It is hard to believe that it is just four years since Twenty20 cricket sprouted, amongst eager anticipation, its first bud, in, not the current T20 capital, India, but in the ancient county grounds of England and Wales. At first, it was not welcome here, we failed to see that it held more commercial and entertainment value than, for example, Pro40.

How could we possibly believe that the younger, slower and duller brother of one day cricket was going to last longer than a Duracell bunny, who has recently had a terrible accident involving an angry wife and a combine harvester?

Twenty20 has not only failed to have such misfortune, but also has more vibrancy and stamina than Duracell bunny’s brother, Dirk Kuyt. This summer however, it all seems to be about to kick off over here. I speak now as England has just made it to the final of the T20 world cup inWest Indies, in contest against Australia.

We have been spectacular in this tournament. Putting aside the catastrophes of the group stage when an Irishman only just managed to knock out Ireland instead of us, we have knocked aside any contenders with a combination of big hitting, and even bigger hitting.

This is the best England one day team I think anyone has ever seen.

I think they’re just as surprised as we are. Full credit goes to the bowlers, particularly Tim Bresnan and Graeme Swann, for how they have bowled, and in some cases batted, but in my opinion our strength has easily been out batting. Player of the tournament should be between Pieterson, Morgan and Kieswetter, who have blown away all and any team that have sauntered in our direction. But everyone in the team has been superb, Michael Lumb has opened very well, Paul Colingwood has captained well and contributed quick and vital runs. Even Ryan Sidebottom has taken down his early tournament critics with some amazing spells.

The reason I say all this about our world cup is because I think that this is the perfect example of how we seem to once again be heading towards leading the world in a new format. The IPL looks to be good on the pitch, but crumbling off it. We missed the chance to have our own global tournament before they snatched it up, but now we have another. The success of our team in the World Cup may provide the spark needed to ignite a Cricket Premier League in Britain, maybe to rival our Football league as it sinks deeper into the red.

The counties have been in talks throughout the off season over what to do with twenty20 cricket in the country. There are talks of creating franchises such as those in the IPL and NFL. Our Twenty20 specialists, who have done so well in the West Indies, would provide a solid base in such a tournament, but I think that the tournament needs to be created quickly, in order to maximise the global appeal. We don’t need to disturb the irreplaceable mode that is First Class or Test Match cricket, for it is the backbone of the game. We are just providing the lifeblood needed to make the game commercially viable, more prolonged and more popular.

Yes, Twenty20 has at last been welcomed in this country. The bud has opened and now we await to be awed by the splendour of its petals.

So why are we trying to navigate our way through a global recession? Many of you will instantly think of irresponsible bankers around the world misusing our money. However what about the Victoria’s Secret model, Miranda Kerr. An odd suggestion? Check out the video below:

As a fellow colleague described a recent financial issue, David Kiely (a Macquarie employee) was seen viewing the images in the background before being informed by another colleague that he was live on national television.

There has been much sympathy for Mr Kiely as reports claim there is a possibility of him facing the sack. Facebook groups have been set up and Business website, Here Is The City News, has lauched a campaign called Save Dave to save Mr Kiely from being fired.

A Macquarie statement said: “Macquarie has strict policies in place surrounding the use of technology and the issue arising from the live cross on Seven News is being dealt with internally.” But we can only hope his partner will see the funny side of the situation.

A quiet corner of Staffordshire farmland is not where you’d expect to see a warzone. For eight miles, event organiser Mouser Wilson, dressed in traditional British Army uniform, has set up an assault course featuring monkey ropes, zip lines, underwater tunnels, steep drops, and even an electric fence.

The popularity of ‘Tough Guy’ is such that stewards were actually turning people away before the event began. In icy conditions, a militia of men and women, some from as far away as Japan and Australia, numbering upwards of five thousand, gathered to take part in a unique event – what Wilson considers to be the most arduous course in the world.

So why so popular? Wilson explains the mentality behind ‘Tough Guy’ as a ‘journey of self-discovery’. Though the journey from start to end, and often afterward, is one filled with pain and then some, it is the sense of achievement afterwards that has made ‘Tough Guy’ a competition famous among tough nuts around the world, standing in the same league as Burning Man in Nevada.

‘If you aren’t happy here then leave. We didn’t force you to come here. You asked to be here. So accept the country you accepted.’ Could it be that whatever our own views, here at last is a politician frankly speaking his mind on the matter of immigration. And when former Australian Prime Minister John Howard began what could fairly be called a rant, he went the whole hog in an infamous email which told Australian Muslims that; ‘We speak mainly english… Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society . Learn the language!’ He also vehemently complained that ‘I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture.’

Except this isn’t John Howard.

At all.

For if like me you read the comments above with a sense of disbelief but also astonishment at his frankness you will be sorely disappointed. The email, which has been in circulation since 2005, is most likely written by the Treasurer, Peter Costello. But the reason this email was so widely read and so quoted was that, though not written by the Prime Minister, it echoed the views of an Australian public becoming ever more fearful in the wake of the 7/7 bombings in London.

John Howard

But with the Archbishop of Canterbury’s remarks on sharia law two years ago, and the burgeoning trend of Islamophobia conflicting with that of political correctness, what is the public really thinking?

What are the real views of our Nation?

Read the full email @ http://www.hoax-slayer.com/howard-muslim-speech.shtml

While most electronic musicians do seem to be crowding around the dubstep scene, here’s a breath of fresh air. Pogo of Perth, Australia, is doing his own thing using samples from movies, a little autotune and some drums to produce some really impressive music.

Whilst purists will probably argue, “that’s not proper music”, Pogo clearly has a lot more talent and creativity than his contemporaries. While the removal of Alice, a fantastic remix of Alice in Wonderland that bought him to my attention as well as many others via sites like Digg and Reddit due to copyright issues with Disney, is a shame, he nevertheless continues to release some irritatingly catchy and intelligent tracks. Here’s his latest, Skynet Symphonic (from The Terminator 2) and Upular (from Up). Turn up your cones…

Farcical scenes. The O2 arena was witness to a ridiculous event last night. I would love to say it is unprecendented but sadly this is not the case. Here is yet another example of a sport being embarrased as an institution. With Roger Federer, Juan Martin del Potro and Andrew Murray all caught up in a ATP World Tour triangle of world class tennis, only two could squeeze through to the semis. With Murray either needing a Federer victory or if Del Potro was victorious, he would have to go through winning the highest percentage of game (goal difference.) The main thing standing in Murrays way was the fact that the ATP organisers have the arithametical ability of a dyslexic chimpanzee.

The cricket world cup final 2007 ended in near total darkness.

Murray was left furiously twittering “Anyone know what’s going on? I think I’m audi [out] but the rules aren’t worded too well.” The administrators rushed around wittering into their walkie-talkies and signalling various hand gestures that left the public (and more importantly the players) in no better position to find out who had won. Eventually it was decided that the Argentine had pipped our Brit by a single game.

A sense of deja-vu unfolded. The 2007 cricket world cup final played on in near total darkness as batsmen struggled to see the white ball. Who can forget the Henry hand ball that turns the FA’s respect campaign into a joke? Seeing Henry lead out France in front of a FIFA “Fair Play” banner would be a farce. The key word here is preparation. Prepare the refs, prepare the fans – the players play their game, why damage the experience with officials that can’t do simple maths?