One scenario that plays out is Mr Junior making 300 while his team falls all around him. I’d like to see that, as I reckon he really should be in the Australian side. Not because he’s Victorian – he was born in Perth and in 2005 asked to be transferred back to play for his native Western Australia but was knocked back by Victorian Cricket even though they had dropped him – but because he brings a reliability that is missing from our middle order, and is more than handy with the ball. Perhaps we can drop Punter for him.

I almost felt sorry for the Victorians this morning – seems that Uncle-J is taking it pretty hard, and while still optimistic of chasing down the 533 on a 5th day SCG wicket against Lee, Clark, Macgilla, Bracken, Casson and Clarke, is starting to repress his inner monologue.

Then I remembered that he’s Victorian, and the sympathy quickly passed. Bring it home blues.

I’m not stupid, although once I spent 8 minutes trying to get my headphone jack into my ear whilst holing the earplug in the other hand.

No one is going to get over 600 runs to win a final.

It just aint possible, Don Bradman couldn’t do it, Natalie Portman couldn’t do it, and neither can Future Pm David Hussey.

But, that hasn’t stopped him trying.

Not only that, but he has managed to wake up Nick Jewell as well, who apparently wants to play one day cricket next year.

They put on 52 to runs in just under 9 overs against Bracken and MacGill.

Hussey hit two sixes in an over off MacGill, ok so that is so out of the ordinary.

But Nick Jewell hit the ball regulary off the square and played attacking cricket shots.

That has to mean something, doesn’t it.

To me the whole Hussey and Jewell slogathon reminds me of the end of the wild bunch, when the outlaws all look at each other, nod and stroll calmly to their death by shedding as much blood as physically possible.

Hussey would be a great man in the wild west, he would eventually die spectacularly, but on the way he would take down about a hundred guys, and he doesn’t have nearly as gay a walk as John Wayne.

I see Nick as the straigh laced gunslinger whom all the baddies think is crap, but is obviously good by the way the director shoots him.

Then he helps the hero right at the end, without getting his suit dirty.

This game is deader than Alan Ladd, but why not kick some ass on the way out.

If beating NSWales is not possible at least make their millionaires look like clowns for 5 minutes.

Or let the Huss go down with one hell of a bang.

Anyways, Day’s 1 and 2 have seen a pendulum of momentum ebbing and flowing like a see-saw.(take that feng shui Buchanan)..

The Blues failed to put on a monumental total in their first dig due to some excellent bowling from Side Siddle who looked menacing and Dirty Dirk Nannes who shaved especially for the final yet still had a main by the end of Day 1.

Jaques looked shaken early on but composed himself for a free flowing 50, albeit one that took 100 balls to get his eye in before it started to flow freely. Katto also looked good and will be dissapointed at having scooped one to mid-off off that leggie with the Zimmer frame. Haddin too was looking pretty comfortable and will be dissapointed to have fallen to a ripper from Siddle late in the day. Could have struck him outside the line, probably not but maybe.

We did manage a competitive score of 281 but after winning the toss and with the pitch already deteriorating a total of 400+ could have taken the game out of Mexican reach. Highlight for the Victorians would be Cameron White bowling his first maiden in Test Cricket – 3 overs, 1 maiden, 0/9.

The Vics had a real chance to impose a first lead, though some inspired fielding from Thornley broke up the openers just when things were starting to turn their way. Both form batsmen got starts and a first innings lead was looking like a real possibility, till Hodge left a ripper from Macgilla to be bowled.

Some will claim PM Hussey was a little unlucky, and I’d agree – any poor bastard who has to leave their native Perth to get a game of cricket cause the Warriors are so stacked with NSW and Zimbabwean rejects and ends up having to play for Mexican’s has it coming to them.

Once the tail was exposed Katto gave the ball to Binga and told him Dirty Dirk had been sweet talking Bingers. Don’t quite know why he bothered swinging it though, seemed the straight one took all the wickets.

The battle of Australia’s two best leggies will prove an interesting tussle, though I’m expecting Macgilla to take full advantage of the 5th day conditions.

There’s some low cloud around today that should suit the Mexican’s, don’t think anyone’s told Hughes about that though. He’s 42 off 32 and the see saw is pointing North of the border.

Here’s to a 400+ lead.

And no I didn’t start them myself, because although I think it’s a good idea, I didn’t want to be the one to jinx him. So now that it’s already circulating, I can comment without guilt.

Over at Are you a left arm chinaman they asked a rather long winded yet eloquent question about Our Bryce. So I will try and answer it as best I can.

We all know Bryce McGain is older than Jesus, but Jesus was a wicketkeeper, and they generally have to retire at a younger age. Problems with their hands and such.

Leg spinners, with the exception of Warne and now MacGill, age exceptionally well, and no one has aged better than Our Bryce.

