gets a second chance. #indvwi #
15:36 #cricket Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? #indvwi #sachin #
15:34 I have my #WhiteRibbon, I've taken the pledge. It's UN International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. whiteribbon.org.au #

22:29 #cricket 13 wickets in 3 days. Terrible pitch for an outcome. Has it been deliberately killed in the name of Tendulkar's faux milestone? #
21:15 Pah. Be consistent. It's his 158th international fifty. MT @CricketNDTV: Sachin Tendulkar completes his 63rd Test fifty. #cricket #indvwi #
20:19 #cricket The real issue is whether Dravid and Tendulkar can bat India out of the follow-on zone... Isn't it? #indvwi #
19:01 Two and a half days of preamble is over. The real purpose of this game begins. #cricket #indvwi #
18:36 That annoyingly catchy tune from 35 years ago. RT @NYTObits: Andrea True Dies at 68; ‘More, More, More’ Singer http://t.co/jc7VYa7i #
17:32 Uh oh. RT @ChrisBarrett_: Further headache for selectors with Pat Cummins nursing injury http://t.co/NPoVNrkn via @smh #cricket #
17:28 #cricket RT @Irelandcricket: Ireland women need 135 to beat Holland and retain ODI status, come on Ireland @IrishWomensCric #wwcq #icc" #
16:06 And in #rugbyleague #spotfixing news, John Elias has been acquitted of fraud charges relating to the Ryan Tandy case - http://t.co/pzaoHRnT #
15:56 I love the email alerts I get sometimes. "Pakistan Hockey Federation president congratulates cricket and karate teams" http://t.co/HqIcGNIG #
15:52 @bentyers yes apparently there's that statistic too. #
15:42 Transcript of @AlboMP's brilliant speech against yesterday's censure motion in the HOR - (http://t.co/ySwDZ8fn) http://t.co/oZya2Vzi #auspol #
15:35 #cricket And will today be the day when Tendulkar brings up his 79th first-class hundred? #indvwi #
15:25 #cricket #indvwi WI all out 590. What likelihood first innings lead to India? #
15:15 McCullum out 146 (115). His meeting with Cummins next week, if it happens, will be interesting. #cricket #ausavnz #
14:26 And that be McCullum's ton in 85 balls, currently 108* including 90 runs from boundaries (15x4 5x6) #cricket #ausavnz #
14:22 #cricket Brendon McCullum on the brink of a quick hundred for NZ against Aus-A at the Allan Border. Live scores - http://t.co/cwvgg8MW #
13:25 Christopher Pyne has just taken disrespect of the dignity of Federal Parliament to a new low. No laughing matter, that was terrible. #auspol #
10:31 Dear conspiracy theories, I love youse all. #harryjenkins #auspol #
07:04 @sunriseon7 Thank you for informing me that the world hasn't produced any new guitarists since 1980. #

We've seen two great Test matches between South Africa and Australia in the past fortnight.

At Newlands, Cape Town, a dramatic South African collapse was followed by an utterly historic Australian one, after which the home side's batsmen stormed back to claim a stunning win by eight wickets within two and a half days.

20:31 Ok Australia, switch off Junior Masterchef now. The last Spicks and Specks is about to start. #abc1 #
20:26 One. That's how sixes work. MT @officialzimcric: #cricket How many balls is it going to take Chris Gayle to smash a 6? #
19:50 #cricket Four wickets in five sessions at Wankhede Stadium. When are the ICC pitch police arriving for an inspect? #indvwi #
19:47 Annabel Crabb doing a cooking show with politicians? I do hope "Sideshow" appears somewhere in the title. #abctv2012 #auspol #
19:40 Stay. RT @awebstar1: So what do you reckon, sports fans: should Ricky Ponting stay or go? #cricket #
18:48 @Steph_Philbrick The #vodafoneluxury campaign can't be far away. #
17:48 I don't use any of the brands that sponsor that Austereo breakfast program. So I'll just have to continue not listening to commercial radio. #
14:53 Even by Albo standards that was massive! #qt #
14:50 Sorry Albo I came in late. Can you start again please? #qt #
09:40 "Media sewer mouth Kyle Sandilands..." For once the SMH gets it right - http://t.co/KDD6qudp #
09:38 @FireUpOnFBI you've spelt his name wrong so you're off to a good start #
09:06 Mickey Arthur has quickly gained celebrity status! How many past Aust coaches could the average person (or even #cricket follower) name? #