Victoria’s squad was forced into the brace position to prepare for a possible crash landing when its plane had problems on the descent into Adelaide on Monday. The 17 players were coming back from a Twenty20 tournament in Darwin when told the pilots were unsure if the front wheels of the landing gear had come down.

“Very nerve racking!,” Andrew McDonald tweeted. “Just got down safely! Very shaken! Fire engines on run way.”

It was a bumpy landing but the players were home in Melbourne by the end of the night. Their next journey is to South Africa for the Champions League Twenty20 tournament, which starts on September 10.

He wasn’t a player, nor was he an administrator, nor even a journalist. The Fake IPL Player, the anonymous blogger whose account of the 2009 IPL season created a media storm – and one within the league as well – has been revealed as Anupam Mukherji, a Bangalore-based techie. Mukherji told the TV channel Times Now that, contrary to speculation at the time, he had no source in any of the IPL teams and relied on the internet for information on teams, matches and the weather in South Africa – the tournament host.

Mukherji’s posts, which centred on a fictionalized version of Kolkata Knight Riders, were accurate enough in their “predictions” to provoke statements of denial from the Kolkata franchise, though he now says some of those predictions were “no-brainers”. The inspiration for the blog, he says, was a spoof Steve Jobs blog; it gained popularity once the media reported and commented on it and legitimacy from officials’ statements and generated enough buzz to prompt a book, The Gamechangers, earlier this year. He hasn’t revealed why he chose this moment to disclose his identity; indeed, there remains enough mystery round the Fake IPL Player’s real identity to suspect that the revelation itself may be a double bluff. Or wait - is he winding us up again?

If you thought that Powerplays, Free-hits and the possibility of split innings in one-dayers were the height of cricketing innovation, think again. MCC is to trial a new form of cricket known as ‘5IVES’ next month, with MCC Universities playing MCC Young Cricketers in two 50-over games of 5IVES at Radlett Cricket Club on September 6 and 7.

The distinguishing feature of 5IVES is that both teams bat in multiple ‘innings splits’ - rather than the single innings split being trialed in Australia - where the not out batsmen at the end of an innings split resume batting at the start of their side’s next innings split. If that all sounds a bit confusing, it might be re-assuring to know that there are still 11 players in a side, the batting side is all out after losing 10 wickets, and the side with the most runs wins the game.

“What cricket needs is excitement and tension throughout the game, not just in the closing stages,” suggested Dick Wood, the South African inventor of 5IVES. “To achieve this you must be able to see who is winning now. 5IVES Cricket is the ultimate head-to-head limited-overs cricket contest. You can see who is winning the race, not a race against the clock. It brings the game alive creating the energy and atmosphere that sports fans crave, without compromising the integrity of the game.”

“After listening to Dick’s presentation to the MCC World Cricket Committee at Lord’s, we were keen to take the next step and see for ourselves how 5IVES operates,” explained John Stephenson, MCC’s head of cricket. “A key part of MCC’s remit is to provide research and development for the good of the game and, given our independence in world cricket, we are well placed to conduct such a trial. We look forward to seeing how 5IVES works in practice – it may succeed, it may not, but we won’t know until we’ve given it a go.”

It’s not just England’s batsmen that have trouble reading the ‘doosra’. A survey of a global network of linguists has concluded that ‘doosra’ – which means 'second' or 'other' in Urdu and refers to an offspinner’s variation that turns in the opposite direction to an orthodox delivery - is the single most untranslatable term in cricket. No less confusing to those who don't know their silly mid-off from their square leg, ‘googly’ came in second, followed by ‘mullygrubber’.

"Cricket is not just a sport but also a language in its own right,” said Jurga Zilinskiene, managing director of Today Translations's, the London-based language firm that carried out the survey. "Indeed, it is perhaps the world's most untranslatable language. Sometimes, the equivalent idea - like doosra or googly - simply does not exist in both cultures. I believe, for example, that cricket is now starting to catch on in France. Can you imagine? But don't worry. We at Today Translations are working on finding a good French translation for 'doosra'.”

