So much for the experts claiming Test cricket is dead. The series was an absolute bottler.

My only regret is that on the last day of the series they didn’t give the “retiring” Gilly a bowl.

The Australian Cricket Board has another hurdle to jump on the back of a competitive but tumultuous home series against India.

The tour of Pakistan is sadly coinciding with their elections, which puts Pakistan on top of the list of the least attractive places to visit in 2008.

The Pakistan board has offered to swap venues, which causes a couple of problems. One would be playing Test and one-day cricket in Australia in March and April, up against the major football codes.

In my opinion that would be manageable; certainly not as profitable, but the once-off novelty value may get it over the line.

The second problem is that if that was to happen, Pakistan would want Australia to tour there in November-December-January of 2009/10, which would be a disaster for Australia.

Imagine no cricket in our summer – it would be like someone shot Santa.

But of course we are spoilt here. We always seem to get our own way and bugger the rest. Interesting decision coming up, and one would hope players’ safety would be top priority.

Gilly’s like a god in India

Back to “retiring” Gilly, I see he has signed up for the Twenty20 tournament in India, which sadly clashes with the Pakistan tour, and the huge cash may have something to do with his shock announcement.

But it is a great move by the Indian breakaway movement, as Adam Gilchrist is like another Hindu god in India, supporters of the game over there will love it.

Sadly it is our loss.

Bring on the boxing tent

Congratulations to Con Searle and his Australia Day team at Kilcoy – his professional sprint race, footy relay and race day was a huge success last weekend.

Keep your eye out for Caboolture speedster Phillip Young this season in the Maroochy RSL Cup, as by all reports the talented footballer impressed in the footy relay.

One observer reckoned he is that fast that he can turn the bedroom light out and be back in bed before the room goes dark.

Maybe Kilcoy is on to something with the Fred Brophy Boxing Tent, because they had less drama out there on Australia Day than the disgraceful incidents on the Coast, where some celebrations seemed to be more about getting blind than Australia Day spirit.

I feel sorry for all the people and organisations that put on well-run events when most of the headlines are about tossers that can’t behave themselves. A boxing tent might fix all that.

It was a knockout

One of Horton Park golf club’s finest was in the wars the other day while at work.

Apparently he slipped down a set of stairs and knocked himself out and was stumbled across by a resident who thought he was either the world’s most well-fed homeless person having a camp or someone in need of assistance.

They decided on the latter and rang an ambulance, which promptly arrived. But both officers were female and couldn’t budge old mate off the deck, with the “telling factor” being his weight.

Rumour is he is recovering well and going on a diet.

Dinner’s on tonight!

What about Dicky Beach Surf Club boss David Hodgetts? Last week he rang me to tell me he was sending an email about a sportsman’s dinner at the club.

Old mate is not very technological, as after he rang me twice to ask if it had arrived, I eventually rang him and told him to give me the details over the phone as it was obviously all a bit much for him.

So he did and I dutifully put it in, but alas, he called me back to tell me that either I had put the wrong date in or he had a given me a bum steer.

Him being a southerner of course, it would be my fault … poor dumb old Queenslander.

So the dinner – with guest speaker V8 Super Car star Mark Winterbottom and rugby’s John Connolly, and emceed by Richard Champion – is on TONIGHT. Tickets are $100, and proceeds will go to Summer Surf Girl Rebecca Gibb. Phone David (I’m not a Queenslander) Hodgetts on 5491 6078.

Now if you think David looks a bit old for his years, going by the date he gave me last week, which was not even close to being right, his year goes a bit quicker than Queensland time.

Relationship under microscope

The Gordon Nuttall inquiry is having a far-reaching effect on the Broncos club.

Latest rumour is that the NRL’s Ian Schubert, who deals with salary cap issues, is coming to Brisbane this week to have a long hard look at the relationship between the football club and the Thoroughbreds to see if there is case to answer.

The Thoroughbreds are a group of businessmen that support the club and I suppose Schubert is interested in the definition of support?