He may not bat like his father but he has the same nomadic itch. Australian-born Riki Wessels is one of few overseas players who dabbles in all forms of the game in Zimbabwe, not just Twenty20. Last weekend he made history by scoring a century in both innings of a first-class game for the Mid West Rhinos against the Matabeleland Tuskers.

Kepler and Ricky are the seventh father-son pair in the world to both score a hundred in each innings of a first-class game, and the second South African dad and son to do so, after Jimmy and Stephen Cook. Riki clearly has the same hunger for runs as his dad, but he certainly didn’t learn his batting style from the old man. While Wessels Snr. was usually cramped and trusted his eye rather than his footwork, his son is light on his feet and an adventurous boundary hitter. He also has a substantially healthier strike rate than dad. Kepler’s Test strike rate was 46.48 and Riki’s first-class equivalent is 63.48.

Ashley Kerekes, the babysitter from Massachusetts who has become a cricketing celebrity because of her twitter name (@TheAshes) may get to learn about cricket with her own eyes. Kerekes, who has now started selling t-shirts with the logo “I am not a freaking cricket match” printed on them responded to a mistaken tweeter by asking “What the hell is cricket?” That prompted users to start a campaign tagged #gettheashestotheashes. Qantas airline has responded. They’re offering the 22-year-old free flights to watch the game, while Vodafone Australia has offered to "pony up #theashes tickets & a phone so she can tweet". The second test starts on Friday in Adelaide, but Kerekes hasn’t confirmed that she’ll be there.

If you close your eyes during play, Brisbane has a distinctly English sound. The flagging pound and strong Australian dollar hasn't stopped thousands from coming on holiday and today it felt like more than half of the crowd of 21,677 were tourists.

"Unfortunately we were not able to quieten the Barmy Army for too long today, we had to put up with it," Shane Watson said. "They didn't seem to carry on too much yesterday when Mike Hussey and Brad Haddin were batting so well, but we gave them the chance to carry on today."

Has the English support had any influence on the Australians? "I don't really think it has," Watson said. "It's a bit annoying to be honest."

The perils of social networking have hit home in a big way for a previously anonymous young lady in Westfield, Massachusetts, whose username on Twitter, @theashes, has turned her into an unwitting hub for all the banter circulating around the ongoing first Test at the Gabba.

@theashes, whose Twitter page is decorated with distinctly un-cricket-like floral pink wallpaper, responded in a measured fashion to some of the first traffic that passed through her page, telling one user “this isn’t the cricket twitter”. However, by the start of the third day of the Test her patience finally snapped.

“I AM NOT A FREAKING CRICKET MATCH!!! That means you @matywilson @zandertrego @thesummats @ atonyboffey @faz1988 and MORE,” she wrote, a response that quickly went viral, ensuring that she is now fielding endless enquiries about Andrew Strauss’s captaincy, Mitchell Johnson’s hopeless form, and during one drinks break, an appeal to “put the kettle on love”.

The intimidating cauldron atmosphere of the Gabba will have a soothingly familiar accompaniment for England's cricketers this week, after it was confirmed that the Barmy Army trumpeter, Billy Cooper, has been given permission to play his instrument throughout the five-Test series.

Four years ago, Cooper lasted for barely a session on the opening day of the series before being hauled out of the Gabba for breaching the ground regulations. That was just one of a number of incidents in the match that soured the atmosphere for the visiting supporters, who complained of scattered ticket allocation and over-zealous officialdom from the so-called "Fun Police". At one stage the Barmy Army organiser, Paul Burnham, threatened to call the whole tour off.

Now, however, the classically trained Cooper has applied for special dispensation through official Cricket Australia channels, and is expected to be part of the official entertainment package for the Test series. Happily for those who prefer their atmosphere to be buzzing in the non-literal sense, vuvuzelas remain on CA's banned list.

Justin Langer was heckled constantly about his size by the Barmy Army during his playing days, with the English fans serenading him with “Hi, ho, hi, ho” from the seven dwarfs. Now the Australian batting coach, Langer gets another reminder when he does throw-downs at training. Before he helped Shane Watson fine-tune for Thursday’s first Ashes Test he had to place a step at the non-striker’s end to ensure his release point was up at the height of a normal bowler.

Another Ashes series begins and the resting place of the urn is up for debate again. Well, it isn’t really, because it’s owned by the MCC, but that doesn’t stop the talk. The tiny trophy travelled to Australia last time and flew back to the museum at Lord’s as soon as Ricky Ponting’s men had claimed the series 5-0.