Harold Pinter, the late English Nobel Prize-winning playwright, espoused the pleasures of cricket when he said: "I tend to believe that cricket is the greatest thing that God ever created on earth. Certainly greater than sex, although sex isn't too bad either. Anyway, you can either have sex before cricket or after cricket. The fundamental fact is that cricket must be there at the centre of things."

His feelings, no doubt shared and bemoaned in equal measure by cricket lovers and long-suffering partners around the world, have been backed up by studies of cricket's lexicon. "Cricket has generated a richer terminology than any other sport and - some would say - than any other human activity aside from sex,” added Zilinskiene.

Zimbabwe’s cricketers are the highest paid sportspersons in the country, claims a report in local newspaper The Standard. According to “a ZC insider”, Zimbabwe Cricket has put in place a graded payment structure for domestic cricketers. Top cricketers are in Grade X, and receive US$5,000 a month, those in Grade A US$3,500, Grade B Us$2,000 and Grade C US$1,500. At the bottom is the Rookie Grade, on which cricketers are paid a retainer fee of US$300.

The story names Gavin Ewing, Terry Duffin and Charles Coventry as examples of Matabeleland Tuskers players in Grade X, and also suggests that Mountaineers offloaded Tatenda Taibu and Stuart Matsikenyeri “in order to relieve the franchise’s huge wage bill”.

As a comparison, Zimbabwe’s club footballers – thought to be the second-highest paid group of sportsmen - are reported to be earning monthly salaries of between US$300 to US$800. Players also receive bonuses of between US$80 and US$200 for winning matches, and footballers with top clubs such as Dynamos taking home US$1,000 for winning a match at the African Champions League.

Despite their relative wealth in their home country Zimbabwean cricketers’ salaries still pale in comparison with those of the highest earning cricketers in the world. At the opposite end of the scale, a Forbes study last year stated that M.S. Dhoni was the world's richest cricketer with annual earnings of US$10m, followed by Sachin Tendulkar at US$8m.

Can there be such a thing as over-preparation? The Redbacks of South Australia, currently gearing up for the Champions League Twenty20 in South Africa, may be pushing the boundaries. They have apparently been training under “high intensity conditions” with the recorded noise of vuvuzelas blasting through the speakers during the sessions in Adelaide Oval’s Indoor Cricket centre. This, at a time when the rest of the sports world – rugby leading the way – is shrinking from the ear-splitting din of the monotonous plastic instrument, which drove players, backroom staff, the media and even fellow spectators to distraction during the World Cup. It’s unlikely the Champions League Twenty20 will experience that sort of noise level, if only because the crowds will be smaller. Still, the Redbacks are taking no chances and have scheduled their last vuvuzela training session on Tuesday. Overkill? They may yet have the last laugh – but it’s possible that they will first have very sore ears.

The Butcher era is back. Only, this time it will unfold on the stage instead of on The Oval pitch. After years of entertaining fellow brethren at the Professional Cricketers' Association annual bash with a vibrant mix of rock and soul, Mark Butcher has come out with his first album called Sun House. The album has been written, played and released by, yes, Baz himself. According to the Independent, Butcher has lined up several gigs around London to promote his album.

Butcher has always had the makings of a singer. He wrote and sang a touching ballad You're Never Gone at the memorial service for his team-mate Ben Hollioake. He might even have been humming one of his songs to himself during 'that' Ashes innings of 173 at Headingley in 2001, as he made short work of the target of 315.

He was seen doing duty for BBC Radio during England's third Test against Pakistan in a well-pressed grey suit and silk tie that did not quite go along with his rock star avatar. Butcher, who turns 38 on August 23, seems to be well on his way to challenging Brett Lee as cricket's ultimate rock star. Watch out Binga.

India may have won the Asia Cup that was played in Sri Lanka in June earlier this year, but are yet to enjoy the spoils of their victory. The winners of the individual sponsored prizes – both sponsored by leading brands in India - are apparently yet to receive their bikes and TV sets, according to a report in the Hindustan Times. “None of us has received either a bike or a television,” an India cricketer told the newspaper. “Neither the sponsors nor the organisers have got in touch with us after the tournament.” The Indian team management has taken up the issue on behalf of the players (though its focus may not be a little diffused after No-ballgate).

