Carbine Club opens its doors to women

Another bastion of male exclusivity has fallen. On Tuesday, the Carbine Club voted to break with 55 years of tradition to admit two women. They are Peggy O'Neal, the president of Richmond football club, and Nicole Livingstone, an Olympic silver medalist in swimming and now a media figure.

Time, not money, the reason for split with Nine: Brayshaw

Now that James Brayshaw has hung up his two most prominent caps, at Channel 9 and as chairman of North Melbourne, he admits that having several of them jammed on his head at once took a toll that he hopes he can remediate.

The truth is out there Mr Bogut, you just have to look

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Andrew Bogut is a formidable basketballer, who played a manful role in Australia's gallant tilt at the windmills in Rio. He is also, more than most sportspeople, socially engaged. I could say, quirkily, doubtfully, provocatively engaged, but he would say the same of my world view.

For now, victory is enough

What a difference a day-nighter makes.

Australia fortifies its edge

Cricket is a game of cosmic connections, or coincidences, as you will, of mysterious causes and effects. Shine will make a ball swing. But not always, and not predictably. Almost any substance will make it shine. Out-of-form players, who can least afford unplayables and shockers, cop them. If Richard Kettleborough says it's out, it is. If Aleem Dar says it's out, it's not.

As night falls, a light at last

S​uddenly, Australia could do no wrong, or not much. From consecutive balls in the middle of this day, Peter Handscomb scored the first of his 54 impressive debut runs and Usman Khawaja the 100th of his epic 138 not out, and both brought the Adelaide Oval crowd to their feet. Even Matt Renshaw's 10 had been worth a mini-ovation; it had defused the new ball's threat, forestalled another collapse and made all that followed possible. It was that sort of day.

Boiled lollies to chocolates for Faf

Faf du Plessis's hundred was two masterpieces in one, of defiance in the face of notoriety, but equally of technique and temperament.

The caps fit; now for the careers

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Between overs, Matt Renshaw dashed hither and thither from his first slip eyrie, ferrying caps for bowlers, delivering compliments and encouragements. If a thick edge had to be retrieved from boundary rope, off he obligingly went, but perhaps resisting the urge to sprint, for this was Test cricket, after all.

Sugar and spice flavour the third Test

It's been a sour week for sugar. First, multi-media identity Peter Fitzsimons released The Great Aussie Bloke Slim-down, a book detailing how he made himself half the man he was by giving up sugar  and alcohol. Sugar, we get. Then the Grattan institute proposed a tax on sugary drinks, as way to reduce obesity and/or raise revenue. All the while, Faf du Plessis was giving mint confectionary  and its agency to a cricket ball a bad press, made worse by his refusal to say anything about it.