Lean on your bat, reader, and let us open the shoulders and dispatch cricket news beyond the boundary.
PERTH STADIUM
![Australian players Adam Voges and Mitchell Marsh during the new Perth Stadium tour.](/web/20161105003522im_/http://www.watoday.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/h/9/6/q/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gsh521.png/1478181593794.jpg)
Cricket Australia's hopes of staging an Ashes Test next summer at a new Perth Stadium are fading. While CA remains hopeful the Test will provide the billion-dollar venue with an appropriate opening, there is still much work to be done on construction, while the train station slated nearby is unlikely to be opened in time. There has been angst over the stadium's development, heightened by claims by Australia and WA cricket legend Dennis Lillee in his new autobiography that the overall cost will blow out to $2 billion.
"I believe the originally stated billion-dollar cost for the new Perth Stadium will at least double by the time it is complete," Lillee said. "I also believe WA cricket cannot possibly keep the WACA and hire the new stadium as well as make the money necessary for grassroots cricket."
Lillee had been WACA president for 11 years and was involved in discussions with the the government and the WA Football Commission about cricket's future in the state.The fast bowling great resigned after he voted against the plan to shift Tests to Burswood and WAFL matches back to the WACA in exchange for a major government contribution to a new ground.
"My strongest reason against entering into such an agreement was that the government had not definitely committed to contribute any money to this 'deal'," he said.
BANGLADESH
![Bangladeshi spectators cheer their team during the third day of the second cricket test match between Bangladesh and England in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, Oct. 30, 2016. (AP Photo/A.M. Ahad)](http://web.archive.org./web/20161105003522im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/h/9/h/6/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1478147555105.png)
Bangladeshi spectators cheer their team during the second Test between Bangladesh and England in Dhaka. Photo: AP
The odds are shortening on Australia heading to Bangladesh next year after England's smooth tour there last month. Things did not go according to plan on the field for England but there were no dramas off it despite the security concerns which led to Australia abandoning its tour last year. It's believed Australia's strong stance - it also withdrew from the Under-19 World Cup - which came after threats against Australian interests, prompted more stringent measures from Bangladesh.
The Tonk understands one of the main worries for Cricket Australia was having the team bus stopping in traffic, even for a few seconds, but Bangladeshi authorities were able to secure an unencumbered passage for England. The latest advice from the department of foreign affairs and trade for Bangladesh urges Australians to "reconsider your need to travel" due to the "high level of risk".
STARC-STRUCK
![Mitchell Starc getting shaved for Tonk column. credit Cricket Australia / Getty](http://web.archive.org./web/20161105003522im_/http://www.smh.com.au/content/dam/images/g/s/h/9/n/9/image.imgtype.articleLeadwide.620x349.png/1478147766359.png)
Mitchell Starc does his bit for Movember. Photo: Cricket Australia/Getty Images
Mitchell Starc has made many a batsman freeze on the big stage and it seems he has the same effect on barbers as well. The star quick was having a shave in preparation for Movember but it did not go entirely to plan. The barber chosen for the job, who The Tonk has been informed was their No.1 man, started shaking, fearful he would cut Australia's superstar quick. "Relax," Starc, who is recovering from a nasty gash on his knee, told him. The barber pulled himself together, and completed the job much to his relief. "Are you ok?" he asked Starc as he washed the paceman's face. "I am, are you?" replied Starc, throwing a towel to the the nervous barber so he could clean himself up after sweating bullets during the assignment.
CUP SWEEP
We know Steve Smith and David Warner are avid racing fans but it wasn't the best Melbourne Cup day for the pair. Both had horses running in races at Randwick in Sydney. Warner's horse The Bull, trained by racing's first lady Gai Waterhouse, ran second over 1600 metres while Smith's sprinter Hogmanay was a fast-finishing sixth over 1400 after running into several dead ends. The Tonk has watched the replay and concurs it was a good thing beaten.