John Howard is to be commended for the billion-dollar aid package that he announced in Jakarta last night (media release | press conference) . I'm a bit guarded about some of his attitudes following the disaster, but on the whole I think he has handled things well to date. The initial offer of $10 million in aid was small, but the government has been adding substantially to that as the scope of the disaster became known.

Everyone's entitled to their opinion, and with that in mind I thank this gentleman for linking to my website. I offer no further comment.

http://stubbornlikeamule.net/index.php?p=93

For giving Pratten Park Golden Boy Michael J Clarke a "far cough" after having him stumped at the SCG yesterday, Danish Kaneria is coughing up.

After umpires Shep and Billy reported Danish's far coughing to the referee, Madugalle imposed a fine of 100% of Kaneria's match fee. And this after Danish had already committed, like his team-mates, 25% of his match fee to tsunami relief.

Five wickets for twenty runs. If Pakistan were consistent, they'd be dangerous.

Pakistan squandered a great start at the SCG yesterday. From 3/241 to 8/260 and thence to 9/292 when bad light (at the SCG, aherm!) ended play at 5.21pm eight overs early.

Star of the day was twenty year-old Salman Butt, who joined the pantheon of visiting Test batsmen to score a hundred at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The Pakistan captain at the 2002 Under-19 World Cup, Butt has scored his first Test century in his fifth Test after making an ODI hundred against India in November.