Spotting a non-cricket star at a Test match is a thrill which provides sufficient justification to friends that the game is enjoyed by more than just flannelled fools

Shane Warne's bowling beauty has never seduced Adelaide

Stephen Fleming and Glenn McGrath spoke to the media after the third day's play at Adelaide

The inability of New Zealand's opening bowlers to make even the smallest of incisions has hampered their decision to play two spinners

The pace of Australia's run-scoring since Steve Waugh's captaincy has distorted expectations

Daniel Vettori toiled through 55.2 overs and left satisfied with five wickets

Adelaide is a throwback to old cricket-watching days.Television news bulletins encourage people to get tothe ground and make a celebrity out of the curator

By adding more fight than frills he had stayed longer than Ponting, battled through post-lunch cramps and was rewarded with his 20th Test century

The purposeful striding of New Zealand over the first two days of the Trans-Tasman series has quickly developed painful limps

Usually there is not much point asking a Gabba spectator for their one-eyed view of their favourite player

Dispirited and disillusioned after missing a huge opening, New Zealand struggled to whimper in a second innings lacking spirit

The highlights of Michael Clarke's debut series in India had been limited to news bulletins and pay television, so most Australians were getting their first real look at the boy wonder

The India hangover didn't make it to a third day

End-of-the-day quotes from Glenn McGrath and Daniel Vettori

They may be relatively small and endearing to the rest of the world, but the Kiwis have an amazing ability to irritate Australians

Handing someone an identity based on that of a predecessor is unfair, but Jacob Oram could easily belong to the Cairns clan

Forget the clock's move to daylight saving, the first action of summer is the opening day of the Gabba Test, which Ricky Ponting rates as the high point of the season

Craig McMillan was an afterthought for the Australia tour and bolted into the Test team

The build-up to the first Test has produced an unusual mix of theories laced with fact and fantasy

The final frontier has been conquered and Australia return home wondering about the location of their next great challenge