While Australia’s batsmen will undoubtedly be spending even more practice time in the nets before the next match, I think the team can be confident that only some kind of disaster is going to stop it taking out the series, based on current form and room for improvement. The most interesting question, at this point in time, is whether Sri Lanka or India will make the final. I’d suggest India.

… in what looms as a tragic case of sport imitating art, McGrath seems set to follow the sad spectacle of the Rolling Stones and continue wandering the globe like some lost troubadour singing his song wherever rich men will throw coin in his cap.

Of Warne, we can expect little else, both spruiking himself and the IPL: his cap has been out for years, but Gilchrist revolutionised cricket with his play, and invigorated the game with his character. Now, too, his cap is out, catching coins tossed idly by the game’s new sahibs.

Frankly, Stevenson’s piece is grossly exaggerated. You’d think these guys had been retired for 15 years, or something, and were trying to make some sort of hopeless comeback on creaky old legs. I mean, let’s look at some facts:

• Warne and McGrath are barely retired and both of them retired, arguably, too soon – maybe even two or three years too soon in Warne’s case.
• Although retiring, Gilchrist is still playing. He scored 118 just last night.
• The IPL is only Twenty20, anyway. It’s not like they’re signing up for a massively long series of Test matches that are taxing on older players.

I venture that Stevenson wanted to write something controversial and, in that respect, it’s fair to say that he succeeded. But in the pursuit of making much sense as an analytical sports writer, I think he’s failed pretty badly.

Fortunately, the good ship Australia corrected its course and, within short order, had won the match by 63 runs. This total included an unbeaten 118 by Adam Gilchrist in his last ODI appearance for Australia on his “home ground”. And, yes, I still use the quotation marks because, ultimately, Gilchrist is a New South Welshman. I’m from New South Wales myself and I think that I could live in England for a decade… or Peru… wherever… and it wouldn’t change the fact I was a New South Welshman, so I include Gilly in that same camp, too!

“We are very sympathetic to the PCB’s concerns and frustrations and passion to see this tour go ahead, but our pragmatic view is that the decision will be based on the safety and security advice we are given. We haven’t reached that point yet,” a CA spokesman said.

Which, essentially, is doublespeak for, “there’s no way in hell we’re going”.

“It would be very damaging to Pakistan cricket and it is not just Pakistan-specific, because no country in the world is safe from terrorist acts,” Ashraf said. “If we start letting this dictate our sports events, then I am afraid the whole world of cricket could be turned upside down and it could have serious repercussions financially and [for] the very existence of the Future Tours Program.”

What a load of crap. While, technically, the comment is true, I think teams feel far safer when touring countries like Australia – which is yet to have a political leader assassinated, I’d just like to point out – rather than countries which are all too regularly front-page news for violence, such as Pakistan. And, sure, it’s a great shame because Pakistani cricket fans would probably love to see some great cricket but, come on, let’s get real here. Comparing the risk of violence in Pakistan to the risk of violence in a country such as Australia is pretty laughable.

“To be very frank I don’t really mind when people boo me,” Harbhajan said. “It gives me a lot of pleasure that everybody knows me in the ground and they are just going for me. That inspires me to do well. The more they do it, I am going to play more hard.”

Well, I guess something needs to inspire Harbhajan, given that he’s had a pretty ordinary tour, and his biggest press clippings have come from sledging Andrew Symonds, rather than doing something worthwhile on the playing field.

What was equally clear to me, however, was Australia’s never-say-die attitude in defending its meagre total of 159 runs. It certainly made a joke of Sehwag’s comments, yesterday, that Australia was scared of losing. You might disagree, but I don’t think that a team that was scared of losing wouldn’t have gone out and played such attacking cricket, while defending such a small total.

Indeed, with India at 5/102 at one stage and the run rate slowing dramatically, another wicket or two could have still swung the match to an unlikely Australian win. All up, good stuff, there’s some life back in the ODI competition.