Set permanent WACA Test date

Good timing is the essence to great cricket.

That ethos is relevant not only to the men swinging bats but also to those pushing pencils in the Cricket Australia planning office.

Setting fixtures is a tough job. You need a fondness for figures mostly found among accountants, a clairvoyant's crystal ball and the diplomacy of Bill Clinton to acquiesce the requests of stakeholders.

This week Perth hosts the third Test between Australia and India. While there is talk that five-day cricket is ill - although as pointed out at The West this week there seems to be more people asking "who said Test cricket is dead" rather than "Test cricket is dead" - there is great anticipation for the WACA Ground contest.

A Michael Clarke triple century, a couple of wins and the prospect of seeing Sachin Tendulkar create history can have the effect on the sporting psyche. Local cricket couldn't be happier with the lead-in.

But wouldn't it be easier to market - and better for fans - if the annual Perth Test was played at the same time of the year, every year?

High cost on the baggy green

Any former Test players considering selling their baggy greens to fund their retirement should get in quick.

Where Southeby's would normally handle such a rare piece of sporting memorabilia, there are so many cheap Australian caps flooding the market that their future sales could be more suited to eBay.

Three more hats will be handed out on Thursday morning. It used to be unusual for one to be presented per series.

There is no doubt Australian cricket is struggling and combined with an increase in Test commitments, the value of what was once the most prized piece of sporting equipment in this country has been devalued.

Receiving a baggy green was a reward within itself. It was the prize for years of work and patience waiting for an opportunity.

And once you had it, no-one could take it from you. Even if sold (Don Bradman's cap fetched $425,000 at a 2003 auction) it will forever remain the spiritual property of the first wearer.

Steve Waugh held off replacing his dilapidated baggy green because it contained the smell, the feel, the essence of his Test career.

Now there is hardly the trace of a bead of sweat in some Australian players' hats.