Despite all the "Australia on top" rhetoric on Thursday night, the first day of the Fifth Test at The Oval was about as close to a statistical "honours even" as you can get. Then came the seismic shift on Friday afternoon.

The rugby league media's knickers were firmly in a twist on Tuesday when they were summoned to Wollongong for a press conference with St George fullback Darius Boyd that lasted a whole 43 seconds. This is the complete transcript of the event:

Never mind the cricket action under way at The Oval or Galle, the true centre of world cricket this week has been a most unlikely location, Zimbabwe.

(A version of this item has been published at Earthwitness.net)

A university trial cultivation of genetically modified potatoes has begun in secret in northern England. The Telegraph reported in late July that the trial, destroyed by unidentified vandals in 2008, had been replanted by the University of Leeds without announcement.

"I believe the greatest threat to this nation’s environment right now is not global warming but feral animals and noxious weeds."

John Cobb, The Punch, 11.8.09

Wasn't it kind of the England team to forfeit the Fourth Test at the fall of the sixth wicket on Sunday and play a Twenty20 game instead. Nice, too, for the Australian bowlers to join in the fun.

Ravi Bopara has been an absolute batting genius for England against the West Indies. Three Test innings for three hundreds (104, 143, 108). Now take those three innings out of his career record, and what are left with?

Yes it's the traditional Australia versus England mismatch we know and love so well. For now. Saturday, as Scarlett O'Hara would have said if she was a Sky Sports cricket analyst, is another day.

Kevin Rudd kills camels. He orders targeted air strikes against camels. Maybe he even dons the hard hat and flies the strike missions himself.

CNBC's Erin Burnett, obviously auditioning for a spot on Fox News, accused our Prime Minister of being a serial killer of camels on Jim Cramer's Mad Money on Tuesday.

More programmatic specificity next time please, Ms Burnett.