Ponting would like the urn to live in the country of the winners. “That will be good,” he said. "I know there was a lot made last time about how frail it was and whatever else. I'm sure with technology these days there's something to ensure that it's safe on a journey across the world.”

But Andrew Strauss wants it to remain at its current London address. “I think it’s at the home of cricket for a reason,” he said. “If it was possible to transport it around easily maybe it’s the right thing to do. If it isn’t then it’s quite a nice little glass box it sits in at Lord’s.” That’s Strauss’s home ground for Middlesex.

Kevin Pietersen's form has been a hot topic in the lead-up to the Ashes, even more so now that the Australians have seemingly picked a left-arm spinner, Xavier Doherty, just to target him. Doherty averages 48 in first-class cricket, but clearly the Aussies selectors have a masterplan. For his part, Pietersen has already declared himself 'on fire' during this tour and his dismissal for 5 against Australia - bowled by Steve O'Keefe (yes, a left-arm spinner) - is unlikely to dim his belief.

And, judging by this video, KP could take on the Australians with his eyes shut - or at least blindfolded. Facing a bowling machine set to a decent pace he produced a free swing of his arms and launched the ball clear out of the ground. Perhaps if he faces Doherty at the Gabba his best bet is to shut his eyes and swing.

Justin Langer loves his baggy green so much that when he told a Test match lunch in Brisbane that he went to bed with it every night nobody was sure if he was joking. What followed was an on-stage monologue about the tradition of the cap that had Australia’s long-term supporters tingling and Nasser Hussain, the former England captain, trying not to gag.

When Hussain was asked to detail what England’s cap traditions were he said: “No, we’ve got a life, before turning to Langer. "You’re not still sleeping with your cap?”

But Hussain did outline a few things Australia had stolen from the old enemy. “You’ve nicked our sponsor, you’re picking 17 players in a squad and you’re losing games. It’s good to see the roles reversed.”

What's the best way for an under-pressure batsman to prepare for a defining Test? Face a virtual bowling attack consisting of James Pattinson, Moises Henriques, Josh Hazlewood, Shane Warne and Saqlain Mushtaq.

Australia have a new Ashes weapon in the high-tech Probatter system, and Michael Hussey was the first to try it out at Australia's opening training session for Thursday's first Ashes Test at the Gabba. Hussey's form has been under intense scrutiny and he had to seal his spot in the squad with a century for Western Australia last week.

Hussey started off in the net by facing Pattinson - the real version is currently carrying a stress fracture - in a custom-made shed at Allan Border Field. The back wall carries a vision of the bowler running in, and at delivery, a ball is powered out of a hole, at a speed determined by the computer modelling.

Unfortunately the bowling options don't contain James Anderson, Stuart Broad, Steven Finn and Graeme Swann, but the exercise does provide a struggling batsman with another line in self-justification. "I'm feeling great against the virtual bowler, it's just a matter of transferring it to the middle," they can now say.

Shane Watson was not convinced by the technology and left the nets after being bowled and caught behind in three balls. "I'll try anything once," he said as he walked out.

India captain MS Dhoni is going the James Bond way. No, he’s not going to become a secret service agent. Rather, he is soon going to be the owner of a Walther rifle, something that is synonymous with 007. Shimon Sharif, the director of a website that imports shooting equipment for many Indian national shooters, confirmed that such a request had indeed come from Dhoni. “A week after the Commonwealth Games, I got a mail from Dhoni wanting to buy a Walther rifle,” Sharif told the Hindustan Times. “I replied to him and, to my surprise, I got an answer in five minutes. He seemed very serious about buying the rifle.” Dhoni will soon be wielding a Carbontec air rifle, also used by Beijing Olympic Games gold-medallist Abhinav Bindra at the Olympics. And the cost? About Rs 1.48 lakhs or approximately USD$ 3260.

History imbues the Ashes with the sort of significance that goes beyond words. Pride, adulation and a place in cricketing folklore await great Ashes performances but VB Beer have added a further incentive for Australia. Under the "Shout the nation" commitment, if Australia win back the urn from England over the next two months, free coupons for the beer will be printed in newspapers at the conclusion of the final Test on January 8. Feeding 13 million Aussies a free beer would cost the company AUS$20 million at retail prices which makes this seem more like a bet against the hosts than a patriotic promise but if Ricky Ponting is celebrating at the end of the series it could be quite an after party.