So lets look at his chances of playing:

The positives

Is he bowling well enough to play for Australia, fu©k yeah.

Very rarely these days do Australian spinners dominate domestically. Funky was the last who springs to mind. Bryce is continually taking wickets, and getting out good batsmen, what more can the selectors ask for?

He is on track for a 40 wicket season, thems good numbers and he is bowling with the leading wicket taker in the competition at the other end.

He is the only man to derail Simon Katich this year, who as we know, is a good player of leg spin (for a crab).

Where is the first test again, oh that’s right, his home ground, boom.

He has experience on his side, not so much first class experience, but life experience that only elderly gentleman can have.

He knows his craft inside and out, and he isn’t some part timer who happens to get wickets.

There isn’t much footage of him, so who ever India’s coach ends up as, he won’t have much to go on.

He generally seems like a nice guy (how else could he become Cricket with balls Own), and since in my life I have had negative experiences with the two other alternatives, I would say he is the nicest option.

Right at the moment he is hardly bowling a bad ball, his length and flight were flawless against the New South Welshman.

Stuart MacGill is falling apart.

He can bowl all day, which against the Indians could come in handy.

The Negatives

Stuart MacGill has 200 test wickets, Brad Hogg has been playing international cricket for a long time now.

Playing your first test against India when you’re a leg spinner is like sending a goalie out to face Brazil on his first International. Laxman, Dravid, Tendulkar & Dhoni, oh my.

He has played only ten first class games, half of them this year.

Brad Hogg has taken less wickets this year than McGain, but he does have the superior average and strike rate.

He is from Victoria, so he has the wrong shade of blue cap on his head.

Shaun tait is back baby, and he so wants to knock off some Indian scalps.

Ponting likes class players, and what Ponting wants Ponting often gets. Ponting wants MacGill, if MacGill isn’t fit, then it shall be interesting to see what Ponting wants.

He is the same age as the two alternatives, so it may be fresh blood, but it aint young blood. Even if he is well preserved.

I like him, so like Craig Howard and Ian Harvey before him, that weight could be the one to sink him.

The Verdict

There are very few surprises when it comes to selection these days in Australia. Other than Shane Watson. In general the Australian selectors play it safe, Bryce is not the safe option. Kerry O’Keefe is talking him up, so now all he needs is Terry Jenner, Ian Chappell and a Rupert Murdoch paper on his side and he is really no chance.

I want to believe they are thinking of him as a realistic option, but I just can’t see him getting picked. I think if MacGill is fit, Ponting will demand him, and if not, they’ll take the man they know over the man they don’t.

But aint it nice to be mentioned.

Update, MacGill is out for the first 2 tests. It’s down to Tait (pontings bag man in the wc), Hogg (the semi logical choice) or McGain (Cricket with balls Own). The choice is obvious.

Some comfort can be taken from the fact that due to internal squabbling between the respective boards of the Mighty New South Welsh Bluetongues forebears and the Mexicans (the more things change the more they stay the same), Lord Sheffield’s generous £150 donation was not actually spent for several years and the Victorians while in essence held the shield, they did not in actuallity hold the shield.

So with the History of hatred recounted I can move on 215 years to the 2007 installment of the festival of hate.

The bluetongues go into this battle with their test stars returning. The return of Phil Jaques, Michael Clarke, Brett Lee, Stuart Clark and Stuart Macgill would be a real boost for any state team, let alone one that is already topping the shield table.

Alas inuries have plagued the returning superstars with Clarke succumbing to hamstring issues, Phil Jaques going down with the mumps, Lee got a last minute callup to the local Indian karaokee restaurant and Macgilla otherwise engaged at the bottom of a wolfblass bottle.

New South Wales: Phil Hughes, Greg Mail, Peter Forrest, Simon Katich (c), Domenic Thornely, Brad Haddin (w/k), Beau Casson, Mark Nicholson, Nathan Bracken, Stuart Clark, Doug Bollinger, Grant Lambert (12th).

Vics won the toss and are bowling.. dammit two early wickets not looking good.

Over 1.2: Nannes to Hughes, OUT, what a start for the Bushrangers, cracking delivery that was short and angled into the body, Hughes could do nothing but fend it away to Hodge in the gully.

Carn Bluetongues, do it for all things pure and blue and make Lord Sheffield proud

Stuart MacGill was a dead certainty for the first test at the gabba.

Matthew Hayden smashing him on a flat life less all too common scg pitch meant nothing.

But then the victorians decided that they would help the charity case that is Brad Hogg.

The man who usually doesn’t take 8 wickets in season let alone a match.

So now Australia might actually go into the first test with a man who in a whole career has taken less wickets than Jacques Kallis does in 3 years.

So one more message for the Australian Selectors is this.

Don’t pick Australia’s nicky boje on one good first class in a career and because he gets wickets in one dayers.

This one is simple chaps, don’t f*ck it up.