The sponsors, though, beg to differ. “Because players are busy in Sri Lanka, the bikes cannot be delivered right now,” said Arun, a representative of Planman Events, which was handling the account of the bike manufacturer. And the TV sets? “The Indian players' TV sets have been delivered to the BCCI headquarters,” a Nimbus official said from Mumbai. Nimbus Sports which holds the broadcast rights for the Asia Cup was in charge of the TV sets. The BCCI though has denied receiving any such consignment. Looks like the wait will continue. The best answer is to just win another set of awards during the current series.

An empirical analysis has found Don Bradman to be the greatest cricketer of all time. That isn’t news. The news is that the same analysis has Sachin Tendulkar outranked by compatriots in every parameter applied – and that Vinod Kambli figures at all. The analysis - The Bradman Class: An Exploration of Some Issues in the Evaluation of Batsmen for Test Matches, 1877-2006, written by economists Vani K Borooah, and John E Mangan - ranks 50 batsmen from all eras. Only five Indians have qualified in the top 50 on the basis of career averages, and Tendulkar, who is currently the highest run scorer in Tests, is not among the top-ranked Indian batsmen.

In terms of value of runs scored to the team, Virender Sehwag is India's top batsman ranked at No.6 , followed by Rahul Dravid and Tendulkar. On consistency of scoring, Dravid is ranked No.4 – no surprise there - followed by Tendulkar at No. 5. Sunil Gavaskar comes in at No. 11, Sehwag is at No. 12, and surprisingly, Kambli who played just 17 Tests for India, comes in at No. 13. In another ranking based on career contribution to the team score, Dravid and Gavaskar, who are both ranked No. 5, emerge as India's top batsmen. Then come Tendulkar and Sehwag, both at No. 6 with Kambli coming in at No. 8.

While the Australians have been busy looking for ideas on how to reclaim the Ashes from England, their Trans-Tasman neighbours have been literally searching for the ashes of one of their legendary cricketers, in their own backyard.

When former New Zealand and Otago batsman Bert Sutcliffe died in 2001, some of his ashes were scattered at the Carisbrook ground in Dunedin and the rest buried there in a private ceremony. But with the venue now undergoing a massive renovation, the Otago Cricket Association asked Sutcliffe’s family if they could move the urn to its new headquarters at the University Oval. The family agreed but Otago jumped the gun and installed a commemorative plaque at Carisbrook before checking if the ashes were still there. Even technology – a metal detector and sonar device were used - didn't help, and now nobody, including those present in 2001, have a clue where exactly the urn was buried.

Sutcliffe’s son Gary was philosophical about the peculiar scenario. "Dad's ashes are proving as elusive as bowlers found taking his wicket," Gary told Otago Daily Times. "Maybe there is a message here. Dad's wishes were that he would love to have his ashes scattered at Carisbrook.” You can't take Bert Sutcliffe out of Carisbrook, neither can you take Carisbrook out of him.

The Indian team is used to doing things in style. A day after levelling a Test series that looked lost, they surprised everybody by flying to Dambulla, where the team is participating in a tri-series, in army choppers, the MI 17 and the Blackhawk.

The reason was a tight schedule. They had only two days between the Test and their first ODI, against New Zealand. There is no airport in Dambulla, and the near-five-hour drive is the only way of getting there. The one-day specialists had been here for three days already. The team didn’t want to lose out on an important day of training for them. Nishantha Ranatunga, SLC secretary, said if the team was happy to pay for it, they didn’t have any problem in making arrangements.

Hence the slightly surreal scene of the team taking off on the chopper from the army base next to their team hotel in Colombo. In 40 minutes’ time, they were landing near their team hotel in Dambulla.

Thinking ahead: Brett Lee © Getty Images

Brett Lee the bowler is fading but Brett Lee the musician is taking off. His two-man outfit White Shoe Theory has eight bookings for an upcoming trip to India and he is hoping for more.

Lee does the back-up vocals and plays bass while his mate Mick Vawdon is the front man. ''I'd love for music to be my future - who doesn't want to be a rock star,” Lee said in the Sun-Herald. ''It is my passion, no doubt about that. I've always joked that I was a musician who used his sport to prop himself up but this could be a real chance to make a go of things.”