The next Pakistan-South Africa Test is four days away but it’s already causing a few headaches. Specifically for the broadcast team, who will commute daily between their hotel in Dubai and the stadium in Abu Dhabi, a trip that’s 80 km each way. Distance is one problem, as the commentator Mike Haysman noted in his blog on supercricket.com: since they need to get to the ground two hours before the start of play, they will need to leave their hotel at 5:30am to beat the rush hour. Ergo, a wake-up call at 4:15am (it takes time for them to look good, in case you’re wondering). That’s not all: the E 11 highway that runs between Dubai and Abu Dhabi is rumoured to be among the fastest (read: most dangerous) in the world. In 2008, the highway witnessed an accident that involved 200 cars, and killed three people, injuring 277. The speed limits have since been reduced to 120km/h. The commentators would probably feel safer padding up to Dale Steyn or Umar Gul.

Children from some of Harare's poorest townships will be given transport and entrance to domestic Twenty20s, free of charge © Getty Images

The sight of stands full of school children during both domestic and international cricket matches is not new to Zimbabwe, but their presence could be even more notable as children from Highfields, Chitungwiza and Mabvuku townships will not only be allowed free entrance to all games during the Stanbic Bank Twenty20 tournament, but will also be provided with transport to get there.

“Some of these children are our most loyal fans and really look up to the Masakadza’s, Taibu’s and Coventry’s of this world,” said Zimbabwe Cricket spokesperson Shingai Rhuhwaya. “It would mean a lot to them to get the chance to see their heroes play alongside Brian Lara or Lance Klusener.

“We appreciate the difficulty that some children may face in getting to and from the venue to watch a game of cricket which is why we have availed our bus and hired others to ferry them to and from Harare Sports Club.”

Pick up points for children in Highfield will be from Chipembere High School, at the Central Junction in Chitungwiza and next to Mabvuku Spar in Mabvuku.

If you saw Sourav Ganguly walking out onto the pitch of the Salt Lake Stadium, you would be forgiven for thinking he had turned up at the wrong ground in Kolkata. But the former Indian cricket team captain did in fact play his first professional football match on Friday for Mohammedan Sporting Club against East Bengal in the Mohammedan Sporting Platinum Jubilee Cup. According to the Telegraph, he proved that he was no novice in the sport and created several chances for his strike partner. The crowd was expectedly overjoyed when Ganguly nearly scored with a side volley from just outside the penalty area. Ganguly lasted 60 minutes before being substituted in his side’s 0-1 loss, proving he’s got the fitness levels to play the sport. Now what if Mohammedan has a game that clashes with one of Kolkata Knight Rider’s? Ganguly might want to consider the fact that he has never received so much praise for not scoring.

Shane Warne has received many accolades during his cricket career, both during his playing days as well as post retirement – whether for his cricket punditry or his poker skills. But here’s a new ‘meaty’ one. According to a report in Sydney’s Daily Telegraph, fast-food chain McDonald’s is set to release a burger in Warne's name – called the ‘Legend’ burger. This top-secret meal is set to be launched in the upcoming weeks ahead of the Ashes. And what will you get when you bite into the ‘Legend’? A bit of bun, some regular cheese and lettuce, along with your choice of chicken (crisp or seasoned), all mashed together in a saucy combination. There’ll probably be baked beans on the side. Howzat?

Tiger Woods has found an unlikely ally in his bid to win back his fans – and his form – in the wake of the sex scandals that wrecked his clean-cut image during a miserable year that culminated last week with the loss of his status as the world’s No. 1-ranked golfer.

At an official dinner on the eve of the Australian Masters in Melbourne, Woods was partnered at a question-and-answer session by none other than Shane Warne, another great sportsman whose after-hours behaviour has been the subject of some pretty lurid tabloid headlines.

While the reception for Woods was at first awkward, Warne’s presence soon helped to ease the atmosphere. According to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald, the evening’s compere, Mark Nicholas, welcomed the pair with the loaded words, “promising relationship!” to which Warne responded with a dead-pan: “'I reckon we've got a little bit in common ... I love golf.''

Woods couldn’t help but laugh at that, a reaction that was more spontaneous than any of the unconvincing attempts at contrition he has turned to in previous public appearances, and set the tone for one of his more comfortable grillings of the recent past. It just goes to show, even the greats need an experienced hand to guide them through the tough times.

