It was November 1989 when Mark Greatbatch batted for almost two days in Perth, making 146 not out from 485 balls and enabling New Zealand to save the one off Test. While that is rather sobering when compared to another left-hander, Jacques Rodulph’s 102 not out from just 283 balls, we should remember that 283 balls is almost a whole One Day innings, and that Rudolph was up against a high quality attack. While Greatbatch had to contend with Alderman, Rackemann, Lawson and Hughes, Rudolph was up against the best spinner of all time, one of the best seamers ever and the fastest bowler on the planet.

Perhaps one thing in Rudolph’s favour was a lack of flair and imagination from the opposing captain. A few points about Ponting:

1. His churlish outbursts and on field remonstrations with the umpires are tiresome. Ponting behaves like that not because he is right but because he is bitterly disappointed. Why carry on like a pratt when the batsmen are offered the light and go off. If the lights are on and it’s almost dark, why would you put Brett Lee on to bowl. Der. And his lengthy argument at the death in the final One Day match against NZ about the no ball for 3 men in the circle – what was that about? Let’s assume for a moment that Ponting wasn’t wrong – and he was wrong – isn’t the umpire always right?

2. Warnie needs the occasional rest.

3. Ponting eventually moved Warne to the other end but much too late. For one hour after lunch, Rudolph didn’t face a single ball from Warne (and of course, Warne bowled for the whole hour). The South African batsmen dictated terms by choosing their ends. Ponting should have spelled Warne for an over and brought him on at the other end to try and catch Rudolph out.

4. The selectors must be pulling their hair out. Ponting has made it known that he is a big Symonds fan. The selectors want the all rounder project to work. And Ponting bowled Symonds for 3 overs in the entire match. It beggars belief. What a show of no confidence. Symonds position in the team surely must be under review. It needs to go to MacGill or a specialist batsman. For what it is worth, he did field magnificently.

5. Ricky must have been asleep during his formative years under the shrewd captaincy of Mark Taylor because he is obviously unaware of the concept of a partnership breaker. I recall that Ponting himself was occasionally a partnership breaker for Tubby. In the Greatbatch match, Border bowled his ordinary all rounder, Tom Moody for 17 second innings overs. Border had five and Dean Jones three. I’ve heard Hussey can bowl quite well. I’ve never seen him but feel that I should have been given the opportunity today.

6. We’ll never know if Australia would have won with more time. Well, we know that they would have won but we don’t know how much time they needed. It’s rather obvious that Ponting could have declared an hour earlier than he did, in allowing Hodge to make his double ton. The nice thing is that it was very recently that Ponting rather self righteously announced that Australian teams do not delay declarations so that personal milestones could be achieved! Very funny.

Perhaps Ian Chappell is right. Make Warnie captain. Just kidding but there is no question he would do a better job on the field.

Congratulations to Phil Jacques on his call up. He is a player that will go far. Lang and Haydos should be worried.

And with Jacques Kallis expected to make a come back for Melbourne we have “Jacques” coming out of our ears.

Well done the Boks. Today was a fantastic effort. And what’s more, for the first time in many years, the Sydney Test match won’t be a dead rubber.