The wicket maiden and Mr Cricket

He may have retired from the international arena a year ago after playing an instrumental role in a third successive World Cup triumph, but Glenn McGrath's mastery of the bowling arts shows no sign of diminishing with age. Did it really surprise anyone when he bowled the first wicket maiden of the competition, handing out a harsh lesson to Taruwar Kohli in the process?

No matter what the format, the McGrath basics of line, length and subtle movement confound batsmen more often than not. And with him showing the way, Farveez Maharoof and Rajat Bhatia produced similarly tidy spells to utter strangle the Rajasthan Royals. 

A couple of hundred miles to the north, another consummate pro had already left his mark on proceedings. Brendon McCullum's assault in Bangalore on the opening day was brutal. Hussey was clinical, picking the gaps and manouevring the ball like only the very best can. With Suresh Raina and S Badrinath - the selectors have a lot to answer for in his case - playing beautiful cameos around him, Hussey required three fewer balls than McCullum to reach his hundred.

You'd never have thought it though, the difference being as stark as that between the screech of an F-1 car and the purr of an Aston Martin.

Watching that game on TV was an interesting experience. The broadcasters have managed to squeeze in ads even when the game's on, with the result that the commentary suddenly disappears for a few seconds. Ah well, after spending close to $1 billion, they probably feel entitled to squeeze out every last dollar.

Greg Chappell was in the commentary box, and my favourite moment was when he flat-batted a provocative comment from Aamir Sohail regarding Suresh Raina. Sohail spoke of Raina being one of Chappell's favourites, and of the many chances he was given in the one-day team. Chappell maintained his silence, and then started describing the action out in the middle. Nothing like a measured leave.