It appears that China could really be a huge new market for cricket, as Asian Games organisers announced on Wednesday that all tickets for the women’s matches, which begin on Saturday, sold out within days of going on sale. "There's not a single ticket available for sale for the women's cricket," Husain Al Musallam, director general and technical director of the Olympic Council of Asia, told a press conference. "We hope to spread cricket all over Asia." Cricket is being included for the first time at the Games, which are being hosted by China, with organisers building a 12,000-seater cricket-specific stadium at the Guangdong University of Technology to host that portion of the tournament.

The probity of the recent one-day series between South Africa and Pakistan may have been called into question in the wake of Zulqarnain Haider’s flight to England, but at least the ICC has some good news to report from the series that took place just down the road from the governing body’s headquarters in Dubai. Mohammad Yousuf has been cleared of any wrongdoing after wearing a borrowed shirt for the series decider.

According to an ICC press release, Yousuf was found not guilty of a violation of “clause 2.1.1 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players, as read with Section C6 of the Clothing and Equipment Rules and Regulations which deal with appropriate and professional standards of appearance on the field on play.” His alleged crime? Writing his name on the back of the shirt with a marker pen.

In a glorious triumph for common sense, Yousuf – who had pleaded not guilty to the offence – was exonerated by the match referee, Andy Pycroft, on the not-unreasonable grounds that he had only just arrived in the country for next week’s Test series and therefore hadn’t been scheduled to play in the one-dayers.

“In making my decision, I took into account that Yousuf was required by the management representing the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to wear the offending shirt as he had arrived in Dubai for the Test series and not for the ODIs,” said Pycroft. “As such, he didn’t bring with him any coloured clothing. The matter should now be referred by the ICC to the PCB pursuant to the relevant section of the Clothing and Equipment Rules and Regulations.”

The reasoning was faultless, but the timing, on the day that match-fixing once again became the hottest topic in the world game, was unfortunate. Surely the ICC has more important issues with which to contend?

One man has the reputation of being a crocodile hunter, while the other wants to model his batting on Matthew Hayden, who knows a thing or two about water sport. Fitting then, that Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel have been chosen to mark the 100-day countdown to the World Cup, which begins on February 19, with a shark dive at the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo on Tuesday. The pair will take the World Cup trophy to the bottom of the 11-metre deep aquarium and will be watched by ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat and members of the South Africa and Pakistan teams.

With the capacity to hold 10 million litres of water, the complex has more than 33,000 aquatic animals, and for a short while on Tuesday, it will also feature two South African fast bowlers and a glittering trophy.

Not content with holding the record for the fastest Test double-century, Nathan Astle is satisfying his need for speed in the world of sprint car racing. Astle, who retired four years ago, makes his debut at the Ruapuna Speedway near Christchurch on November 20 – just five months after getting into the sport. His bond with the race track goes back some time – he would accompany his father to Ruapuna - but the racing took a back seat as his cricket took off. Freed from such obligations now, he’s acting out his dream – and an expensive one at that, with Astle investing NZ$13,000 (US$10,000). His kids are happy, his coach is bullish on his prospects, and, though his mum is a bit worried, the son seems to be in his element. "When you're out there you forget what's around you and you kind of feel how fast you do go. You don't have time to think. You are down the straight and you're into the corner and same again. It's just having your wits around you." Deja vu, then, for the man who scored a century against Brett Lee in Perth.

As England and Australia prepare to wage war with the Ashes just three weeks away, a gold medal presented during the first ever official Test match, between James Lillywhite’s England and a combined Australia XI in Melbourne 133 years ago, will come up at auction in London next week. The medal, engraved with crossed cricket bats, stumps and a ball, was presented to one of the England players, Harry Charlwood, by George Browne, the architect of the first grandstand at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It is expected to fetch up to £20,000 at Graham Budd Auctions at Sotheby’s Bond Street sale room.

Budd explained that the medal was the only one known to remain from Browne’s commemoration, but it was presumed he presented a medal to each of the England team. “Perhaps he gave similar medals to the home team too, as a suitable souvenir of his achievements in developing a ground more than worthy of hosting Test match cricket” said Budd. “Browne is known to have socialised heavily with the England cricketers during the tour. Browne’s MCG grandstand cost ₤4,500 but did not last long as it was destroyed by fire in 1884.’’