Australia have well and truly squared up with Duncan Fletcher for his use of a specialist fielder. Queensland's Marnus Labuschagne is the latest to join the list of super subs who have taken a catch at Test level, claiming a one-handed screamer diving forward at bat pad to remove Varun Aaron. It was no fluke, as this video of him catching corn in the kitchen indicates. Labuschagne is considered an under-the-lid specialist and fields in close for the Bulls. The irony will not be lost on India's coach Fletcher. He earned the wrath of Ricky Ponting during the 2005 Ashes series after the former Australia captain was run out by Gary Pratt. The Australians got one back the following series when another Queenslander, Ryan Broad, held on to a chance to remove Andrew Strauss in Brisbane. In fact, Queensland has a good record when their subs take the field for the Test side. Last year, Chris Sabburg spoiled Kevin Pietersen's 100th Test by catching him in the deep. Former opener Peter Cantrell, who played five one-day internationals for the Netherlands, took two blinders during the Gabba Test of the 1990-91 Ashes series.
'Aussie Marnus' a Bok
It might be time for Australian cricket fans to stop ribbing England for the number of South Africans in their national team. Marnus Labuschagne hails from Klerksdorp, the same home town as South African social rights activist Desmond Tutu. A native Afrikaan speaker, Labuschagne, 20, could not speak English when he moved to Australia with his family aged 10. But unlike Kevin Pietersen and Jonathan Trott, who were both products of South Africa's junior system, Labuschagne has come through Queensland's program. He made his first-class debut this summer.
Miss India comes up short
We've already shown you how much M.S. Dhoni loves his chicken burgers and Hyderabadi biryani, but it appears the Indian squad also has a weakness for chapatti bread. The touring team placed an order for 50 pieces of the Indian flatbread from a curry house, called Miss India, opposite the Gabba. Unfortunately for Dhoni's men, there was insufficient staff to cater for such a large order and the Indian team had to go without. But it's good to see their culinary tastes have gone up a few notches since their tour of England when they sunk their fangs into bags of McDonald's and Nando's. It's safe to say the Board of Control for Cricket in India have not sent out a dietician for this tour.
Separated at birth
One man is a fictitious Kazakh journalist who made a documentary of his travels through the United States, the other is India's media manager, Dr Baba. The diminutive official who cuts quite a figure in his body-hugging Team India tracksuit, is the man responsible for chaperoning players to the daily press conferences after play. But his main role is to step in whenever questions are raised about India's opposition to DRS.
Ames an inspiration
The Australians have not been short on inspiration this Test series, though few stories are as moving as that of Brisbane father Matthew Ames. Ames, a father of four and avid cricket fan, beat the odds in 2012, surviving a toxic shock after contracting a streptococcal infection. Surgeons were forced to amputate all four limbs to save his life. Ames caught up with Nathan Lyon this week, 12 months after meeting the team at the start of last summer's Ashes. Ames's story so moved the team that Lyon sent out a cheerio during the team's celebration in Sydney earlier this year. Ames, who has a website, renovatingmatthew.com, needs special prosthetics so he can perform tasks such as walking unassisted and feeding himself.
