On Test Match Special

Australian bowler McGrath appeals for a third English wicket in three balls. After an agonising second, the umpire says "Not out".

English commentator (CMJ) "That's a good decision!"

Australian commentator (Rodney Marsh): "You reckon??"

While I am enjoying listening to Pietersen's antics with the bat

I can't help but think this is more the time to emulate Chris Tavare.

In the 1980s, facing Lillie and Thomson et al in Australia, he was once on track to make the slowest ever test 50 before - to the great disappointment of the Test Match Special team - speeding up.

Someone remind Pietersen that time is as valuable as runs today.

Update: apparently, Tavare is 'only' the third slowest test batsman (only considering those who have scored 1,000 test runs). The other two are also English, including St Mike Brearley. Oh for those two today.

Gasp - Ebay buys Skype

... for between 2.6 and 4.1 billion dollars. (The actual price depends on future performance)

That's a minimum of forty million times Skype's forecast earnings this year (371 million times last year's actual earnings!)

I know Ebay is rich (it made $371 million dollars profit last quarter) but for a business that's not that hard to get into and for which Skype does have lots of users but is not in a dominant position in the way that Ebay is for online auctions and which has Google gunning for it... gosh.