Cricket is still No.1 for Lee, though. After a couple of years of injuries he is desperate to get back and is training five days a week. “I’m really pushing myself.”

Norman Gordon, the former South African fast bowler and the world’s oldest living Test cricketer, celebrated his 99th birthday on Thursday. Gordon had been the second-oldest surviving Test player until Eric Tindill, who played rugby and cricket for New Zealand, died on August 1.

A cocktail party was held at the Houghton Golf Club – where Norman is an honorary member and spends many an afternoon – to celebrate his birthday. And among the many queuing to shake Houghton’s hand was Johann Ruper, South Africa’s richest man. "I should have asked him for a cheque, then,” Gordon told Independent Online, when he was informed who Ruper was.

Sitting in the Oval crowd on the final day of the Ashes in 2005, the comedian Miles Jupp experienced a “Damascene moment”. Down on his luck in his chosen career, and jealously observing the lucky few who were being paid to watch the sport he loved, he decided he would chance his arm at something completely different – and resolved to become a cricket journalist.

“Joining the press corps seemed like the perfect job,” said Jupp. “The more I thought about it, the more romantic my vision of life inside that world became: a clubby and convivial group of cricket lovers travelling the world together, watching the game and sharing stories about it, working and hunting as a pack.”

And so, with that idyllic vision in mind, he set his sights on England’s tour of India in February and March 2006, and even managed to extract vague promises of work via his contacts at the BBC and The Western Mail. However, upon arrival, he found himself completely out on a limb.

“I was left in India for a month with no pass, no work and the monumental task of looking busy,” he said. “It is incredibly hard to look busy when you have absolutely nothing to do. It is frowned upon to make excited, girly noises when a famous player is standing near you. And it is difficult to be taken seriously as a cricket journalist when more and more of your colleagues in the press box start noticing that you look a lot like one of the actors in the children’s television series Balamory.”

The net result, however, was to furnish Jupp with a stock of raw material which he has now taken back to his original career as a stand-up comic. “It was a month in which I was sometimes embarrassed, humiliated, self-conscious, bored, lonely or horribly sick,” he added. “But also at other times I was excited, accepted, joyful, got to mix with my heroes and learned to understand my relationship with the game.”

Fibber in the Heat (A Cricket Tale) will be showing at the Gilded Balloon Teviot in Edinburgh from August 5-29, starting at 8pm. For more information, or to book tickets, go to www.gildedballoon.co.uk, or ring 0131 622 6552.

If Chak de! India, a Hindi movie, helped focus attention on women’s hockey in India, ‘Poor Cousins of Million Dollar Babies’ hopes to do the same for women’s cricket. This 27-minute documentary-drama, researched, scripted and filmed by cricket historian Sunil Yash Kalra focuses on the lives of India’s women cricketers, their struggles against the odds and their triumphs. “If a male cricketer receives Rs 250,000 for a match, a female player gets Rs 2500. They travel for their matches in unreserved train compartments,” Kalra told IANS. “It’s nothing comparable; still they are happy to play and this is what I wish to highlight in the film.”

Lack of sponsorship had held the project back, but the problem has been solved and Kalra hopes to showcase the film at various international festivals. Shot over four years in South Africa, Australia, England, West Indies and India, the film – in which Anjum Chopra, one of the seniormost current Indian players, has been involved - also focuses on the inter- personal relationships and the camaraderie between the players. “‘Not many people know how much fun we have together,” said Jhulan Goswami, the captain of the women’s team. “This side of us has never been shown, besides all the inside footage that the media never has.”

Shane Warne was nicknamed “Hollywood” early in his career, back when he complained his life was like a soap opera. He could be more like Oprah if he guest hosts a variety television show in Australia later in the year.

The Sunday Herald Sun reported Warne would be involved in the light entertainment show for Channel 9. "We will have the top bands and interviews with big names who are coming out for the Ashes, like Mick Jagger and Michael Parkinson,” an insider told the paper.

"Warney has great contacts and will attract the best talent. All the celebrities love him. Only last week he was at the races with Liz Hurley in the UK."